Well, I'm typing this enthralling installation of my life on a brand new, shiny, Acer laptop. Wahoo! I really like this thing, let me tell you. LOL. Mom was like a child with the best Christmas toy ever (bubble wrap, of course). We're getting it through a program they have at her workplace. You buy the computer from CDW and they take the payment right from your check each pay period. You never see the money to miss it. How great is that?
Now, what has this to do with caregiving? Not a blessed thing.
On the Grandma front, she's actually continued her nice streak for the most part. She's definitely had her moments (last night comes to mind), but on the whole, she's been rather human. She's been joking with us and laughing at some of our jokes.
I have to admit I felt sorry for her over Christmas. TAFH (that's The Aunt From Hell, for anyone who hasn't read my posts before) came in, of course, and Mom and I scattered like the cowards we are. She managed to get on my nerves the few times I really came in contact with her, although she was nice on Christmas Day. We let her take care of Grandma for three days straight. It was bliss to be able to listen to music at night and turn off the Grandma Monitor.
However, here comes the reason I felt sorry for Grandma. She treated Grandma like an infant, as usual, leading her around by the hand, when Grandma could do things by herself. She had to know exactly where Grandma was going each time she got up from the couch. Mom was laughing because one time Grandma actually snapped back at her. Grandma got up and TAFH asked her where she was going. Grandma replied acerbically, "I'm going to the bathroom. Do you want to watch me as I go?" Wahoo, Grandma! Now if Grandma would just stop catering to TAFH and start listening to us, too, everything would be cool.
One time I asked Grandma if she wanted a bite of a bagel with Nutella (surely the nectar of the Gods), TAFH answered for her, "Not right now, she doesn't." Granted, TAFH was having Grandma try on all the clothes she'd gotten for Christmas, but really now, would it have hurt her to have one bite? Grandma actually seemed interested, even though she doesn't really like chocolate. Of course, that may have been because I presented a distraction from my aunt's nattering. I'd eat dirt if it would get me away from TAFH.
Unfortunately, Grandma had no such options as work and the movies (The Producers, which was hysterical!), or even going upstairs to escape the woman. She had to lay there on the couch watching what TAFH wanted to watch and doing what TAFH wanted to do. TAFH never lets Grandma have the remote control. She doesn't have cable, because it's too expensive where she lives, she says, so she takes over the television with the excuse that she can't watch this stuff at home and Grandma likes old movies anyway. All she watches is TCM and AMC, as if she can't just go to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video or even Netflix and rent these movies. Oh, no. That would cost money she's not willing to spend. So she makes her mother miserable instead. Nice, huh?
Grandma's sugar goes up in anticipation of her arrival and while she's here. We know it's because of the stress. And even better, this visit was the first time in forever we didn't have to remind TAFH how to take Grandma's sugar. Of course, she forgot to weigh her in the morning, which Grandma needs for the congestive heart failure/Lasix, so it was a one step forward, two steps back moment. By the way, Grandma's been diagnosed with diabetes for a good five or six years. There's no excuse for her forgetting how to take Grandma's sugar.
Anyway, she's gone and Mom and I are back to our routine of home and work. Oh, well.
On a high note, when we went to the movie, the ticketseller was rude, so Mom complained. I know this sounds bad, but the theater manager gave us free passes, four of them! So, some time next week, hopefully, we'll nag one of the relatives into watching Grandma and go to Narnia. It was my compromise for getting to see The Producers. Narnia is next. Of course, what we see after that with the other two free passes is a mystery...
Cheers and Happy Hanukkah, Epiphany and Kwanzaa!
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