Postcards from the EDGE
Dear Diary,
STELLAR day. I’m sending out a heartfelt THANKS to the lovely staff person at Happy Daze Assisted Living.. who in the hopes of making me feel better today offered up THESE encouraging words, after my MIL Ru decided that she had never seen me before. That’s right.. all of a sudden, after like 15 years of DEMENTIA Ru’s decided I’m not HERE. Where am I.. you ask? Well, I could NOT be HER DIL standing HERE in front of her. Oh no, no, no, because.. her DIL (ME) is on an (all expenses paid..from Lotto winnings) vacation to freakin Maui. WELL Ru.. ALOHA and I’m enjoying my trip immensely while drinking heavily to celebrate such an occasion.
Aide: Really? Ru doesn’t KNOW who you are? Hahahaha. I don’t believe it. It can’t be. She knows who I AM. Look, I’ll show you. Ru.. do you know who I am?
Then my MIL looks at the aide and is all, HALLE yeah.. I know who you are. What do you think? I wouldn’t know my own AIDE who spends fifteen to seventeen minutes with me a day? Ga. You’re that great wonderful girl who LOVES ME, who’s here for me ALL THE TIME. Much like my DIL used to be, before she dashed off to get a BRAZILIAN WAX and jump on a plane..for MAUI.
Then the aide looks at me all smug and is like.. SEEEEEEE? She knows MEEEEEE.
Then YOU be her DIL.
-A
Not a stellar day, huh? Taking care of a senior with dementia is a lot like being a mom - some days we feel more appreciated than others. Nobody said the job would be easy but it’s certainly rewarding. Happy Mother’s Day, my friend!