On Saturday we moved my elderly mother from her "independent living" residence to a facility where she will receive greater care. She went reluctantly but her health has been in steady decline for a couple of years and an incident which landed her in the hospital emergency ward galvanized us to make the decision. We have been doing our best to be respectful and including Mom in the decision-making process. But as so many of us realize along the way, we are responsible for making certain choices on behalf of those who are unable to do so for themselves. Mom has Parkinson's Disease which affects movement and speech and eventually memory. Virtually every aspect of daily life has become a monumental task, so now she will have help with these things.
The change of venue was actually a physical trip of one kilometre. But it meant leaving behind the people she has come to know over the past five years and the familiarity of her residence and apartment. This new space is lovely, but smaller, representing her shrinking world.
My brother lives nearby and has been extraordinary in preparing for the move, painstakingly going through the accumulated mementos of nearly 89 years. And she hasn't wanted to relinquish a single thing! We hope we have held on to the highlights of her remarkable life, one of courage and faith. In her new room she is surrounded by familiar furniture and art.
What I hope is that as her strength and memory dims, she is still aware of the God who sustains her. As we left yesterday I knelt down and took her hand and said "God be with you Mom." Her answer was "he always has been."
As long as the family remains with her through the last part of her journey, she will be ok...nice that she has a strong faith as well :-)
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