Nursing homes are places where your loved ones go to die more comfortably than at home as they can give you the care you cannot give your loved one at home. My dad passed away in one and most recently my aunt did. I don’t like going there but when I do I suck it up and make the best of it. Most recently we went to visit my aunt who had a few days left to go to the big party in the sky. So when we went there I went into the room and said hello while my brother peeked in from the hallway. My mom came in too but she quickly left. She can’t do it. I respect both sides of this coin. I mean, is she going to know whether we visited her or not? Heck no she has dementia but she’s still alive and breathing so I give her the respect and dignity that I think in my mind she deserves. So we quickly set up camp in a room close by. Here we can hear the moans and groans of the residents and a nurse telling one of the residents (Sam) that this is not his washroom for the third time as they turn him around and guide him to his room. We see the humor in this and as I get up to go to the washroom, I say I hope I can find it! If not I will find Sam and he can show me where it is! I get a few giggles at the minimum on this somber day. As I term what we are on is “death watch” the nurses occasionally just come and go from my aunt’s room, just to see that she’s comfortable, or if shes’ passed. All 3 of us are so awkward in this space and time as we have been in this situation before and no one knows when she will go. But as far as sitting in the nursing home no one wants to be there looking at what could become of any of us. We don’t know how HD is going to affect us. My brother is undiagnosed and that is ok but I am sure that when he was sitting in that nursing home he had thoughts about it. I sure did. I came home to hubby and I told him how awkward it was. I also told him one thing I want him to do if and when it comes to the point that I need to go into a nursing home. I want him to make sure to have fun with it. For example, my brother comes in to see me. I don’t want it to be sad and awkward, I told him I want him to help me chase him down the hallway…..just because…I want to be able to make light of this morbid situation.
Funeral’s! Aren’t they the greatest things on earth ever, said no one! They manage to bring in the oddest bundle of people together into one place. Drama or no drama they are all in one room sitting watching to see what may or may not happen at uncle Fred’s, aunt Thelma’s funeral and then they go and spread the gossip they heard true or not out to the community. Recently we had the loss of a young scout instructor and it affected all of us in different ways as mourning does. One of our leaders attended the prayers and funeral and it was quite difficult for them so I was there to lend a sympathetic ear or hugs to anyone who wanted it. I still went to my regular meeting with the scouts telling them not to worry about stuff we would manage things. l myself was waiting on hearing about my aunt passing. As she was not doing well and we had packed up the family into the car for the drive and visited her a few days ago, dr’s telling us she could go anytime. By the time the weekend came my aunt had passed. So when I made it to my weekly physio appointment. He could tell something was up before he even asked the words! At the end of my appointment he said you need to take time for yourself. I said I am! Today is a ME day. All I am doing today is seeing you and going home and relaxing and doing nothing else. How is it going so far? Well, that was all I did that day, and the next !
My Everest... 
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