Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Less than 24 hours to Arthur's Homecoming.

Arthur is anxious, I am anxious. We both do not know how I am going to get on caring for him at home.

I think now Arthur has an appreciation of how hard it will be for me to do alone what a team of people do for him in the nursing home. We both fear I will fail. I do not know if I can do it but I can only try.

I am surprised at how much I am stressed by Arthur coming home tomorrow. Am I reluctant to take up the load again? Maybe I have become used to someone else doing it all and me just being the visitor, bringing the special treats and taking the dogs to visit.

Depressive feelings have caused inertia and everything is not done yet. I have to travel to the other side of the city tomorrow to buy a second-hand manual patient-lifter. I can't afford an electric one that I would really like. Arthur will get back about 3pm so I have to be here by then. I need to mentally prepare myself and reorient back into the carer role. I wonder when I will be able to walk the dogs on the beach again? I wonder if I can get enough respite to do that? Three hours a week is really only enough for shopping and appointments.

I want Arthur to be safe and comfortable in his own home. Why cannot there be enough services to do that? It is almost as if they want him to be in a nursing home. He does not have to be, he just needs two personal care visits a day and some weekly respite.

On Anzac Day, 25th of April, I took Arthur's suit coat with his war medal sewn on, in to him and we watched the march, televised on TV, together. A couple of weeks ago, I tried to get Arthur to agree go to the Anzac Day March in his motorized wheelchair, but he wouldn't countenance it.

I went in to watch the Royal Wedding with him on 29 April but he wanted to watch the English Premier League match on the laptop, so I joined the residents the TV room until his match was over, then we watched the carriages going back to Buckingham Palace together.

I take the dogs every time and the other residents very much like them. Maria, who always drops hints about chocolate, looks for the dogs every time and Arthur's room mate, David, who likes Buddha statues, loves to pat them. I wish I could take the dogs for a visit occasionally but I suppose that will never eventuate, but I do want to print some photos of the dogs and Arthur and give them to Maria and David.

I must put that task on my list too.

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