Mom's Journey (A Move To Mount Olivet)

On May 15th, Mom moved from Chapel View to Mount Olivet Careview Home in South Minneapolis. The ride over there in the van was rough. Mom's anxiety was high, and though I tried to distract her by pointing out interesting things to look at, it really didn't help much. Getting out of the van was hard, too, but once inside, friendly staff started talking to Mom, and she was able to settle down some.

We discovered that there were robotic animals there that looked very similar to the ones Mom had become attached to at Chapel View, and she also named these babies Peaches and Patches. Labon happened to be working there that evening, too, and had already filled in staff about Mom's evening routine. 

Mount Olivet has a strong music program, visiting dogs, and active games every day. They have a beautiful patio right by Mom's room, and we frequently go out there to sit in the sun and look up into the sky for clouds and airplanes. Mom has even been able to go out on music outings, and to Dairy Queen in the van!  

Nails are done weekly

Another new place to get used to, but now two months later, I think we're all settling in. Mom still has anxiety and sundowning in the later part of the day, and staff will sometimes call us when she needs to hear our voices. She's always looking to go home to her Mom and Dad these days. But, I do think I trust that they are taking good care of her. 💕

Outside 💙💚💛💜

Mom's Journey (Saying Goodbye To Elder Homestead)

These guys were passed on to others

Saturday May 18th was a  steamy hot day and of course, that's the day Debbie and I headed over to Elder Homestead to pack up Mom's things. The plan was to get everything out of the apartment with the exception of the furniture, which would be moved to storage the following Friday. 

Debbie was prepared and arrived at my house with multiple laundry baskets in tow, plus bottles of water. We would work at packing things up, and Debbie would remind me that it was time for us to take a break and drink water every so often. It was overwhelming at times, but we pushed through. We also only had our two small cars to use, and we wondered how many trips back to my house we would need to make. Amazingly, we were able to stuff everything into the two cars, and with only one trip back! Once home, we pretty much dumped everything into the dining room to be dealt with later, the thought being that it would drive me crazy, and I'd be extra motivated to get things organized and cleared out of there sooner than later. 

Then we sat down in the kitchen to regroup with cool drinks and a snack. 

The next Friday, Mark rented a U-Haul truck so we could move furniture to the storage unit. Jake and Brianna were able to be there and help us, and we were done in a couple of hours. There were four ice cream sandwiches left in the freezer that needed to be eaten up, and no problem doing that! The only disappointing thing that happened was that it was a very windy day, and the Mother Daughter Floor Lamp took a tumble and broke. 😮 We gave hugs to some of the staff we knew best, and then it was time to go. It was bitter sweet. 

Candy for the EH staff

Mom's Journey ( Chapel View TCU)

On Tuesday April 23rd, Mom was able to go to Chapel View TCU for rehab. 

Walking into the building after almost 6 years since Dad passed away there, things felt familiar. There was the same receptionist at the front desk, and some of the same staff people on the unit that we knew from before. They recognized us, and remembered Harry and Joyce. It felt comforting. Mom didn't quite remember it in the same way, but I didn't think she would. It was hard to leave her feeling anxious in yet another new place, but I did feel like they would watch over her.

Therapy started right away in the morning, slowly because of the pain she had in her hip, but also because of her fear of falling again. Right away was the wondering if Mom would make enough progress to go back to live at Elder Homestead. Even though she'd lived there for almost 8 years, there weren't really any promises that they would let her move back. If she needed more than one person to assist her with transfers, or if she needed the help of something like an Easy Stand or Hoyer lift, they wouldn't be able to "meet her needs", an expression that I'd continue to hear from some of the other places we were looking at, too. 

I asked if her staying at Chapel View would be a possibility, but there were no beds available. 😔 So I continued to feel that pressure to find a good place for her if she needed to make a move from Elder Homestead, and it was hard to rest until I had some good living options for her. I understood from past experience with Dad, that when insurance money runs out, a transfer somewhere else happens quickly, and not always with the guarantee of a good place!

Labon was an aide at Chapel View who would often be caring for Mom. He told me about the other facility he was working at in South Minneapolis, Mount Olivet Carview Home. It's a five star facility, he said! They give their employees two sets of free scrubs to wear every year! And importantly, they accept people who might need to use an Easy Stand or Hoyer lift.

We decided to stop by at Mount Olivet for a tour. South Minneapolis is quite a bit further to drive to, but it was in a familiar area that Debbie and I used to live in back in 1980, actually only two blocks away from our apartment building, Creek Terrace Apartments. 😲 The nursing supervisor walked us through, and I noticed how clean and well staffed it appeared to be. People were friendly and smiling, it had a very good feel to it. We were disappointed to hear they didn't currently have any open beds, but she said we should call early Monday morning, and ask about a wait list. She also said that when looking for a place for Mom, we should find the best place we could that could care for her well, even if that meant a further drive for us. That spoke to my heart.

I followed through with that advice, and found out that a bed had actually opened up that Monday morning. They were doing some painting and sprucing up in the room, and it would be okay to wait another week until Mom was ready to be discharged from Chapel View. I felt such relief. 💕

Therapy continued on, with Mom drinking lots of Ensure, and receiving bacon with every breakfast because that was the one thing she would eat. They found some life like robotic animals for Mom to hold, which gave her a lot of comfort. 

Do you believe in divine intervention? I do.

Mom's Journey (The Fall)

On Wednesday April 17th, I had just returned home from helping mom with her shower, and was sitting down to lunch with Bruce when the call came from Elder Homestead that Mom had fallen in the dining room. The ambulance was already there to take her to the hospital and they were pretty certain that she'd broken her hip. 😧 

I thought she'd most likely go to Methodist Hospital, but a decision had been made for her to go Fairview Southdale, so we got ourselves together and hurried to meet her in the ER. She'd already received pain medication, and seemed comfortable, which was good. And then when the ER doc walked into the room, we were surprised to see that it was our neighbor, Max! He explained that the break was particularly nasty, and that surgery would be done in the morning. A room opened up for Mom, and after answering all the admission questions, we attempted to calm her down, and then headed home, the plan being to go back early the next day before the procedure began.

grateful for pain meds

Her orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Busse, thought the surgery went well, but time would tell how well she'd be able to walk in the future.

found a little free library!

my rock

pretty momma

family lounge

Every day, we'd go early morning, and stay until evening with Mom. Hospitals are hard on a 90 year old person with memory issues. While she was there, Mom drank a lot of Ensure, and received a blood transfusion, then an iron infusion. Family and friends showed up to give her love. We watched hours of soothing wildlife shows on the TV. Physical therapy was able to get Mom to stand briefly at the bedside a couple of times, and I worked with the social worker, trying to find a good TCU for her to go to for rehab after her hospital stay. I really wanted her to be able to go to Chapel View. Chapel View is where Dad lived for two years before he passed away, and we trusted them. And then, a bed opened up at Chapel View, just in time...

Off to Chapel View