Good Taste

Yesterday Mom called and said that Grandma couldn't get her food in her mouth fast enough. She was ravenous and finished a good breakfast and lunch. Unfortunately, most of the staff at Hillcrest has the flu, so they are short handed. At times I've thought it would be nice to just go out there and volunteer if I had the time, but I can't.

I never really thought Grandma was close to death last weekend, but I know that in a condition such as hers, the flu could bring her down fast.

I'm going to make apple bars again this weekend (I may cheat and buy pre-made pie crusts) so she can enjoy some more. I know that she recognizes what they are. You don't know what she's thinking anymore, and she probably doesn't even know herself, but I think that using other senses like taste, can maybe spark a thought. More so than a photo. I know she's tired of looking at photos because she doesn't recognize much anymore and she gets annoyed easily.

If I'm feeling ambitious I may even tackle Grandma's coconut creme pie recipe.

Flu Bug

My mom said that Grandma got sick Friday and was vomiting quite a bit and couldn't keep anything down. She did manage to keep down some chicken broth yesterday, and drank two cups of 7UP. No fever. And she's not refusing to eat or drink, she definitely wants her fluid and such. All I did last night was hold her hand and tell her a few things about my week. She kept drifting in and out, but was looking at me at least. A couple of times she tried to get out a sentence, but there's hardly anything to understand anymore except "no" and "yes."

Prayers go out to Bailey, her Mother passed away last week, and Paula, her father passed away yesterday. Both blogs I've read and passed on to others, they are so much more enlightening than any other article about Alzheimer's disease. It puts a real voice behind those who are suffering from Alzheimers.

Grandma's Apple Bars!

I made Grandma's Apple Bar recipe the other day. YUM! Years ago my cousin Demara compiled a book of favorite family recipes as a present one Christmas. I am forever thankful for that little recipe card book. Grandma's Apple Bars are the best thing you can put on your taste buds (next to her coconut creme pie). I don't make them often because I'm just not good at doing pie crusts and what took Grandma MINUTES to do takes me at least an hour. I never minded doing the apples back then as long as she cranked out the crust. AND NOW I have this thing from Pampered Chef that peels, cores and slices the apples with a quick crank of the handle so the apple part is easy.

Luckily the apple bars are easy to mash up so I think Grandma enjoys them but she doesn't get real excited about food anymore. I haven't heard any comments from her about what she eats... sometimes you would get a "That's good" out of her if she liked something. If she doesn't like something or she's tired of eating she just spits out the food and you have to be quick with the napkin.

Shes been very quiet this last month. Quiet in the sense that she's not even trying to listen to anything and just looks around or wants to go off in her wheel chair and move about. Every time I say that though all of a sudden there will be a day when you can tell she's having a stream of thoughts, and even though it doesn't relate to what you are talking to her about, she still wants to contribute something. Usually all I do is babble about whatever is going on in my life (and it's a struggle for me to do that because I'm not a gabby person) with the ulterior motive of getting her to respond. Sometimes she senses that though, and like me, she's stubborn and won't want to "play along" :)