Mom's been at the nursing home for 2 1/2 months now and she seems to be adjusting better to it than she did to assisted living. It's a combination of things - she has friendly tablemates that do not suffer from dementia; she's more likely to ask for help and used to it by now, and she likes the food and view at this nursing home much better than the assisted living facility. It's amazing what we might call minor changes will do. Another BIG difference is that she's sharing a room. She seems to do better when there's someone else around her all the time. They share a soda each afternoon and some chocolates each evening. Mom also has empathy for her roommates condition and wants to help make her feel better.
Mom's also getting around better in her wheelchair with a new pad that prevents her from slipping down in the chair. She's able to pull herself along with her feet and uses her hands to guide the wheelchair easily. She's also starting to make jokes and pranks with other residents - which lifts her spirits. On Monday an older gentleman got ahold of her wheelchair and pulled her down the hall to the dining room after she'd worked her way to her room. She said he laughed the whole way. So today, she quietly rolled up behind him and got a hold of a strap on his wheel chair, she put on her breaks and held onto the strap. When the guy tried to move he was stuck; his feet just slid on the floor. He was not able to turn around far enough to see what was holding him back so he just kept "running in place". She let him go after 20 minutes or so! I hope she doesn't get in trouble for harassment!! It's all in good fun.
How can I help Mom adjust to her nursing home?
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