The “H” Word… Redux

When I wrote this post last month, little did I know we would be considering hospice so soon. I do believe that everything happens for a reason, though, so perhaps God put that seminar in my path right then because He knew…

Today, we met with **Heartland Hospice. They came out to Eason House, met Mom, and we talked for about two hours. They are going to start the process of collecting medical records and such so that she can be assessed for eligibility. It sounds like they can have a nurse out as early as end of week to start working with her.

After talking with Tim at length last week, I decided to try Heartland based upon his glowing recommendation of their work. I truly hope they are as wonderful as they sound…  Everything lines up with what I heard in the HomeReach presentation, from the breadth and depth of services provided, to the overall philosophy: to give people the best quality of life possible for as long as possible.   

It’s comforting to know that we have the staff at Eason House to provide us with ongoing feedback and alert us of anything that might be problematic. Entering this new phase and bringing new people on board is scary.

Mom had another comparatively good day today. She was sitting at the table when I arrived around lunchtime, and stayed there for a good long while. When the baby came in, she reacted in a very positive manner, laughing and making faces, whereas at the end of last week, she wasn’t interested in him at all. As far as food/drink for the day, when I left around 6pm, she’d had about half a banana, 8 oz of Ensure, and half a glass of tea. She had taken her dinner time meds and was sound asleep on the couch.

We shall see what tomorrow holds…

** Postscript: Heartland Hospice was hired and fired the same day. Lesson: Never take anything at face value. Stay involved and be aware of what is going on at every turn. Read about our experience –> here. There may be some wonderful hospice services out there, but never assume anything.

Wise words

Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered, but a maze of passages, through which we must seek our way, lost and confused, now and again checked in a blind alley. But always, if we have faith, God will open a door for us, not perhaps one that we ourselves would ever have thought of, but one that will ultimately prove good for us. ~A.J. Cronin

Sunday: A day of smiles

All in all, it was a good day. There were more peaceful moments than not, and I saw her smile more today than I have in the past week. Jess came over this afternoon, and Mom was snoozing on the couch; as soon as she heard Jess’ voice, she opened her eyes and looked for her. Loved seeing that.

Wouldn’t eat a thing, and wouldn’t drink much in the way of juice or tea, but she did have about 16 ounces of Ensure throughout the day. The girls said they tried to give her a bite of apple pie this morning; she promptly spit it out, then picked it up and threw it at them. That’s mama… as spunky as ever.

A surprisingly bright eyed moment… watching “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.”

Sunday evening snuggle nap…