Home Sweet Home

Nana was released from the rehab center after having made a full recovery. In fact, she was even steadier on her feet with her walker than before her heart attack! I tried one more time to persuade them to move in with me. I talked about being able to see me and my sister every day and even added in the golden token, our children! They adore their great grandkids but No, they wanted to go home. With my sister being in the social worker field I begged her for ways to forcefully make them move in with me. Half joking because I knew that, now, they were probably OK to go home. It just made me nervous.

To help relieve some of my anxiety we decided to come around to their house more often. Have them come over to our house more often on the weekends. We also got them pill cases so we could fill them up each week. We ensured they would loop us in on doctor’s appointments. Even with all these agreed upon safety measures it made me nervous. But like my sister told me, now we have no right to take their independence away from them.

The first few days home went ok. I called them every day. I asked what they ate for breakfast, for lunch and for dinner. Did you remember to take your pills? Fortunately, my sister was working a job where she would see patients/clients in the area where my grandparents lived so she could pop in on them. Nana and Paw-Paw’s house could be flooding and they would tell you they were fine!

During one visit with them my sister noticed a cast iron pot sitting on the stove that had some really badly burnt food in it. She asked my Nana about it and she said Paw-Paw had put on a pot of beans for dinner, on their gas stove, and forgot about them. Nana only caught it because she smelled something burning and alerted Paw-Paw about it. Then another visit Nana got confused about their medicine. They stopped using the pill cases we got them, they never used them before why should they use them now? She couldn’t remember if she had taken her prednisone so she took some more. My sister counted the pills and realized she did take them and now she had just doubled her dose.

Again more pleas for them to move in with me. Again more tears and again more No’s. One time Nana called me in a panic because Paw-Paw’s drug prescription plan had been cancelled due to non-payment. She tried calling the insurance company to straighten it out but it was a lost cause. I drove over to their house to see if I could call and help. I got the same answer as Nana so we would just have to wait and re-enroll Paw-Paw when open enrollment came around. Made me wonder how many other bills he was forgetting to pay!

One morning my sister called me in a panic. She had taken Nana the day before to her cardiologist appointment and they put Nana on a heart monitor overnight. It needed to be returned to the doctor’s office the next day and she had forgotten that she had early meetings. I told her not to worry. After I took my son to school I would run over there, get it and then drop it off.

I get to Nana and Paw-Paw’s house and Nana is in her recliner clutching her chest. I ask her what is wrong and she says she has been having chest pain since 4am. Paw-Paw chimes in, I tried to tell her we should go back to the hospital but she declined. I immediately think she is having another heart attack. I call my sister since Nana is refusing me to call the ambulance. Heather is insistent that we head to the hospital. Nana agrees but only if we go in their car. So, I load them up and off we go.

Fortunately, it ends up being nerve pain in her neck and shoulder area. EKG’s come back great so it wasn’t another heart attack. They keep her overnight for observation. I make Paw-Paw pack a bag and have him spend the night with me. A promise of a strong Chivas and soda and a good dinner makes him agree. Nana gets released from the hospital the next day. She is extremely loopy and out of it from all the pain meds they gave her in the hospital. I tell them that they really need to stay with me, at least for a few days till Nana is over feeling so tired and loopy. I was worried about her falling and felt like I needed to be able to monitor her. By some miracle they agreed so I brought them home with me. Only for a few days they said, and then they were going back home!

I got them tucked into bed that night. Their sweet faces smiling at me as I am tucking them in. Nana grabs my hand and tells me that she loves me and that she and Paw-Paw appreciate all the love and care we have been giving them. Nana said she didn’t know what she would do without me and my sister. I gave them each a kiss and said goodnight. That night when I went to bed I said a prayer. Dear Lord, please make Nana and Paw-Paw see that they can no longer live by themselves. Please help them to see that they are so wanted by me and help me to get them to agree to move in with me. I said Amen and then drifted off to sleep.