Grandma H Adventures

It’s been 14 days since Grandma H has been with us. The second half of her time here has certainly been better than the first half. Aside from a few unpleasant episodes (such as the "musical bedding" episode), I’d say Grandma H is adjusting better than I’d expected. Here’s a short summary of what happened last week:

~ The "musical bedding" episode... after about a week of sleeping on the bed, Grandma H declared the bed is just too soft for her. So she wanted to try something else. First she said she wanted to sleep on the couch, and so I helped her onto the couch and tucked her in. After about 5 minutes, she changed her mind and said she wanted to sleep on the chair. I was reluctant to fulfill her request for this one because we (hubby and I) felt she wouldn't be comfortable and might fall out of the chair. However, we helped her get into the chair anyway because she was adamant about sleeping in it. Well, about five minutes later, she announced she wanted to go back to the bed. But, that didn't last very long either. She sat up and pointed to the couch. So, we put a sheet on the couch (again), along with a couple of pillows and tucked her in (again). To my surprise she actually slept on it the entire night (with the occasional bathroom breaks, of course). I though she'd be content with her decision. However, she played "musical bedding" again the next night. Her final decision was the couch, and it's been her bedding of choice since. (I found it so amusing that I had to stop and take a picture during the "musical bedding" ordeal).

Resting in the chair.

~ All the unpleasant screaming and yelling had stopped. After the first incident where she had gotten out of bed by herself, she never did try to do it again. Also, she has been sleeping close to three hours straight during most nights, and there have even been a couple of nights where she slept five or more hours at a time. So, yay!! 

~ Grandma H “sang” along with us during opening and closing songs when we did our usual Family Home Evening (FHE) time. She even said the closing prayer. I was quite impressed even though 98% of what she said was unrecognizable. What mattered was the fact that she remembered how to pray and was willing to do so. I was quite amazed that she agreed to pray because she reverted back to Buddhism years ago and was actively engaged in the religion up until she had the stroke. Now that I think of it, Grandma H had been participating in prayer time since the first night she got here. I guess I'm just surprise because I didn't think she'd join in.

~ We've been working on her physical and speech therapy. The two pictures were taken during her speech therapy session. M, who didn't want to be in the picture, and Grandma H enjoyed coloring together. For speech therapy we worked on identifying objects and naming different colors. For physical therapy we tossed and kicked an inflated balloon back and forth. Grandma H enjoyed this activity just as much and M and I did. I didn't take any picture of this activity because I didn't want to interrupt the therapy session. 

 

Grandma H showing her pearly white dentures.

Coloring a flower pattern on a rain boot.

~ On Saturday (January 11th) we went to the Dallas Zoo. We rode the monorail train and Grandma H really enjoyed being able to see some of the animals on the train route. She pointed at the animals, laughed and had a great time. After the short train ride we strolled through the zoo to see other animals, which included the elephants and the giraffes. M got to feed the giraffes and Grandma H attempted to do it too, but she couldn't reach high enough (because she was in her wheelchair). Nevertheless, I thought it was a great experience for her to be that close to an animal (and almost fed it). (No pictures from the zoo trip because I forgot my camera while hurrying out the door).

~ On Sunday (January 12th) we took Grandma H to church with us. She did fine during Sacrament meeting, and she almost made it through the entire Sunday School lesson before she got bored. During the third hour, I took her to Young Women's with me. But after about 15 minutes Grandma H mumbled a few words and her face showed signs of boredom (again). So, we left the room and hung out in the foyer until church was over.

Overall, I'd say Grandma H is adjusting well and doing much better than her first week here. Aside from the couple of times when she was feeling down and homesick, I think Grandma H is getting the hang of things and the routines. I will admit that it's still a bit difficult at times, but I enjoy having Grandma H here with us. And I hope she wholeheartedly feel the same way.