Archive for the ‘Mary’ category

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Mother’s Day

May 10, 2020

We started our Mother’s Day celebration early on Saturday. The staff at Regency Palms had arranged to have Mary down stairs where we could greet her through the glass so as to avoid spreading any virus to her or anyone also at the home.

Regency Palms has done a great job making sure that no one gets infected. Many other skilled nursing facilities have not done as well.

So Mike’s family joined us at 1:30 pm. Jonathan and Sarah worked on a greeting card for Mary. Unfortunately, we couldn’t leave it with her. But it is displayed on our refrigerator for all to see.

This is the first time that we have seen Mary for a few weeks. She is looking more frail and wobbly. We are not sure she understands all of the social distancing ideas that we are doing.

After we were done at Regency Palms, we headed home for a late lunch. Mike stopped at In’n’Out for burgers. We stopped at Starbuck’s for some iced coffees. It was really nice to see the grand-kids. We hadn’t seen them since the beginning of the pandemic. It was a nice day.

That’s all for now. Stay safe.

Joe

Categories: Corona, Mary
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Friday

April 24, 2020

Today we went out to do some errands. Traffic seemed to be pretty much back to normal. Plenty of cars on the 405. Long trains heading to the port of Los Angeles.

The Nissan odometer hit 11111 miles. We got word from our auto insurer that we will be getting a rebate. Woo hoo! Listening to KUSC, classical radio station

First stop was the ATM, so that we have cash to pay our cleaning lady on Monday.

Then, we headed over to Long Beach to drop off some adult diapers for Mary. We can’t go in to visit until the pandemic is done with us.

Stopped at Stone Age Pharmacy to buy come cannabis for attitude adjustment in the evening.

Time to buy gas for the Nissan. Price for regular was $2.47/gallon. This fill up will probably last until the end of May. Some of you who live back East might not think $2.47 is a great price, but it is here in Los Angeles. In February it was around $3.50

Last stop was In’n’Out burger for lunch. Double-Double with cheese and onions for me. Protein double-double for Paula. One order of fries to share.

Categories: Corona, Mary
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Mary

March 6, 2020
2020-02-23 13.11.59

So we took Mary to church on Sunday. Our plan was to take her to church and  then after church take her back to Regency Palms for their monthly brunch. We managed to get a decent HP parking spot, so she didn’t have to walk very far to get to the elevator.

So everyone was happy to see her. She will smile at you and say hello. But she doesn’t remember anyone. No one. She kind of nodded off a couple of times during the service.

Pastor Jacques greeted her warmly after the service, but she doesn’t remember him. In fact as we drove over to Long Beach, Paula asked her if she enjoyed the church service? Five minutes after we left the church, she had forgotten the whole thing.

Doing the brunch was easier than going to the diner after church because she doesn’t have to decide what to have from the menu. She would stare at menu for 30 minutes until we ordered for her (like a banana waffle or something).

So we got her seated and got her some coffee and some breakfast (French toast and some breakfast sausages). She eats very, very slowly. She can’t carry on a conversation and can usually only answer yes/no types of questions.

As of right now, we don’t take her to OES meetings at night, because the front desk closes down at 7 or 8 pm. And so getting back inside is a challenge. We will only take her out at night if it is an emergency (like a trip to ER). But that usually involves a EMT’s and ambulance.

We probably won’t be taking her out to church again. It’s a struggle to get her their and she just doesn’t remember anything about what happened. If you would like to visit, let us know and we will set it up for you. Pastor Jacques and his wife have been over visit several times.

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Henry Jones

May 28, 2019

During the past few weeks, Paula has been cleaning out her Mom’s bedroom of the many things that have been saved for many years. One of the more interesting artifacts was an article clipped out of a magazine about a pine marten named Henry Jones.

So when Paula was a young girl, her father would work as a park ranger up in Lassen National Park for each summer. During the rest of the year, Harold would work as a science teacher at a high school in Long Beach. On the day after school closed in June, her family would pack up and head north to Lassen.

So every year they would stay in a log cabin in the park. When Paula was about 8, they befriended a pine marten that her Dad named Henry Jones. Henry Jones would come back every summer for several years.

