Writing for Health

Some new evidence that writing is good for your health: http://www.utne.com/Some-Writing-Each-Day-Keeps-the-Doctor-Away.aspx

For this very reason, and because writing once a week seems a bit paltrey, I am going to try to write more often, even if the posts are shorter.

On a related note, I'm a little concerned that my last post sounded like whining. But today, I'm tired. Mom goes into respite after day care today. She'll be in through Tuesday, though on Monday we pick her up, take her to day care, and then take her back to the nursing home after day care. On Tuesday we check her out of the nursing home, take her to day care, and then bring her home afterward. It's not much, but it means we can go out to dinner tonight, we can do whatever we want on Saturday and Sunday, including the Art Crawl on Saturday night and Jeanne's birthday celebration on Sunday. I'm on Spring Break next week, so we'll have the days while Mom is at day care to do what we want. And we get to SLEEP. These are all things we either can't do, or are constrained in doing when Mom is home.

In arranging the respite with Mom's doctor, I was leaving a voice mail and completely blanked on my cell phone number. When she called back, the doctor affirmed that if I can't even remember my cell phone number, I must really need the break that respite provides.

I also realized in thinking about my previous post that I hadn't really said anything about Mom. She is, as one of my stepdaughters said, "a tank." Other than the Alzheimer's and some arthritis, she is completely healthy, and very strong. Yet it is harder and harder for her to walk or stand, even with assistance (she can do neither on her own), because her brain can no longer send the proper signals. She was taken off hospice care after a year of mental degeneration, but no significant physical degeneration. They said there was simply no evidence that she would die in the next 6 months. I think she doesn't know how to let go; I can't believe she still wants to be alive, given her condition. And I don't know what to do to help her.