Awake and feisty

You know that Robin Williams film Awakenings? Where the doctor brings back people who have been vegetables for decades? They stop shuffling around in their slippers and staring at the Tv and start dancing and laughing?

Feels like that with Okaasan sometimes.

A switch has been turned and she is so active and feisty. Lively with a hint of manic.

Yesterday morning I started her bath, gave her the hairdryer and told her "bath is ready".

She was up and busying about:

* these underpants aren't good for old people because the lace is nylon

* I must talk to Yujiro about that rude hula dance teacher, I don't want to go there again! Absolutely, don't want to go there.

After bath...

* Today is January 2 isn't it? It's January 2! After all the New Year food, simple food is best, I'm cooking rice and water and egg.....

*  When can I go out? Now? In an hour? I want to go out!!

Sigh. It's good I know, that sometimes the inertia of dementia recedes and the independent person emerges...I kept silently telling myself that...as I vaguely supervised her heating up rice and egg in a pan, and debated the scratchiness of underpants...and said "talk to Yujiro on Saturday" about the rude hula teacher. Took her to the subway by car at 2 pm, gave her new gloves to replace the lost ones and then picked her up again at 6 pm when she came home.

But the "rude hula teacher" mantra is an ominous sign. There is no point in saying that the rude teacher was at the OLD class, the LATEST class is all Hawaiian sunshine and politeness....because she is only going on the negative memory.
Hell, she probably isn't unhappy about the hula class at all. There is probably something else - the stress of not sending or giving New Year cards, memories of hardwork in New Year 50 years ago - something. Her stress just flaps around and settles on a recent bad Point - the rude hula teacher - and that is what she complains about.

To try and lower the stress, I removed the Day Service pamphlet from Okaasan's table. She sits and looks at it endlessly, but maybe that is bad - just reminds her of the bus coming - the going - the strangers - the class with teacher etc.

So I removed it from her sight. I won't talk about it. I think Dear Son will be here next week when it is time to go again - he can be stronger and tell Okaasan to go. But for now she should stop having the trigger that reminds her of the day service.

Anyway - I'm having a relaxing winter holidays. Stayed close to home yesterday - a little walk locally in sunshine and then watched a  film on TV and ate melted Peeps marshmallows and Christmas pudding in the afternoon....lazy.............