So there was a tree stump outside their kitchen window of the cabin at Summit Lake where the Stanley family would sit at their kitchen table and watch Henry eat the food that they had left. They also left some watermelon rinds that were popular with the deer in the area.

Why Henry Jones, you might ask? Well, the name Henry Jones came from a popular song from the 1940’s titled “Feed the Bones to Henry Jones, because Henry don’t eat no meat”. Here are the lyrics:

Tonight I’ll serve a supper, 
We’ll eat some food that’s rare. 
And at the head of the table, 
I’ll place brother Henry’s chair-
Invite all the local big dogs,
We’ll laugh and talk and eat, 
But we’ll’ save the bones for Henry Jones, 
‘cause he don’t eat no meat-

Today I’ll go to market- 
and buy a lot of fish, 
That will thrill Brother Henry, 
Because that’s his special dish.- 
Get a large can of molasses,
so we’ll have something sweet, 
But save the bones for Henry Jones, 
“cause he don’t eat no meat.

Henry is not a drinker, 
he rarely takes a nip, 
He don’t need a napkin, 
‘cause the things he eats don’t drip. 
One day we had a banquet, 
It really was a bake, 

They started off with some short ribs,
they finished off with a steak. 
But when the feat was over, 
brother henry just kept his seat, 
and we served the bones to Henry Jones,
‘cause he don’t eat no meat. 
To- he don’t eat no meat.

Songwriters: Daniel Barker / Henry Mccoy Jones / Michael H. Goldsen

The song was performed by Nat King Cole and Johnny Mercer in 1947. Click here to listen to the song on YouTube.
And finally, here is the copy of the article that we found in the bottom of one of Mary’s dresser drawers:
Click the following URL to read the article: Henry Jones

Categories: California, Family, Mary
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May Fifth

May 6, 2019

Well yesterday was May 5th. We went to church and then to Pacific Diner for brunch. After we finished brunch we headed over to Regency Palms to visit Mary and drop off clean laundry and pick up dirty laundry.

We also got to meet Mary’s room-mate Sally. (Very nice lady). Of course, Mary was in bed. The care-givers (ladies in green shirts) dropped by to tell us that there was a party up on the roof. So, we all proceeded down to the elevators and went top-side.

So we bundled Mary up in her winter coat. (It’s windy and chilly up there). They have wind shields that help block the wind a but not enough.

They had a seven piece mariachi band playing. There was a buffet of light snacks (Salsa, guac, etc.)

Here are a couple of pictures:

Next Sunday, we will be picking her up to go to Mothers’ Day service at Ocean View. Then lunch at Pacific Diner.

Categories: Aging, Mary
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After the Move…

May 4, 2019

Well, Mary has been moved into her new home at Regency Palms on Tuesday. Now, it’s time to talk about what’s next.

Mary seems to be settling in okay. She has a roommate named Sally. Paula met her a couple of days ago. Paula said that she seemed nice.

We are starting to adjust to life without Mary. First change is adjusting out food purchases. Now we are buying for two instead of three. Last night we had a shrimp dish that was very tasty. Mary doesn’t like Shrimp, so we never bought any.

Mary had trouble chewing steaks and chops, so we didn’t get any for her. We would usually cook a burger for her. It’s always been a struggle to figure out what she liked or disliked. We would ask her “What do you want us to get you to eat?”. Never got an answer. So we would just shop and try to keep track of what she would eat or not eat.

We also have a spot in the refrigerator door where we kept the jug of white zinfandel. Not sure what we’re going to put there, but something will find the spot. We would give her 1/2 a glass. Sometimes, she would ask for more, but we would generally refuse. She gets dizzy enough without help from alcohol.

Mary loved watermelon, though she wasn’t eating it so much for the last week or so. Luckily for us, one can buy watermelon already cut up and in a plastic bowl ready to eat. No seeds, no rind, etc.

Going forward, we will begin cleaning out her bedroom. She has some clothes that she hasn’t worn for years. There’s some stuff that is way too big for her. The job probably won’t start until after my knee surgery in June.

Paula will be trying to get over to visit every other day. Pick up dirty laundry. Talk to the staff to find out what she needs.

Sometimes, the condo feels a bit spooky. I keep expecting to see Mary toddling out of her room to sit at the dining room table. Nobody there.

