We started the week with a nice game which is called "Who will be a millionaire" Unfortunately it wasn't me, it was Jeannie, who is 100 years old. I wonder if she still has time to spend it all, otherwise her heirs will be very happy !
The new ones have settled in well and aren't so shy anymore. Old Mimmi, who thinks she's a nightingale, now sings all day long. It's worst when we play and have to think during other games. Yesterday, I lost my temper and told her I would put a plaster on her mouth if she didn't stop singing when we play. The others threatened her too, and today when she had sung two notes, we all gave her an angry look, and she stopped. Hopefully, it stays that way. The poor girl who shares a room with her is at her wit's end, but doesn't dare complain !
Otherwise, Mimmi is friendly and cheerful ! I will have to put that on my list for the next meeting with the management.
It becomes urgent to put back on the 4th floor these poor people. The renovation is not yet finished so some of them are with us during the day. They are like vegetables, and it's not good for us to see what could happen when we get older. Better putting the head in sand.
My friend Jacqueline called me and asked if we could eat mussels together. She picked me up, and we had a lovely afternoon.
The next day a resident came back, she had fallen. She sometimes has balance problems and falls. This time, she fell on the left side of her face and had a beautiful black eye and purple cheeks. We suggested she performs in a circus.
One of the new girls seems to have an age complex. She dresses like she's 20, which obviously makes her look older and doesn't suit her at all. I mean mini skirts at nearly 80 ! She told us right away that she has a boyfriend. Instead of being envied, she was teased. The other women were all widows like her, but had absolutely no desire to replace their husbands with boyfriends
In general, I'm amazed that those who are normally separated from us because they are severely brain-damaged are always looking for a man or woman. Then they hold hands and cling to each other, and have jealous scenes. So, it's not boring here, and we "normal" people have fun.
The ones with dementia disease can get really angry and aggressive if you try to separate them. One nurse got a glass of wine in her face when she tried to put a "couple" at different tables.
The sneakers which I had worn 3 or 4 times were suddenly too small and my feet hurt.
So I decided to go shopping with Jeanine, and then we went to a shoe store she didn't know, but I had been buying my shoes there for years. I found a nice pair which I liked and she bought a pair of slippers as inside shoes.
Dear Ingrid, you are such a talented story teller and you have such a positive attitude and great sense of humour. Your posts are like a breath of fresh air.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that the sneakers started hurting your feet.
Nice that you got together with Jacqueline for a meal and a nice afternoon.
Rosie is beautiful.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Sending you much love ❤️ and warm hugs.
I hope Rosie regains her appetite and zest for life.
ReplyDeleteIt's not good for residents who don't have mental problems to have to spend time with those who do. It's quite depressing, I imagine.
Yes that's true, but you get used to. I also know how to handle them because Rick at the end was also dangerous fortunately not with me ! If a 95 year old tells me she has to visit her grandparents, I just say, that is very nice of you give them my regards, and it's finished if I start to explain that her grandparents are dead, she would start to cry or I don't now what.
DeleteGlad you found some new shoes that fit better! And that you got to go out with your friend.
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law was in the dementia unit of a nursing home for a while--not because she had dementia, but she needed increased physical care. It was sad. The staff didn't do anything with them other than herd them all in to watch TV in the main room so they didn't have to go to individual rooms to check on them. The residents would often ask us to take them home, and then get angry when we said we couldn't. We learned to divert their attention--we'd tell them dinner was about to be served or to ask one of the staff.
I know it is hard to live in a place where the older residents with memory issues inter mingle with the other residents. Where my dad lived, the memory care unit was separate.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got new shoes and a yummy mussels dinner.
Have a good week. Hopefully, Rosie will get her appetite back.
Love the new sneakers. I can only buy a certain brand to fit my wide feet and now they only come in black, so dull. Probably other brands would have a wide enough pair, but the cost is so prohibitive. I haven't worn a mini skirt since I was thirty! I'm 73. I do wear shorts in summer for comfort and t-shirts too, so all the wrinkles are on display, but I don't care. I hope the older people who need more care and attention are soon back in their refurbished section.
ReplyDeletePretty sneakers! I love the sparkles so cute same happens to me when I get new shoes is that a normal thing? I hope so because happens to me all the time as well. Hope Rosie gets better soon and can start eating well again she looks way younger than 19 wow! you take really good care of her. Good luck hope you can adapt to that place you are living in now :)
ReplyDeleteBlog de Bea- recomendaciones, animes, juegos & más!.
Sad as it may be, at 19 Rosie's time with you is very limited. I know you know this and are prepared, but it is kind of the last bit of your old life that will pass when she goes.
ReplyDeleteAmazing that Rosie is hanging in there at the grand old age of 19. I hope she regains her appetite here soon. Glad you had a nice visit with your friend Jaqueline over a meal you enjoy.
ReplyDeleteHopefully Rosie's appetite will pick up and she will get rounder and rosier 🙂.
ReplyDeleteA nurses job is not one I would wish, but one I admire them very much for doing. A smoke and a glass of wine seems a small price to assuage the sanity and nerves.
Erin