Today has been a good day.
A very, very good day.
Mother finally got her new hearing aid. I'm not even going to attempt to describe the difference. It is not a complete night/day difference, but it IS a difference of watching mouths open and close while not truly hearing to now actually hearing again. If not perfectly.
The memory prescription does seem to be working. Surprisingly well. Another biggie.
And -
Two people from the assisted living center came for a visit after the hearing aid man's visit. Mother and the hearing aid man (whose name is Tom) met when we first moved here. He's been a good friend to her and to me and Donald over the years.
As soon as he left, two young women came in to do the assessment needed for Mother's move.
They are both very professional, but both cute and full of personality and had won Mother's heart within the first 20 minutes. They showed pictures of the facility, asked her a bunch of questions in such an easy conversational manner that she was immediately at ease. Told her about the facility and what they would do for her in helping her keep her independence - not usurp it.
To condense a two hour meeting, which did not feel one bit like a meeting, to one short description. How 'bout - "YAY!"
Mother, while at first, very distressed about feeling as though we had taken things into our own hands without consulting her, came to understand why and agreed that she would not have been up to doing the research necessary, and finally said that yes, she knew this was the right move and that it was time.
So.
Donald and I go tomorrow. He will measure her room to see just how much of her furniture we can take, along with some of her cherished and much loved sit-abouts. They asked her what color she wanted her walls painted and it will be freshly painted when she moves in.
While Donald is measuring, I will be spending the time filling out the necessary paperwork. I was warned that it would take us about an hour and a half.
They asked Mother if she wanted to move in this week and she said, sure - she was ready.
So. She will be (Good Lord Willing and The Creek Don't Rise!) moving in this coming Friday.
We won't be able to move everything between now and then, but I've been talking with the manager of the apartment complex she now lives in and he's not going to rush us right out of there, and has assured us we can take our time (I'm sure that would have its limits, but he's being very kind and really sweet about it all). There are some things in her apartment that we're going to be giving to some of the residents there. Mother has made some very good friends there, and one neighbor, in particular, has done a huge amount of good things for her and many of the other residents there as well over the years. His washing machine recently died, so we're going to give him Mother's. Someone else will get the dryer if they want it, but it just happens to have recently broken.
The facility staff workers visiting with us told Mother they knew she would be the Belle of the Ball at her new home, and any of you who know her know exactly how they reached that conclusion. She was at her very shiny brightest today.
Now.
Now, is when I have to remind myself of the reality of all of this and tamper down my enthusiasm because come Friday when we go to pick her up, who knows, she may say "hell no, I'm not going."
But, she will, and it will be good.
It will be very, very good.
Thank you all for the notes (keep 'em coming, I PROMISE I will write back, and I know you understand why I haven't yet), thank you for the good thoughts and all the prayers. Keep them coming, please.
(and here's the next bit of that unsolicited advice I promised not to give - forgive me. Get those Power of Attorney forms completed ASAP. Not just financial, but health and guardianship - do it do it do it).
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