Anyone who has been around for the long haul on the North Van Cares pages knows that it is my mom who is the #1 inspiration for the North Vancouver Cares Foundation.
For as long as I can remember my parents were philanthropists and, when COVID hit, I couldn't help them (in Ontario) but I figured there would be a few folks here, in North Van that might need some help. Hence the NVCF.
In April my poor 93 year old mom got quite stick with bronchitis and pneumonia and over the course of several weeks had a few urgent care visits and a new accessory (a walker) and was, overall, in quite low spirits.
Despite having all of her vaccinations and her diligence not to get sick, this one really knocked her socks off. :( By mid-May she had been sick for 6 weeks and getting weaker and weaker. She wasn't interested in food, she wouldn't go outside, she stopped getting dressed and making her bed....something that is absolutely unheard of for her.
Needless to say, this was so worrying for my siblings and I.
My wonderfully attentive brother lives close to my mom and together with his, equally wonderful, wife did the best they could to raise her spirits but, sometimes, when you're the main point of contact it's tough to break someone out of their low point.
Enter "the youngest" (me). My mom and I have a wonderful relationship. I'm 8 and 12 years younger than my siblings so I'm a lot more "in your face" than they are and she takes a lot of ribbing from me because I'm just like my dad. Case in point, we were at the Opthamologist yesterday and she was walking with the walker, just for fun I said "could you get a move on please? I want to get back and watch the Beachcombers." to which she responded "piss off Jacqueline!" She cracks me up.
Anyway, aside from being there to cheer her up I was also there to help interview some in-home help so that my brother and his wife are not having to bear all of the care.
Famous for her stubborness my mom was actually very amenable to having someone in a couple of days a week for a couple of hours. I think her interest in never being a burden allows her to consider options that she may not have previously.
Long story short, a 7 day visit to Ontario both revitalized my mom and provided some solutions for a back up companion going forward.
It's pretty easy for any of us to get down in the dumps when we're sick and, I think, it's even more so when you're in your 90's and living alone.
The moral of this story is; never underestimate what a fresh set of eyes and a loving family can accomplish. I'm very happy to report that when I left Ontario on Wednesday my dear mom was "back to normal" albeit with her new hot rod walker which she really likes because she can sit down on it when she gets tired. :)
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