Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Oldies

My mom has a long term care policy which she has been paying on for years. The facility where she lives is considered independent elderly living, but I was told before I signed the lease that they also qualify as assisted living because of the in-house nursing.  Because Mom is needing more care, I have been initiating the insurance policy. Yesterday, I drove to WF to meet a nurse who interviewed/assessed Mom to see if she qualifies as assisted living. Heck, she can't cook for herself or remember to take her meds - that's assistance right there.

Anyway, it went okay. Mom couldn't tell her what year it was or what day it was. She got the month and season right and was close on the date. She has a big clock that tells her all of that. When she would get frustrated, she would look over at me and say, "My daughter and I don't get along. She is lazy..." or something similar. "She was a daddy's girl" or "I like clothes, but she wears jeans all the time" or "She just lays in bed reading all the time." Sometimes she attacked the interview, "This is a bunch of crap!" I sat through it all quietly. Later the nurse/interviewer told me that her own mother had had dementia and was very similar acting. She felt Mom needed much more help and was very understanding. After she left, I sat with Mom at lunch. When she got extremely mean, I left.

And so I think we need a change of subject. I think I will post some old paintings - maybe some you have never seen. That sounds so much more pleasant. How about a cowboy theme: This one is one of my first watercolor that I sold.  I called it "Tres Amigos"
This one is from a quick gesture painting/warm-up at a workshop.
This one is a pastel on black paper. A technique I wanted to try.
This one is a pastel from a photo I took at a local rodeo.

2 comments:

Jo Castillo said...

Ahhh, moms. “The Golden Age is a bunch of s……t” as one of Gene’s mom’s 94 year old friend says. It comes sooner than we think. Hope your mom can feel more contented. Frustrating. Thinking of you.

I love your cowboy paintings. The gesture quick one is very nice. I am partial to horses, too. Can’t pick a favorite! Thanks for sharing.

Bag Blog said...

Jo,
Dementia is not an easy disease. I'm hoping to get more help - maybe engage Mom more.

I used to do lots of cowboy paintings. So many subjects; so little time :)