It’s eldest son Luke here with an update on Mum’s condition.
It has now been 2 weeks since Mum left the hospice and came home. The hospice staff did a great job in sorting out her meds, so she has been pain free for the past few weeks. While she is fairly comfortable in her new downstairs bedroom with heat-pump and fancy pneumatic bed, unfortunately her appetite has not returned.
Her support team realised that round the clock care is now required, so we’ve been ensuring there is someone here at all times. And in the past few days we’ve also enlisted a professional carer (carefully selected by Mum) to help out.
Mum has had some really great days over the past few weeks, particularly last Thursday when she had Ruth, Betsy and Barbara here reminiscing over old times. It was a clear winters day, and her new bedroom was bathed in morning sunshine while she was surrounded by friends, family, conversations and birdsong. It is clear she is still able to have a high quality of life at the end, thanks to her wonderful network of friends & family.
Mother, Grand-mother, Friend, Health Activist now Health Consumer
And what a privilege to be there with Lynda – with Luke and Sam wandering in and out. We all fitted into a peaceful place – with Lynda totally engaged. It’s the first time I have understood the importance of the concept of just “hanging out”. That’s all we did and Lynda sat there in our midst as engaged as ever. We sorted photos, picked up books and spoke about their origins or significance, made a few references to raunchy past events, and all the while, Lynda bathed in the sun on her back, sipping water and sucking on Luke’s Bees Balls. A time to remember, a time to cherish.
Thanks so much for the update Luke – please give Lynda big hugs from me. xxx