This past weekend we went to Albuquerque to have a reunion with my brothers and our children. But mostly, we went to visit Grandma.
Since last May, Grandma has been in rehab twice. The first time for breaking a vertebra in her upper back. She was becoming more forgetful and was unable to recall whether she had fallen in the middle of the night as she made her way to the bathroom. She was in rehab for a couple weeks to develop upper body strength and to learn how to push herself to a standing position.
A couple weeks ago she broke her hip, had hip replacement surgery, and is now back at the rehab. Only this time her body does not seem to want to cooperate. She sits with her legs elevated with a wedge between them to prevent another broken bone should she turn her toes inward; Her bones are quite brittle.
She cheered up considerably with the visits from her great-grandchildren in between therapy sessions that would leave her exhausted.
Today, Grandma will be transferred to a transitional nursing/rehab facility for up to three months. After that, Aunt Patsy says it's in God's hands. She is taking it one day at a time.
It is good for the children to see our older family members go through the cycle of life. It may scare them a little, as it did for sweet Simone.
But there have been some funny moments. Like when Grandma misplaced a container with her urine that Aunt Patsy was supposed to take to the doctor's office this past summer. She and I searched all over the house, and Grandma searched with us. And then every five minutes she'd stop and ask, "Patsy, what are we looking for?" Aunt Patsy, who was exasperated, would explain all over again what happened. "Oh, Patsy. I'm so sorry!" Grandma would reply. And then she'd search again with us until her memory inevitably failed. Aunt Patsy told her, "I'm going to put you on 'America's Got Talent' because you have a talent for hiding things!" We searched drawers, closets, hampers, all over the bathroom where Grandma had just been before she lost the container. The only thing we forgot to do was to look above eye level. A week later, Aunt Patsy found it hanging on the towel holder on the bathroom door.
My favorite time with her was the early morning visit with Dad after Mass. The kids went with Jaime and Sergio to the Balloon Fiesta, which gave us some quiet time. She had just returned to her room and couldn't remember if she'd just had a bath or whether she had just eaten breakfast. We brought her a sausage muffin, but she only ate a few bites. She asked us every few minutes, "Why am I here?" Grandma doesn't remember falling, breaking her hip, or how long she has been at the rehab. A couple months ago she seemed more aware of time, but now she is not so sure. She is slowly fading before our eyes.
Later that morning we visited with Aunt Patsy at their house and the three of us reminisced, cried a little and laughed a lot.
A few months ago Grandma remarked, "Getting old isn't for sissies." Loving Grandma, you're no sissy.
