One of the good things that happened during the Christmas trip to New England was a fond farewell to NuclearGrammy. She's not dying, but at 97, she's fading. She had trouble remembering who her son was (Big Grampa) and could only identify LOS, NSLOS, and me as grandchildren, not specifically as us, and only could identify the great-grandchildren as descendants of some sort, no better than that.
She crashed her mobility cart and broke her hip in early December, and has recovered from surgery, even to the extent of walking again (very short distances, with assistance), but realistically, she's not going to fully recover. She's been moved from her apartment into the nursing home section of her retirement home. We helped Big Grampa empty her apartment.
I may see NuclearGrammy again, but she won't know me by the time I get up again this summmer. But we had a great lunch and visit, with her aiding and abetting the younger generation in climbing under the table, etc., and then asking, sweetly, if we could control our children. Hee. She may be senile, beginning to suffer from acute memory loss and some dementia, but she still knows how to stir the pot. I hope I'll see her again.
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4 comments:
Yes, my 94 yr old Maw Maw is doing the slow slide herself these days. She still can remember our names, but she gets fuddled rather easily. She can't get around without her walker, and even that is rough. My dad's two sisters live in the area with her, and they come in and do stuff for her all the time so that she doesn't have to be moved to a home. Yet. But we think in the next few months, it may get to that point.
She's my only surviving grandparent, but she's outlasted them all in spades! I'm glad my kids got to have a great-grandparent around for quite some time.
It's hard to watch them slowly deteriorate like that, especially after you've known them as spunky, fun, smart individuals.
I hope you have many more opportunities to spend time with your grandmother. I also hope you share all your happy memories OF her WITH her. It may not sink in right away, but she'll get it.
A sad thing, but an inescapable part of life. It's good for the girls to see and experience it, methinks.
We should any of us be so lucky to get 97 years; she's done very well!
Kira: We're both lucky. My kids only knew NuclearGrammy, but they have real memories of swimming and working out with her. And she's still feisty, even as she fades.
Ms. Peg: Yes, I bring pictures and tell her stories. But I won't be back in New England for six months. She'll have faded a lot more by then, if she's still alive. Nonetheless, this last visit was a good one.
Wunelle: Sad, but inevitable. Not a tragedy. But sad.
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