I visited Mam today around lunch time. By the time I got there, she already finished lunch. I went straight to her room to put the stuff bought for her: laundry hamper, socks, a new pair of shoes, another pair of pants (maternity), and a list of common Indonesian words, which I taped to her dresser. I wrote her names on everything of course. Then I went to find the Admission officer: Alicia. I gave her all the forms that we needed to fill out, a copy of our application to transfer guardianship to Travis county, and a copy of her old medical directives from Pomona Vista.
Then I went to find Mam. The nurse in the front didn’t know where she was. Hmm…. So I just started walking around. I finally found Mam on a wheelchair in the middle of her hallway wing, fiddling with her nails. I said hi to her, asked how she’s doing. She seemed to be doing alright and fairly happy.
Then I went to her room to fetch her new shoes and socks. I put the socks and shoes on her feet. I asked how the shoes felt, which were actually a little big for her (couldn’t find size 8 1/2 and got her size 9). She proceeded to stand up and walked around, as if trying out her new shoes. She was actually attached to a monitor to her wheelchair. The monitor was designed to beep when detached from her, which was exactly what happened. The nurses all came running. They were all surprised Mam walked around. Actually, she did walked around confidently. She did not need much holding from my part. The assistant nurse (forgot her name: Cennelia or something like that) told me Mam’s always tried to stand up and walk. They did not know Mam could walk. I took Mam for a walk around the hallways. She walked with so much more ease, even I was surprised.
The assistant nurse asked if I wanted to register Mam for group walk. I said: sure! I guess once or twice a week, they take some residents for walks, either around the building or in the hallways. I am very happy about this. Mam likes walking.
I just hope this new ability to walk around won’t cause Mam some issues with wandering and trying to get out. We will see. I have to ask them how she’s doing in a few weeks.
Mam seems to be adjusting fast to the new place. Let’s cross fingers.
