The Long Saga is Over

In late June my family and I looked forward with great anticipation to moving my mother into a new care home. We felt it was going to be very good for her since it was "state of the art" facility and brand new staff. Boy were we ever wrong!  It has been a virtual nightmare for mother and I and a very tiring and stressful one at that.  We have now moved mom back to her former facility and the difference is like night and day in a good way.  The move went smoothly though it took long as most of her things needed to go into storage.  She no longer has a private room. That was the only way to get her moved quickly.  There was only one hiccup which wasn't of the facility's making and that issue has since been resolved.

I had a couple of not very nice surprises about mom's condition.  One of them was the state of her pressure wounds.  Right after moving mother was assessed by her new nurse as having stage 3 pressure wounds, rather than the stage 1 which she was told by staff at the former facility. The new nursing team is working around the clock to treat and pack the wounds.  Part of the treatment is keeping mom in bed for much longer stretches of time so they can turn her on her side and relieve the pressure. In between lying in bed she gets up and motors around.  This keeps her happy.  The other problem is the terrible state of her oral health. I have to locate a dentist as soon as possible and make an appointment to address several problems, not the least of which is pain.

The good news is that though mom is now sharing a room, the things I packed for her fit nicely into the space.  We have retained her television and dvd player for her use but had to store the portable cd player, fridge, bookshelves, books etc.  She doesn't use any of this anyway but if you've ever dealt with an elderly person you know they like to have their things around them.   The only thing that helps deal with this situation is that mom is the one who decided over my objections, that she wanted a shared room.  That means she has to adjust to the situation. There are a number of positives about where she lives now.  Too many to itemize but a big one is that she is now she is able to "drive" all over the place without worrying about getting through doors by herself.

The new facility is located all on one level unlike her last residence. That alone really brightens her day.  Plus she was also welcomed back by so many people, staff and residents alike, and that can only lift one's spirits.  Since mother last lived at the "new" facility, there has been a change of management and I observe that things are much more organized and running better all around.  There is also a lot better communication with the family.  This is wonderful!  The long saga of dealing with the former facility is over. I'm so relieved. Now I can start to focus on some of mom's other pressing care needs like dental and eye care.

A huge snowfall was forecast for our journey.  In my city, the snow quickly turned to torrential rains but as we got an hour or two out of the city, the snow was coming down heavily.  These photos (above and below) show the early stages of snow fall.

 

By the time we got up the mountain, the snow was considerably heavier.  One hour from our final destination we passed one terrible accident on the highway due to the icy conditions.  The weather was significantly warmer and sunnier when we returned south a few days later.

I've been home for a few days and am slowly trying to get back into a normal routine. I am quite tired but have managed to do a few errands, lots of laundry and stock up on food for the weeks ahead.  This weekend I am taking it easy. I'm exhausted from the stresses and moves of the last 7 months.  We've moved mom 5 times in total (4 times within the former facility and once last week) and dealt with endless issues.  We may have to move her again if she gets a private room but have been told the wait is very long.  In the meantime I hope to get some rest.

It is a cold, rainy and windy night tonight.  As I sit here I am smelling the comforting aroma of a ham roasting in the oven and scalloped potatoes baking.  This kind of dinner is rare since I only roast ham about once a year at New Year's and make scalloped potatoes even less frequently.

It smells good!

Here is the recipe for the scalloped potatoes.

Ingredients: 

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated cheese, to sprinkle on top
paprika

Directions:

1.   In a small sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.
2.   Let sit for a minute.
3.   Add all of cold milk, stirring with a whisk.
4.   Season with salt and cayenne.
5.   Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.
6.   Reduce heat and stir in cheese.
7.   Place a half of the sliced potatoes in a lightly greased one quart casserole dish.
8.   Pour half of cheese sauce over potatoes.
9.   Repeat with second layer of potatoes and cheese sauce.
10. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
11. Top with some paprika for color.
12.  Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F.

The recipe for scalloped potatoes is from southernfood.com and is the first time I've tried it. I didn't have much cheese so saved it for the topping and omitted it from the sauce.   I'm used to mom's scalloped potatoes which is a much quicker and easier way to prepare them and doesn't use cheese at all.  Perhaps I will share that another time.

I like to cook the ham until it practically falls off the bone. I save the sauce for New Year's Dinner.

Busy Week

Hello everyone, I trust you are having a lovely weekend.

It has been very cold where I live but I've been keeping busy just the same.

Monday night I went to a cooking session with friends.  We made brown rice, white fish with Asian sauce that featured lots of ginger, an Asian salad (red and green cabbage with Asian dressing), slivered steamed carrots and almond cookies.  Then we all sat down and ate together.  It was a nice change to have fish since I don't make a lot of fish at my place.

On Tuesday a friend invited me over to dinner, to see his new apartment and complete some paperwork we are working on.  He made a lovely dinner of quinoa with veggies and a delicious tasting beef. In the end we didn't complete the paperwork because another friend who lives out-of-town dropped in to visit.  The paperwork is taking much longer than we had initially envisioned as my friend wanted to complete it in December.  His own schedule has interfered with completion but we are getting closer to being done!

On Wednesday I did a lot of work piecing together the African Flower Crochet afghan I started last Fall.  I did so much work on this project in November that I didn't feel like working on it in December and January.  Now I've got 3 rows left and then I'm done.  It is a smaller afghan than I was thinking it would be not having worked from a written pattern.  But I've run out of the right colour combinations so I think I will live with it.  It is plenty large enough to snuggle up in. I originally wanted to give this afghan as a Christmas gift but that time has passed so will probably now use it on my bed.

The afghan is nearing completion. 

 

On Thursday I cancelled my acupuncture appointment.  Instead I spent the entire day looking after business for my mother.  I will be going up to see her next week and there is always a lot to do before I get there.

Friday I went to the last session of the fashion seminar.  We also had a fashion exchange and it was a lot of fun. One of the nice young ladies who gave the presentations volunteered to modify a jean skirt of mine.  In return I will make her some baked goods with chocolate or bananas. I think I will make her two different items with each of her favoured ingredients.  Saturday I walked to the library to return some books and take out others.  After that I stopped off at one of my favourite neighbourhood restaurants and had a lovely dinner of mixed meat and tofu hotpot and (fresh) lemon bubble tea.

Monday is a holiday here at home. I will be on the road to visit my mom, sort out some of her things and put some things in storage for she will be moving again and this time has a shared room.  Her space is very small but at least she can get back to where she wants to live and she is prepared to make the sacrifice. It is very cold where she lives too but is expected to warm up a bit.

When I get back I have some appointments and get togethers with friends lined up.

Since I will be away for a short while I won't be able to visit your blogs until my return. Keep well and stay warm.