First visit to Mom in MC - I survived!

I was dreading my first visit to Mom in MC, since I was the one who actually walked her in there. It's been just under 2 weeks. When I first arrived, I could see that she was in the activity room, so I first stopped by the office where the activity director and nurse manager were. I talked to them to see how things had been going.

They said her adjustment continues to go well. She takes part in most activities, and when she's not in an activity, she's usually sitting in one of the common areas with other people, and spends very little time alone in her room. I was glad to hear this. She sundowns somewhat in the late afternoon, but they said nothing out of the ordinary.

When I saw Mom leave the activity room and head to her room, I gave myself a few minutes to gather my courage. She smiled when she first saw me and then burst into tears (oh crap). I gave her a hug and told her how glad I was to see her. Thankfully, the tears vanished in a few seconds. I said "this is a really nice room", and she said "Yes, it is a nice room, but I hardly have any clothes to wear". I said "well, you don't need a lot of clothes because you're not going to be here forever", and she seemed ok with that. (Even though she now likes to wear the same outfits over and over, I guess it gave her comfort to have a closet stuffed with clothes.)

Based on this group's good advice to visit in the common areas, I suggested we go sit out there. A few residents came over, and she was very pleasant. I then took part in the chair exercise class with her, and she really seemed to enjoy herself. When it was time for lunch, I walked her to the dining room, and said "I'll see you later", and she was soon distracted by the others going in. While she was eating, I went back to her room to check supplies.

The exit from MC is right by the dining room, and I managed to slip out without Mom seeing me.

There were a few times during the visit where she would say "I don't know why I'm here" or "when can I go home?", etc., and I would say she was there for a more serious physical therapy program, and she seemed ok with that, since she likes anything to do with exercise and fitness. At early stage 6, her short term memory loop is so short now, it's almost a blessing.