Unassist me
Here I stand, between a two-year-old and an eighty-two-year-old. My mom has not been doing so well of late. Her merry widowhood is now under the shadow of early-onset "memory loss." That's what her wonderful doctor is calling her inability to remember the day of the week, using kind terms to alleviate our terror of you know what. It's awful that the very things we laughed about three weeks ago -- her misplacing her car in the lot at Target, for example -- now make us grow quiet with anxiety. But she's working to keep up her humor, and to still move about the world as much as possible.
I love my mom so much that I'm really terrified of what happens when I lose her, whether she remains in her body for a few years after that event or not. Thankfully we're not there yet, but really, now that we've been officially told she's slipping, I'm starting to quietly freak. And we're having to look into the dreaded "assisted living" situation. Do you know what rents are like at a nice Catholic joint for elders in this town? From the website:
Studio Apartments: Type A (205 - 222 square feet): $2,970 - $3,260T
ype B (256 - 282 square feet): $3,285 - $3,635
Type C (334 - 372 square feet): $3,505 - $3,760
Sure, meals are included, but even you miserable Brooklynites aren't dealing with three grand for TWO HUNDRED SQUARE FEET!!!! Needless to say, this kind of think has my mom feeling down. And me feeling a bit like we're thinking about sending her off to the zoo. Sure, they make it look like a natural habitat, but those animals never get to roam.
posted by annkpowers at 9:52 PM
3 Comments:
My grandma said she left her zoo because she thought the other ladies did not have proper bridge etiquette, but I think it was because she didn't like being around a lot of people who were further down the slippery slope than she is. Her great-grandson was really into the self-opening elevators though.
7:31 AM
Oh baby, it's not a zoo. And they do get to roam, albeit escorted on those buses that the psychos drive (ever drive behind one?) I think she is probably still more worried about the future than the present (understandible). There has to be some way for her to deal with this in a practical manner so she can feel like she's in control of the situation. Like I know what that manner is, but I am sure it's a findable piece of information. We will find it. I love your mom, she's not alone. Love you, too.
10:37 PM
I know you know that it's not the sqaure footage you're paying for -- it's the people who act as an invisible fence, keeping your mother from harm. Sending good thoughts your way.
9:50 AM
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