Saturday

I just about managed to get to The Home before the day shift signed out. I like to speak to the people who’ve been looking after Mum all day to get a full picture of how she’s been.

“Hello Mum! It’s Nick. Are you alright?”

She nodded but stayed silent.

Her carer appeared at the door.

“Hello! How’s she been today?”

“Very sleepy still. Won’t eat or drink. She had a little breakfast but when I came in with lunch and dinner she pinched her mouth shut and refused everything. She even pulled her duvet up to cover her face. She won’t even touch her milkshake.”

“Oh, that’s not good Mum. Perhaps I should bring in something that you’d like to eat instead. A curry perhaps?”

She did reply but it wasn’t anything I could understand. The carer left and I started to tell Mum about my day.

“I had my flu jab this morning. I’m going to have a sore arm later. Lesley had both flu and COVID jabs this afternoon. I don’t get my COVID jab until Monday.”

I went on to fill in the details about The Dog’s walk and what I got done in the garden. She nodded as I spoke but just wanted to hold my hand.

Reggie joined us.

“Did you get a phone call?”

“No?”

“Oh. There was a guy here yesterday asking about DoLS.”

“Oh that! Yeah, he called yesterday evening. Sorry, I thought you meant a call from here. No, he did call.”

Reggie had stayed to act as interpreter for Mum. He understands more than most what she says.

“He asked Iris where she thought she was. She said she thought she was in hospital.”

He gave more details on how Mum had been since my last visit. There was one that stuck out.

“You know we keep a close eye on fluid intake… I spotted something interesting. Al is able to get her to drink more than anyone. He can get her to have a drink even when she’s asleep! Not much, but it’s more than anyone else can.”

“Ha! Yeah, Mum likes him. She told me to tell him that he works too hard the other day. She said I had to take him to one side and have a word with him.”

“Did she!? I’ve got to tell him!”

“I already have!”

He left to go home and I offered to read to Mum as it looked like she was drifting off to sleep.

She said “Yes” and then something  I could quite understand.

“Sorry Mum? You’d like a drink?”

“Yes please.”

“What would you like? There’s some squash here or a chocolate milkshake.”

“Chocolate milkshake.”

That was the right answer. She looked like she was gasping for a drink which was understandable.

At the end of the first story a cup of tea was delivered.

“I think this tea’s still too hot. We’ll keep going with the milkshake while it cools down.”

“Yeah.”

By the end of the next story, Mum was falling asleep and the night shift were starting the evening meds round. Anita popped her head in Mum’s room as she went past.

“Hello Nick! How are you?”

“Me? I feel magnificent! I’ve just got Mum to drink an entire milkshake in one go. I haven’t been able to do that in months!”

“Wow! Heaven and back!”

I saw her again as I was waiting for the lift on my way out.

“Good night Nick. Are you in tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’m in tomorrow.”

Bibliography

Tales from the Parish: 31 humorous short stories about community, family and village life, set in the English countryside

Kindle Edition

by Stefania Hartley

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