A move for Grandma

As I write this the rain is lashing against the windows in the back room and bouncing across the slabs; it’s an absolute downpour! But what is most remarkable is the sky which is an amazing bronze colour.

I have been rather preoccupied over the last few days and have not given much thought to blogging. This is because it has become clear that Grandma is not well enough to live on her own just now. She’s very frail and increasingly confused. So, with the help of an excellent social worker, we have been investigating temporary care homes for her. Understandably, Grandma was very wary of this suggestion at first. However she has come round to the idea because I think she realises that she now needs much more help. James and Forrest spent several days visiting care homes in the vicinity and interviewing their managers. One care home really stood out because of its small size and friendly atmosphere. It also prides itself on its home cooking and lovely gardens. Nowhere is perfect, but it seems like a really good place for Grandma to build up her strength. Realistically, she might never be strong enough to live back at home, and I think she understands this. However we are all regarding this as an interim move to see how she gets on. She asked today what would happen if she doesn’t like it and we promised her that we would look for somewhere else.

It’s certainly time for her to leave the hospital. They have done all they can for her and while they are taking care of her physical needs they are too busy to give her proper care. The television in her room is broken and also they keep forgetting to replace her hearing aid batteries. I will not relate the whole saga of how they managed to break her hearing aids and then didn’t get them repaired for five days because they were the “wrong type” until I took them over to the New Victoria myself, because it makes me too irritated. They didn’t mean to be unkind, they’re just run off their feet. So we hope this will be a positive move. Tomorrow we will take some of her own clothes and photos and ornaments to the care home so that it feels homely for her arrival. I popped round for the first time today and met the deputy manager and it certainly seems like a very nice place. Fingers crossed that all goes well.