Family matters

Grandma B is hubby's grandma (father side). She's a strong independent woman. She bore 11 children, and raised them by herself. She loves to cook. She makes the best chicken and dumpling I've tasted in my entire life. I've tried duplicating it many times, with no luck. She loves her freedom. She had her own apartment up North and pretty much did everything by herself. Up until....

My in-laws received a phone call from one of Grandma B's friends. She'd been taken to the hospital, after a dramatic 911 phonecall. Unbeknownst to the whole family, grandma is suffering from a mild form of Alzheimers. She forgot that she'd already taken her pain medication and took them again and again, resulting to an alleged overdose. Apparently she also oftentimes forget she's in the middle of cooking, as evidenced by the burnt pots and pans. She forgets a lot of other things, some are trivial, some more serious. It wasn't long after that my in-laws realized that grandma is not only posing danger to herself but to other people as well. So they made the decision to move her back to the farm.

The transition turned out to be harder that what they'd hoped for. Grandma B resents the fact that the family needs to take care of her. She's still not used to it, but she's adjusting. She still forgets things. Her health, just like her moods, has it's ups and down. She's been hospitalized several times over the summer. My in-laws are aware that time will come when she will need more care than they can give. Sooner or later, taking her to a nursing home might just be the only option they'll have. I recommended checking out bettercaring.com for answers to some of their most crucial questions regarding care options for grandma B. For now, all we can do is pray for the best.