Happy Birthday Okaasan

88 years and going strong ...Happy Birthday to Okaasan for another year.

We enjoyed cream and strawberry cake at the care home in her room, drank ice canned coffee and went for a stroll in the local streets by wheelchair. Lots of laughs and chat. 

She knows it is her birthday - knows her date of birth - knows us - knows that this building and that room is her home - all appears well in her world. A year ago we were in the middle of the hell of broken back bone/off the scale dementia and anger and drugs and hospitals.
This summer. All calm.

Recently she had another dementia assessment interview, with the results later this month. Hard for us to gauge HOW her dementia is now - because we only see her for short periods of time at the care home. Her walking is just about ok with the walking frame - but not very far, and not very strongly.

Meanwhile at home I've noticed we've stopped calling the downstairs rooms: "Okaasan's room"...because now it is actually "Chichi's room"....the cat has made it is own. Sleeping on the tatami where it is cool, dozing on the guest bedding.
And we are enjoying a summer without Okaasan duties - our big BBQ again - without me having to sober up at 6 pm to cook dinner for Okaasan and get rid of the noisy guests that made her so angry. A summer of casual eating...sudden dining out decisions...

The house still seems huge for just the two of us. But we won't move while Okaasan is still alive. After she's gone we'll consider the next stage of our lives. But for now, we will stay here and in this working/living pattern - occasional guests fill the space...and the cats are happy to claim what they've craved for years.

Onwards :-)