TTFN,

Joe

Categories: Aging, Mary
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Done

May 1, 2019

Well the job is done. We have Mary moved in to her room at Regency Palms yesterday. Overall, it went smoothly. Her bed has been made. Clothing stored in her closet and dresser.

We met with the medical folks and other staff people. It felt strange to come home to an empty condo. We’ll be back tomorrow to finish up a few loose ends.

Here are a few pictures:

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Mary

April 20, 2019

Time for an update. The process continues. A nurse came to meet Mary and do a report for the admin folks at Regency Palms.

We filled out more forms and went over the medical report that was done by Dr T. We gave her the power of attorney docs. More paperwork. I will likely be writing a big check.

So next step will be to sign the admission document. That will happen next Tuesday. Once that’s done we can schedule the move in. I expect that we will have her moved in by no later than the end of April. Maybe sooner. It looks like that we will be done well before our departure on our trip to Boston in May.

It amazes us all the things that she no longer remembers. For instance, she didn’t remember that she only had one daughter. She didn’t remember that we have been taking care of her for the past 6 1/2 years. She now seems to remember that she was married to Harold. A few weeks ago, she didn’t remember him at all. So sad. Sometimes, she remembers stuff. For instance, on the way home from church today, she pointed out the house that she once lived back in the day. Wow!

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A Place for Mary

April 7, 2019

Well the deal is done. We told Mary about our plans for her. We made an appointment to meet with the folks at Regency Palms in Long Beach. We met with one of the administrators for lunch. Here’s a picture of one of the administrators with Mary.

2019-04-06 12.28.33

Jonathan and Mary

We had meat loaf with mashed potatoes and carrots. Mary cleaned her plate and ate dessert too. As usual, she was real slow in eating, but we weren’t in a rush.

After lunch, we took her to her room and gave her a tour. Once that was done we headed down to the office to work on next steps. I gave them copies of her power of atty documents.

Next we got a document to take to her doctor to fill out. Once we get the medical clearance we can do the contract and schedule a nurse home visit.

Once we were sitting in the office conference room, I think Mary finally figured out what we were talking about. The first time that we brought up the subject on Thursday evening, I don’t think she understood what we were talking about.

We had told her that we wouldn’t be able to care for anymore and that we were physically and emotionally shot. Perhaps, she thought that we would be moving out. Who knows? At any rate, it seems that she finally understood it today. But she doesn’t remember any of it today.

Now we get to work signing forms.

Categories: Aging, Board & Care, Mary
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Bored & Care

April 2, 2019

Today, Paula and I visited a “Board and Care” facility in Torrance. Board and Care is the name given to non-medical care facility typically provided for  up to six or so seniors typically in a residential setting.

The facility that we visited is in a single family residence in Torrance. This particular B&C is licensed for up to 6 residents. Here’s an outside picture.

2019-04-02 11.45.32

As you can see from the picture, a ramp has been provide for handicap access. Though I wouldn’t want to have to do an emergency evacuation in case of fire.

Pluses

  • Only about 10-12 minutes from our home.
  • Price is $4000 for a bed in a semi-private room. That’s a lot less than some of the other elder care facilities. Price is all inclusive including all meals but not medicine.
  • Nurse Practitioner visits once a week.
  • Facility was clean. No rugs (trip hazard)

Minuses

  • It felt crowded. All of the residents (all five of them) were sitting in worn recliner chairs watching TV (Set was tuned to a “Bonanza” episode on TV-land. I figure that was the total extent of their mental stimulus. It wasn’t even a particularly good TV.
  • Lunch was served while we were there. We were not asked to join them. Menu was sloppy joes and a cup of jello or pudding. It didn’t look particularly appetizing.
  • Not sure how many bathrooms there are. We only saw one. I would assume there would be more, but we just didn’t see them. The bathroom that Mary would use is outside the room and a few feet down the hall. It has handicap access shower and toilet.

Here are a few more pictures. I didn’t want to take any pictures of the living room because there were residents sitting in the chairs.

Bottom Line

This ain’t it. We can afford better.  A lot better. I would be embarrassed to think we put Mary here.

We probably will try to see another couple of board & care’s by Thurday. Make decision by Thursday.

TTFN

Joe

 

Categories: Aging, Board & Care, Mary
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