So, I stopped by the Happy Place in the middle of dinner. Gary was sitting at the table being fed by one of the angels. I interrupted and told her that I would feed him as I was sure she other things to do. She promptly let me take over the feeding of the Salmon.
They certainly have great food at all meals. Soup, main course (tonight was Salmon, green beans and peas, rice and pumpkin pie), and a juice and water. He always eats everything on his plate. The daughter of Janie was sitting at the same table and attempting to get Janie to eat. Janie is non-verbal but very sweet. I have assisted in feeding her many times and she is also very obstinate about eating. The daughter got her to eat more than I have ever seen but I was reluctant to tell her as she thought she had not eaten enough. My problem is that I want to take care of all of them.....I can't do that.
I asked Gary how he was today. The classic response presented itself! "More better than good!" Hallelujah! Any time he says that, I know he is truly still in there even though his facial expressions have gone to near flat. We get very little emotion that is visible these days.
Here are the interactions I had this evening:
Martha was concerned that she has lost all the buttons off her tiger print coat. I told her I would look for some 1.5 inch buttons for her. 3 to be exact.
Tricia was thrilled that the pumpkin pie was more like mousse than pie.
Debbie told me that she so enjoyed swimming with Gary at the YMCA. She furthered expressed that he was her friend and that he had a very good time. He told her on the bus that he wants to go again. I will take any input regarding his daily reactions that I can get.
The "mayor" told me that he was having a good time and that indeed, his car keys were with the Valet.
Miss May asked me to get her some pie and followed with a demand for her walker. I helped her get moving and she patted my arm and thanked me.
My moments there have become more than just visiting Gary. The whole community has needs. Granted, I am only there for moments during the day but I see very few family members. This is proof that Gary's idea of "The Circle of Life Holistic Health Care Center" was such a far reaching but necessary facility. It was designed (never built) to take care of the community and pull people from the general community in to help visit with and take care of these people. It was brilliant but never completed due to his own decline.
So, perhaps in the future, not only will I document this life in a book but I will also find the funding and the time to complete his dream. I sure wish he lived there now.
While he is in a wonderful place, Nirvana would be better.
After having one of the caregivers let me out of the unit, I went to the store and then went home to fix dinner. I had a wonderful meal of artichoke, crab cake, and blue cheese mayonnaise with a cocktail on the side. I now sit alone and watch television while I type this. When one is a social person, that really ceases to be an exciting activity.
Due to feedback, I have changed the color scheme of the blog to accommodate printing and better online reading. It seems like I am always attempting to please everybody.
How am I doing?
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