home from the hospital March 30, 2008
My grandmother came home from the hospital today. I was happy to be able to be at her house when she got there, although she was very tired and was only able to visit a short while before needing to go to sleep for the night. She really enjoyed having C. hang out on the bed with her for a little while. C. seemed to enjoy it too.
It was decided by her three children (my mother and uncles) that she will do better at home with full time care than at a rehab center, so that’s what the plan is. I am not 100% sure how it will all work, as even the short time I spent trying to be helpful yesterday showed me that it is an extremely tricky and physically demanding thing to care for someone in a lot pf pain who is very frail and - at this point - totally bedridden. But I guess the people they have hired know better how to handle everything she needs.
I would SO MUCH like to be able to come over every day and just sit with her and read to her or chat. I miss her a lot, and I know she misses seeing me and all my children as well. She’s particularly close to H. He was her first great-grandchild, and they spent lots and lots of time together when he was a baby and young child. Until H hit adolescence, he enjoyed being at Grandma’s house more than just about anywhere. Even now, he’s very good about always making plenty of time for her -and before he died in 2006, my grandfather - whenever he’s in Bell Buckle.
It’s always better (OK, except in extreme circumstances) for them to be at home as long as possible, even with the necessity of outside help. I’m so glad we were able to do that with my mom. It makes a difference.
In your situation this probably won’t be necessary, but we started bathing her ourselves after she mentioned that one of the hospice girls had been kind of rough with her. She was always such a tough lady that if it was THAT rough, we (her sister and us daughters) decided we’d do it.