Settling in

My plan yesterday was to go see my mom at 11am and spend at least a couple hours with her. She called at 9am to ask what time I was coming. She said she wasn't feeling very well (common for her some mornings, I have found) and was going to go back to bed for awhile, so if I didn't want to come today I didn't have to. I told her I was coming in to the city as I had a grocery order to pick up after I visited her. I told her I was at least stopping by for a bit to check on her. (either way I was going to see her)

First I stopped at Target to get her some more multivitamins. By the time I got to her place and checked in, it was about 11:15. She seemed pretty good, said she just felt "warm" but she had no temperature. She gets a bit "clammy". This is common with her. I think she just gets a bit nervous or could also be that we don't know if she took her meds on Saturday or not. I'm sure she didn't sleep all that great, either, being new place. Before I left on Saturday I had filled up her pill box and had put it on her nightstand. When she called me yesterday morning (she had already had breakfast) I asked her if she had taken her morning pills yet and she said she was just about to. I reminded her she needed to take them from the pill box.

When I got there she had all her pill bottles lined up on top of her little medicine cabinet, below her bathroom mirror (we had originally put them in the medicine cabinet) and her pill box for Sunday was still full. She said she forgot about the pill box and thought she must have taken them from the bottles...ugh. No idea if she did or not, so just had to go with it. I went over it again, that she just needs to take her pills from the pill box only and we put her pills in a bathroom drawer. When I call her later this morning I will make her take them from the pill box while I am on the phone with her.

But she was feeling fine when I got there. She had 2 small boxes of bathroom stuff. I literally ended up getting rid of at least half of it. All expired dates of OTC stuff. Some dating back to 2015. She has less bathroom and kitchen cabinet space in this place and she was worried where she was going to put all the stuff - but after being able to get rid of most of it, she has room now. Oh, and in all the bathroom stuff I found her bottle of multivitamins. The ones I bought in December that she should have been just about/or out of around now (which is why I thought she didn't have any more). Nope. She barely used them, of course. Even though I had put them, originally, with all her daily meds and they were on the list of medicines/times taped to her inside cabinet.

Same with the kitchen. We started a box for Goodwill (which she will hopefully remember that is what it's for and not unpack it!). Put in several coffee cups, some small pans and lids (she has no oven or stovetop in this place) and an old hand operated beater. Later she pulled that out of the box (I think she had forgotten already this was stuff to give away) and says "do I need this?" I'm like no, I really don't think you are going to be needing to whip anything, LOL.

About all she has left to find a place for is her towels and wash cloths. There isn't a linen closet (weird) but there is a shelving unit on one of her (2) bedroom closets, next to her bathroom door, that I told her can be used for those. She will have to get rid of some towels, for sure. Plus this place supplied 2-3 sets, as part of the housekeeping they will wash towels and they provided 2 sets of sheets they will wash, too.

While she still doesn't have tv, until they get her the remote to go with the cable, I did get her some internet. Free, haha. I remember the lady who gave me the tour had said the residents have to get their own internet and phone service, but that there is free wifi in the common areas. Well,  she must be close enough to common area (there is a library sitting room next to her apartment) because I was able to use the guest wifi and get her computer on the internet. So, at least now she can check her emails, bank account, etc. I'm just going to see how that works for her and if it's fine, I'm not even going to have her pay for internet service. 

I stayed until about 1:20. Took down some garbage for her. With them having to eat in their rooms she quickly fills up with those styrofoam containers and only has a small garbage can - and she can't leave her room to go empty it!

I couldn't remember but there is a salon there for hair cuts. She needs one! You can tell she's tried to trim the back of her hair herself, LOL. Once she is out of quarantine - that's a first visit :)

She did seem better yesterday in that she wasn't confused. forgetful yes, but not confused, so that is better, at least.