Last week I got a phone call from the Assisted Living Center where my mother in law is living. The director was letting everyone know that limited visitation would be starting. I knew there would be restrictions, but oh boy are there restrictions!! I know I should be glad that we can visit at all, and I am, It has been seven months since we have seen her. We talk on the phone all the time but haven’t been able to visit since March. Only one person can visit at a time right now so Mark and I decided it would be me. She and I are really close.
I set up a time to visit for Saturday morning, yesterday, at 10:30. Oh yes that is one of the restrictions. You have to set a time, you have to wear a shield, I was told that one would be assigned to me on my first visit. The visit could only last for about fifteen minutes and we had to remain six feet apart. Oh and the visit would have to take place outside. I asked if the outside visiting area would be covered and yes they said it would.
When I woke up yesterday it was pouring down rain. I did not even think about cancelling the visit. I was sure she had been waiting and counting the days since I had told her about it last week. I had to run to the grocery store to get some supplies for my mother in law before the visit. I would stop back by and get my groceries after the visit. The Center is about thirty minutes from my house.
Once inside the grocery store I noticed some amazing pumpkins. I wanted some for fall decorating and they had those large flat-ish white ones. I ran and got a cart and wrestled two of those and several orange ones and then several small white ones into the cart. You see how my ADD is kicking in here? But the thing is I knew I would have groceries to buy when I stopped back by later and no room in the cart for them. Anyway, I got the pumpkins and the couple of things she needed and headed out. It was still raining. I got the wet pumpkins into the trunk and headed to the assisted living center.
When I arrived at the center I went in and called the nurse, because they never have anyone in the front, to let her know I was there. She came out, took my temp drilled me with the usual COVID questions and gave me a shield. She said this would be my assigned shield and if anyone else in the family visited they could use it. YUCK!!! I also had to wear my mask. To say I sounded like Darth Vader would be an understatement .Hellooooo I am your daughter in law!!!! My little mother in law can barely hear when I am sitting right next to her. I knew I would have to yell now to be heard. Not to mention with the mask and the shield the shield was fogging up until I couldn’t see. I had to drive around to the outside, covered, area where we would meet. Nurse M had rolled her wheelchair out to the covered patio where we would visit.
It was wonderful to see her. As I said she couldn’t hear me. I had to yell to be heard but that was o.k. I did show her some pictures on my phone because she loves seeing pictures of the babies. So all in all an o.k. visit, just different as so many things are these days. Maybe someday. I can tell that she is much more confused than she was a few months ago. I just hate that these people can’t have visitors. I think the isolation is really making them decline even faster. She will be 87 next month and to be able to visit with her family she would probably risk COVID. But I guess that is not for us to decide.
After getting my groceries I realized I had been out and about for a few hours and I had had coffee, water and a Diet Coke!!! I really really didn’t want to go to the bathroom at Walmart. I could wait until I got home. I know better than this, someone my age, with my bladder and one kidney doesn’t play around with things like that. An almost twenty minute drive home, backing down my long driveway, fumbling with my key to get in the back door. Let’s just say I know better. Everything went well, I backed down the driveway, jumped out of the car and walking very carefully yet as fast as I could I got through the garage to the back door. Fortunately we have a bathroom right at the back door. Everything was still going well until Molly, my big outside baby who stays in the house a lot, saw her opportunity to run in the back door. She ran in front of me to get in and blocked my way. I ran through the back door screaming for Molly to get out of the way while I was kicking my shoes and pants off. As soon as Kitty Kitty heard the yelling and saw the shoes flying she made a beeline for the stairs. I think my pants landed on Scruffy. Mark came into the kitchen and barely blinked an eye. It’s not the first time I have raced in the back door and ran straight to the bathroom. He’s used to it. He was probably considering calling the Assisted Living Center to see if they had an extra room for me HA!!!
That was pretty much my Saturday. How has your weekend been so far?
Always remember
Love your day your way!!!
Southern Patches 
I pray that this ridiculousness ends very SOON. Human touch is absolutely necessary for our well-being, the least of which is to build our immune system. So important for our elderly. (rant over)
LikeLiked by 1 person