I Couldn’t Believe My Sister Lost Our Mother’s Phone
Why it takes a village and a sense of humor to care for someone with dementia
When your mother with dementia lives with you, you need a break. That’s why I called my sister and said, “Could you please stay with Mama while I leave town for a few days? I’m desperate!”
I even offered to pay her.
“Sure!” My sister agreed. “I can do it. But you don’t have to pay me!”
I had my bags packed when she arrived.
“Don’t worry about a thing,” she said. “I’ve got this. Go have fun.”
I left town for three blissful days, and when I returned, my sister looked frazzled. “The hospital bed is broken,” she announced as soon as I walked in the door.
“What do you mean the hospital bed is broken?” Hospice had provided us with a hospital bed a couple of weeks earlier. We could crank our mother to a sitting position, which made it easier for her to get out of bed.
“Somehow, her blanket got caught in the motor.”
I fiddled with the bed, but it wouldn’t budge, even after I extricated the blanket. “How did the blanket get in the motor?”
