You’ve heard of Dueling Banjos. Now it’s time to play Dueling Nursing Homes. Here’s the story of the mother and daughter who were each in a nursing home at the same time. Daughter’s home was in the east section of the city and mother’s was in the north.
Just thinking out loud for a minute – If K and M (we’ll call them) were in the same nursing home, could the two have gotten a group rate? K got the call, while she was in her nursing home, about M. “Your mother is having trouble swallowing and had to be taken to the hospital. From there she will probably go to a nursing home.” Mother’s significant other told K the news.
Oh dear….
K knew how hospitals and nursing homes petrified her mother, but K was having issues of her own, as she was in the midst of re-learning to walk. K was in approximately her second month at the home and was obsessed with keeping up with mother. K would ask mom’s significant other if she was walking. M had lost a lot of weight, just as K had, but seemed to be able to maneuver a bit better. K would fast forward to, “I’ll never be able to walk, but meanwhile my mother can do it.”
K spoke to her mother on the phone and realized that M was in a state of what can only be described as complete distress. This angered K as she began too ponder, “Does she know what I’m going through?” K knew that her way of processing the whole situation was very childlike, but it didn’t stop her.
In the meanwhile, K’s brother called to ask her if he could bring his dog in to visit her. He simply believed that it would do her some good, but when K saw the dog, the never-ending stream of tears began. Big brother apologized profusely. “I’m sorry. Was this a bad idea?” K had no idea how to explain to him that she was in the middle of what is now referred to as The Great Depression.
K was fixated on watching others walk in and out of her door. “Why not me?” Even the dog running around was almost enough to send her over the edge. K decided that this was more than enough reason to get her ass moving and get on home….
This is the first time that K was Grateful for Big Brother watching over her. I dedicate this story to my big brother. Until next week, K xo
