The Handyman, Part III

The Handyman continued.

We knew it was a difficult decision to put Mother in the nursing home. 

First she was very young – in her fifties – and most of the residents were much older, but Father was become too weary and the efforts to carry and caring for her had become too much. 

The nursing home was close by our home and she was encouraged by the large windows that overlooked a park.

Of course, the room had to be decorated. 

It was a good thing Mother was an expert in that department. 

Her room became her home away from home. 

She never forgot the larger one she’d left on Park Street, but also knew that change in life is a constant and accommodated.

 

Let’s be honest, decorating one room is not something that takes much time, so Mother had to fill her life with something else. 

Fill it she did. 

First, always a fan of basketball, Mother also became a fan of other sports. 

She watched golf whenever possible and knew all of the PGA players. 

And when I say knew, I mean knew. 

She knew their rankings, how much they made each year, the names of their family members and she tracked it all. She also followed her beloved Vikings each fall and watched tennis too.

Television though, took a back seat to helping people. Mother, from her bed in a nursing home, felt it was her destiny to help others.

I should mention that when Mother went into the nursing home she was no longer able to walk or move her arms. I

n fact, she only had control of her head and neck. 

This meant that to watch television she had to have a call button behind her head to signal an aide for help. 

Daily, the staff would sit her in a chair while they cleaned the sheets, but she did not have control enough to go anywhere.

So who did my mother see as the people who needed her help? 

Well, all the staff at the nursing home, of course.