Yes, I am still here...

 

  We finally have Jeff's Aunt Helen all moved up and settled into her new home.  Her new care center sent down a lovely man named Jeff to transport her up in their van.  Jeff and I arrived about an hour before the big move to get her all packed up and reassure her that we were coming up to get her situated and to meet with the staff there.  Everyone who worked there greeted her by name from the time we arrived.  They all knew she was coming and were doing their very best to make her feel welcomed.  We got her unpacked and then met with her new social worker and signed a bunch of paperwork.  We also deposited some money into her account there and got her signed up for getting pampered with a new haircut.  I went over some things with her nurses too about her likes and dislikes.  We got set up to do Google Meet every Monday at 4 p.m. and that has been a blessing.  

   Two weeks later, we went up again to see her and surprised her with some new clothes for the cooler months.  I had great fun making sure that I coordinated her 2 new shirts and 2 new soft sweatshirts with a new cardigan so they could all mix and match.  I also took up the soft sweatpants and a nice pair of dressier pants for her.  Jeff painted her small shelf that she had in her home and we took it up and put it next to her bed.  I also surprised her with a new soft mauve colored coverlet for her bed  and a really fun purple throw blanket to cuddle up with.  She said she felt like a princess. 😊 I later told Jeff that I am now on the lookout for a tiara for her to complete the "princess" theme.  I think she will get a huge kick out of it.  We will be going back up within the next 2-3 weeks to see her again once she gets over her cold.  I feel much more reassured that she will be getting the care she needs there.

   After the past few months that we have had, I took a good look around our home and realized just how out of control the clutter has become and how much of a deep clean it needs.  I am trying to do a few small projects every week now and I can see that I am making some progress, although it is slow going.  I don't want to push myself or Jeff too much though because we are both trying to recover from the physical and mental toll everything has taken on us.  We both have been pushed beyond our energy and emotional limits and it has affected us.  Self-care is much needed as we try to heal and to finally get a chance to grieve the loss of my cousin and the deal with the losses that we are seeing as our dear Helen battles with dementia.  I hate seeing another loved one slip away slowly day by day as this horrible disease takes her away from us.   I know all too well what is coming having gone through this with our beloved Aunt Norma and Uncle Bob.

   Well Jeff just got home and I need to get our dinner ready and take care of our Maggie Mae who is dealing with an infection that needs twice daily cleaning and medications.  Be blessed my sweet friends.