I must let you know that school,
in my opinion has changed from my first impression.
I take Mema to school Monday, Wednesday and Friday
from 10am-3pm every week.
It is soon to be five days a week, the same time frame.
Medicare is paying for all of it,
as I understand.
This will be a very welcome routine!
It is a good routine for me,
as I have a starting/ get out of bed time,
and a time when I must stop what I am doing
to pick Mema up to come home.
The past Monday, they had celebrated Easter with an egg hunt
with the local preschool day care.
The previous week, the clients prepared by painting ducks,
coloring eggs and preparing for their small friends.
It was a highlight of the month!
Yesterday, when I went to pick her up from home in the morning,
she was waiting for me at the door,
coat on, walker ready, and anxious to go.
We met a nurse in the parking lot,
and she said "hello Dorothy"!
Told me how she was so excited to see my mema,
as she always had a smile on her face,
and was always ready to do anything, or help in any way.
When I came to pick her up in the afternoon,
all the clients were sitting in a circle
kicking and hitting a large beach ball back and forth.
At one time, the ball went way over Mema's head.
She reached for it, tapped it back,
bent forward laughing
and giggled with a friend who was sitting next to her.
At this point, she saw me through the window,
pointed that I was there,
and rushed to the door...without her walker!
(About six weeks ago, Mema fell
and broke her left ankle in two places.
She has been in a walking boot since then and will go back to the doctor May 1, hopefully to get the ok from him,
that she can remove the boot.)
When I went to drop Mema off at home, neither Mom nor Dad was home,
so, we two decided to go to Dairy Queen.
What a stitch she was!
SO excited that they had different nuts to put on her sundae,
and hot fudge too!
We sat n a booth and ate and talked about the past,
all the different places she had lived.
She seemed to remember quite a bit.
When we left the DQ,
I noticed that there was a rainbow around the sun.
We stopped in the middle of the parking lot, pointing and commenting
on this rare sight.
Two girls asked what we were looking at.
They couldn't see the rainbow because they didn't have sunglasses on.
I handed one girl my sunglasses.
She ooed and ahhed, asked if her friend could borrow the glasses,
and she in turn exclaimed how wonderful.
When we got back in the car, Mema said how nice it was to share things,
that people don't normally take the time to look at.
Time is too short she said, not to stop and look up.
I told mom and dad about the rainbow when we got home.
Mema had forgotten all about it,
and was anxious to go outside and look up again at the sight.
She mentioned again how wonderful it was to see,
that most people don't take the time to look around.
I believe that Mema attending the Milton Home Day Care
is one of the best things we could have done for her.
She has friends,
she is so happy with the activities and time she spends there,
even if she doesn't remember enough
to tell me about it that afternoon.
They offer her coffee in the morning, feed her a huge lunch,
and also have snacks in the afternoon.
This she does remember!
It is good for Mom and Dad too, as they have some freedom
in the daytime to accomplish things without worrying
that Mema will fall or get tired tagging along with them.
So, dear family, please disregard my previous post complaining
about the level of care.
I have fully turned around my opinion
and would be very sad if she was not able to attend any longer!
