Wednesday

I was very late getting to mum this evening. The whole home seemed to be agitated though.

Pauline had her arm in a sling and was very keen to tell me she’d been for an operation on her hand today. I asked her if it had gone well. She said it had. Two chairs away, Eleanor was literally screaming for help. I told her I was going to see my Mum first and would be back in a minute.

Eve and Dora greeted me cheerily. I apologised for being so late and asked how much trouble I was in. They just laughed.

I managed to get through the rear lounge without difficulty.

Mum was nearly asleep when I got to her. I think she knew I was there. Even though it was gone 9 I still coincided with the nurse arriving with Mum’s evening meds. She was delayed because nobody was cooperating.

After her last experience with Mum, when I was handed all 3 tablets after she’d checked they’d been swallowed, she arrived armed with a pot of yoghurt. She didn’t grind them up like Glenys did though and mum spat out the first tablet in spite of being asleep. She spat it into her hand and wouldn’t let go of it. The nurse practically had to fight her for it. After it was definitely, definitely swallowed, Mum went deeply asleep. I gave it 5 minutes to make sure the tablets didn’t reappear and then left her to it.

On my way out the upset in the front lounge was getting worse. Dora was trying to cope with Pauline, who was trying to negotiate her way to bed with her walking frame in one good hand while talking into her phone in her bad hand, and Eleanor, who was standing in the middle of the room screaming that she’d lost her baby.

I kept Eleanor occupied while Dora got Pauline under control. Eleanor’s dolls are always in her room but she insisted she’d just been there and one was missing. I suggested we go and check again and she shuffled off like Moaning Myrtle the way she always does.

And the reason for being so late today? Lesley’s dad being a dickhead. Again.

Author’s Note

My Mum is in a nursing home in a small village in the Thames Valley. The photo is not of the home. I used an AI image generator to give the reader some idea of the home she’s in.

All, some or maybe even none (you’ll never know!) of the names have been changed to protect privacy and hide real identities. If you think you recognise someone then let me know and I’ll edit the post or remove it entirely