Last night I started looking at products for mom for when she falls. Which, you know, is inevitable.
She'll be living alone now, obviously, and she has a history of falling. When she did, my dad would laugh at her but he'd help her get up while she swore a blue streak at him. And he'd laugh more. Which made her angry.
And I'm laughing just thinking of him laughing at her.
The idea of her falling and him not there to laugh and try to help her makes me sad.
We think she's going to need something to talk to the outside world with that isn't her land line or her cel phone.
I asked on our company slack and everyone said to get her an Apple Watch, and the only downside is it doesn't keep a charge for as long as one would like. My fitbit keeps a charge for 8 days, I guess this doesn't do that well. Another problem is Linda and I have android phones, so I'm sure Samsung makes something we can interface with that will alert us when she falls.
Thing is, she's a total tech-hater, a luddite, and I feel she won't wear it. Whatever it is, but especially an Apple Watch. Maybe she'll wear some sort of fob/necklace dealie. But an Apple or Android watch?
She'll take it off to shower and fall and get stuck as the water turns cold around her. She will yell for help, with the watch or device right there on the sink above her head, just out of reach.
"Mom, we told you to always keep it on. It's waterproof."
"But no, I didn't want it to get wet."
"But that doesn't make sense, mom. It's waterproof."
And there you are, dying in the bottom of the shower or halfway out of the tub. Okay.
I had a heated exchange with her the other day, and then told my sister about the heated exchange, and my sister called to yell at her.
Linda is very good at setting her straight and blowing up her bullshit, whereas I just say "oh okay" and hang the phone up after saying "love you, byeeeee."
Things are better but today I should have called to check in, and didn't have the time. Will do so tomorrow.
Part of me has been wondering if we should alternate weeks up there, and stay either with my cousin or an air bnb.
Right now prices are through the roof for both the hotels and air bnb, so the Cousin angle would be best through Labor Day. I looked at renting a cottage for the entire winter season, August through May. Doug told me I was out of my mind, and that "you are over estimating the amount of time you think you need to be up there."
In his mind that's true, but with his dad's passing, his sister lives a few miles from his mom, so someone is right there, right now, all the time.
And we are far away.
And being far away, that creates a vacuum that isn't good to have unfilled by not me and not Linda.
I think Doug may possibly be wrong? Mistaken? Maybe we'll need to be there a lot for the next few months but that will be less and less, and not like ... all the way to May. So there, he's right.
But the cottage I looked at was so cute, I mean. Yeah. I could use that. I could use me just going up there for a week, working from cottage, and helping mom out after work and on the weekend, and coming home. And being alone.
Linda and I just chatted for two hours, and she said she did research with what they did for her mother in law (who ironically leaves her phone and her medic-alert device in the house all the time when she goes out to putter in the garden, so, my vision of mom falling in the bathroom is not far off target).
Based on what mom has for insurance, if her doctor feels it is medically necessary, they can write a script for something, and we can get it covered. Otherwise, it is an out of pocket cost. So Lin is doing research on it. More to come.
Tonight, Mom's neighbor M called Linda to say that the lights were all off in the house, and he was worried.
So Linda called and mom answered. Linda said "M is worried - the house is dark." so my mom said all the nightlights are on, everything is okay. She didn't understand why M didn't just come knock at the door or something. And that's because it takes forever for her to walk to the front door to answer, so M would be extra super worried with the amount of time it would take her to respond.
M is used to the living room light being on, and the TV on, while my dad was in the living room.
But now he's not there, so she has the living room light off and the TV off, and the kitchen light off, and she's in her bedroom playing computer games and watching true crime TV.
Her bedroom does not have a window that M can see unless he walks totally around her trailer to check.
I appreciate M calling Linda to ask.
I think they need a light system so M knows she's alright. Between X hour and X hour this light will be on in the living room. And hey - call her phone and she'll answer directly. If she doesn't well then. You'll know.
When Linda and I put the slide show together for my dad, I kept coming back to this one.
This was taken at Geoff's high school graduation party in the shed. It is one of my very favorite pictures of my dad. I kind of feel like I should do an entry and post all the pictures we have that we put into the slide show, but for right now, that's the one I love the most.
Digits, below. I'm trying to get back to better eating and my schedule. I totally went off script for a week, and now we're working on getting things back. I gained 6 pounds last week, no veggies and yes carbs will have that impact.
here's to getting back on my bullshit.
digits
exercise: 11/12 hours of 250 steps. Missed 1pm because I was working and focused and lost track of time
blood glucose:
8am: 160
5pm: 141
10:15pm: 177
food:
coffee, water
10:30: omelet w/wilted greens, feta and cheddah
11am: metformin
12:30: hummus+crackers
6:30pm: metformin+jardiance; 3 chicken thighs marinaded in soy sauce, lemon, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, rosemary, parsley
8pm: oreo cookies
8:30pm: mixed nuts; white wine
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