Monday

Mum was dozing when I went in her room at The Home today and woke up as soon as I told her I was there.

She looked a lot brighter than she had yesterday. I told her so. She didn’t react one way or the other. I asked how she was feeling. She said she was feeling better.

Conversation was a bit difficult. I couldn’t understand much of what she said. I think she said that her dad hadn’t been to see her today and that she missed him.

Juliette saved the situation. With afternoon meds all administered she was doing a final tour of the floor to spread her magic before heading back to the office.

She has a test for Mum to gauge how she’s doing. If Mum will sing ‘You Are My Sunshine” with her then she’s doing alright. Mum passed the test today.

“She’s lovely, isn’t she Mum?”

“Yeah”

“I think she really makes this place”

“Yes. She does.”

My relief that Juliette had re-joined the team went up another notch. She makes a profound difference to Mum’s mood. But then she seems to lift everyone. You do see the effect it has on her when she’s away from the residents though. She was utterly burned out before the transfer. Perhaps being part of a bigger team where there are more people at her level to share the administrative burden will help her. I hope so. For both her and Mum’s sake.

I got Mum to finish the milkshake from lunchtime quite easily.

“You haven’t got to go quickly have you?”

“No Mum. I will have to go to the supermarket to get our tea but there’s no rush. I’ve got a shopping list here. Lesley tells our Alexa what she wants and I can see it on my phone. Here. Look.”

“Ooh!”

“It looks like she’s making Christmas cakes. Do you want one again?”

“Yeah. Just a tiny little one.”

While I was listening to Mum and trying, but not always succeeding, to make an appropriate response I heard a plaintive cry from across the corridor.

“Can somebody help me?”

Mum carried on talking.

“PLEASE!! Can somebody come and help me!”

“Hang on a minute Mum. I’m going to go and see what Betty wants.”

She’d dropped her call button on the floor and couldn’t reach either her box of tissues or “the buttons that make my bed go up and down”. I rearranged everything for her.

“Do I know you?”

“Yes Betty. Before we all moved here I used to visit your room often with Reggie for a chat and a laugh. I know your son. He used to be my GP. I’m here because my Mum’s across the corridor.”

She said she remembered. I wasn’t convinced. She told me all about her family and how they were all on holiday to make the most of the sunshine while it lasted.

“I haven’t seen anybody for weeks!”

I didn’t tell her I’d seen her son talking to her on Friday.

“How is your Mum anyway?”

“She’s OK thank you. You know, up and down.”

“They say the same about me.”

“Well, my Mum’s often asleep when I come here. If she’s asleep, would it be OK if I came in and talked to you?”

“Of course!”

At that point we were joined by the chap who leads the activities in The Home.

“Hello Betty! What are you doing with a young man in the room?”

“I was just telling him he should come and see me more. He never comes to see me.”

I left him to it. I could hear him getting told off for not coming to see her either. His protests that she was always asleep when he visits her room were dismissed instantly.

Once he’d had his telling off and gained permission to wake Betty up if necessary he joined Mum and me.

“Hello Iris! How are you today?”

“Not too bad.”

We chatted for a bit. Strayed into politics a bit further than either of us felt comfortable with. I tried to keep her in the conversation but by the time he left, Mum was asleep again.

I told her I was leaving which woke her up. Obviously.

Not to worry. She immediately started saying “Hello” to someone she could see standing near her window.

The first Other People of this cycle had begun to arrive.

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