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1. Time to Move on Mom, Sincerely Your Caregiver.

Finally, I feel like I  can move on from all the years I spent as my mother’s caregiver. She passed four years ago today, October 28, 2013.

If you’ve been a follower of mamaldiane.com you know that I was my mother’s primary caregiver for 14 years. Mom moved into our home about 5 years after dad passed. At the time she would call crying and scared. She was afraid to be alone at night. We of course gave her options. She chose to move in with us. Little did I know what my future held.

I painted and set up a bedroom and sitting room for mom at our house. I decorated both rooms with moms furniture and memories just like her home. In the beginning it wasn’t bad, it was fun having mom with us. Mom had been my best friend for many years. As time went on mom started to slowly decline. She repeated things constantly. Mom was always a talker and now it was getting constant.

To the day mom passed she never acknowledged her Alzheimer’s. We tried early on to talk to mom but she absolutely wouldn’t listen to anything about it. When we would visit her doctor she would act so “normal” it took awhile to make others see The Alzheimer’s symptoms. When family members would visit they would say to me “ mom seems fine to me, maybe a little forgetful.”  I knew better.

You might think this sounds horrible but the day mom passed was a day of great relief. Her last days, months, years were challenging. Our rolls slowly reversed and I my mother’s youngest daughter became her caregiver. I had to put on my big girl panties and tackle this roll to the best of my ability. I promised my dad as I held his hand and he took his last breath that I would make sure that mom was always taken care of. My dad squeezed my hand looked straight ahead, a tear rolled down his check , and dad took his last breath. I had to take care of mom, this was one thing in my life that I was gonna see through to the end. I prayed many nights to thank God for the strength I’d been given.

My sister Linda was my caregiving partner the last few years with mom. We swapped weeks. She helped save my sanity! Some of the memories we have caring for mom are priceless.

When asked, “why didn’t you put her in a home?” I answer, “because she was my mom and a damn good one! She deserved the best I could give and she got it!”

Enough reminiscing for now! Time for me to get back to making mom’s rooms, my rooms again. I think mom will think it’s about time! ❤️

Until next time my friends!