Hi Everyone,
I just first wanted to wish everyone the happiest of holidays. I hope your holiday season is a very blessed one. God bless you all.
I also wanted to thank Debbie and Jan and Sheryl for coming to see me when I was in the hospital for a day. I sure wish we all lived closer so we could get together some times. It meant so much to me to see their smiling faces, and made me realize how much I miss relatives. Family is everything, and should be at the top of everyone's priority list. Thank you so much again girls, and you are all in my prayers as well.
Our mom Della is at home now, as we decided she was not getting better where she was at, in fact she was getting worse. She is going through some real rough times mentally (as well as physically), as she thinks we are all out to get her. She has some paranoia, which is very delicate to deal with. We don't want her on anti-psychotic medicine, as we believe that would mess her up even more. The nurses believe that she has gone into a fast Alzheimers because she remembers the past, and gets very confused about the present. They also say that she has Postraumatic Stress Disorder which stems from some incidents that happened when she was young. She gets really nervous with a lot of confusion around, and doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone on the phone. She will not let anyone turn on the TV or radio because she is afraid of them. Jeanne, Naomi, and I take shifts staying with her. Jeanne and Naomi stay nights with her, and I stay with her during the day while Jeanne and Naomi are at work. This is quite the learning experience. I have learned that she does better when I make myself something to eat, and ask if she would like some, and that usually does the trick because she will refuse to take medicine or eat, so we have to find unique ways of making it so she thinks she is in control of what is going on around her. Her medicines are layed out, and she is told that she is in control, and can take her medicines when she wants to, and is reminded daily of what the medicines are for, and that usually gets her to take them fairly soon. We also found out that mothering her gets a bad reaction, so we just need to be her friend, and let her do what she can do on her own , and above all, not to argue, or correct her on anything, and that seems to work out so much better. We are not putting Christmas up there, as that would put her in another state of panic (confusion). She does best when everything is quiet, and there is not a lot going on around her. I made up a therapy table, mainly for my sisters, with painting items, puzzles, and color books and crayons, yet also so that if mom feels like doing some of these things, they are there for her. She used to love to build puzzles, etc., so we will see what happens. If anyone wants to come see her then you should. We just need to know ahead of time, and not have a big group of people all at once. You also can call to find out how she is doing, yet if the phone is busy that means we have turned on the internet to keep the phone from rining if she is having an especially rough day. Plus, we check our email messages as well. She is really good at sleeping through the night so far, as my sister Naomi sleeps with her each night, so she can hear if mom gets up, and that doesn't seem to bother mom. She also gets her daily dose of many hugs, kisses, and I love you's from us. We keep praying every day for mom, and for strength, and energy for ourselves to be able to continue to give her good quality of care. I will try and keep you updated if anything changes, etc., when I get a chance. Thank you for your prayers as well.
We all wish all of you the best blessings of the holiday season, stay safe, stay healthy, love one another, and we love you. :-)
Bev
Peace, Love & Happiness 
Sent With Love From The Wood Family
leslie
Leslie