(no subject)

[verbminx]

NYC didn't need rain THAT soon. I realize I said I thought it was needed to clear the air (literally... to get some of the dust out of the air so that people could breathe), but I also said that I hoped it could hold off until everyone who could possibly be rescued alive was recovered. :(

I'm off to the bookstore to get a locking diary for my grandmother. This is the second try... the first one we bought has a broken lock. The aides at her nursing home read her diary the other day... she writes everything down, good or bad... and she got in trouble for something that was misinterpreted (specifically, she referred to an African-American aide as "the black one"). Sigh. This is not as bad as the nursing home she was in before, where an aide dragged her across the floor by her hair because she asked for bathroom help. That diary is being sent to the DA in her area, if we can talk her into it.

Comments

[verbminx.livejournal.com]

we are like 1000 miles away from my grandmother, who lives in Ohio. she had surgery on mother's day for a hip that had been broken for some time (my grandfather, who A)is an asshole and B)has Parkinson's Disease, refused to believe her for months when she complained of being in pain). she was in the hospital for a while, then in a special recovery hospital, then in a convalescent home, which is the one where she was pulled around by her hair. she went home early because she hated that place so much, and ended up in the hospital the next day because she cannot take care of herself and had laid some stitches open in her foot while either taking off or putting on her shoes. now she's in a different convalescent home. the major thing seems to be that they go through her stuff and read her diary... i don't think anything physical has happened yet. but it's not a good scene to begin with. and decent nursing home care costs $2000+ per month, which nobody can manage, even by pooling resources (it would be like $300/month from each of her kids).

augh. it's just Not Good. and then there are all kinds of problems with my grandfather (Parkinson's, heart and kidney problems, mistress, blah blah blah). and in some ways I feel that they made their own beds, that this is a result of catastrophically bad choices they made. but i still feed really bad for both of them.

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[miabella.livejournal.com]

yes, this is very, very sad. so, who is paying for her care? social security? i feel lucky that at least my grandmother has adequate (but not by much!) resources to keep herself there, and my mom and aunt (her kids) could help. heck, i could help, too, if it came to that. we can only guess what goes on, although the staff at her place seems fairly competent. the problem is, she is just a number to them. i think she likes one of the aides more than the others, but in general, she is pretty unhappy. i wish my mom could keep her at home, but it would be so tough. especially now that they actually diagnosed her with some kind of degenerative disease (related to parkinsons, but without the shaking). she is getting worse little by little. she is so frail. hardly walks, if ever now. is always tired, not awake very much. i really love her and want her to be ok, but she always told me, "it's a pain to grow old." she's not kidding, i suppose. my grandfather has been gone now for 10 years. i can't imagine what that is like... but my mother lives 3 miles away, so she is lucky in that respect. anyhow... it is tough... i want to visit but can't go often. i feel bad, and i feel helpless. there are so few gifts i can give her that would be useful to her. her sense are going, and she has so little help as it is.

thanks for letting me share on this topic. it is tough, and i hope things will get better for your family. : )