Random Act of Kindness: Take Uncle Al Out

Today we went and picked up Uncle Al with the intention of taking him out for a ride to Revere Beach, his favorite place from his younger days. 

When I got to the nursing home his nurse told me that he wouldn't eat his lunch.  He was waiting for me to bring him lunch. 

So... we took a detour to Kelly's Roast Beef where Uncle Al got his favorite, fried clams.  He ate as though he hadn't eaten in decades.

My mom, she ordered a salad.  I totally forgot to look at the salad before she started to eat it.  It had croutons in it.  Shit!  She started to see people and things, she was demented.  Uncle Al was demented.

I found myself  driving through the streets of Revere today, my mom in the backseat and Uncle Al in front, both were talking as though someone was listening.  Neither heard the other person talking, I heard both conversations and both of them expected me to be listening to them.

Result?  I'm totally exhausted.  My head hurts.

My mom pointed out all the apartments that they lived in after their dad died and their mom was admitted to a mental institution.  I don't know if they really lived in all those places or if they thought each place that they pointed at was the place from their childhood?  I'll never know for sure.

We drove along the beach.  I had intended on getting both of them out to walk a little.  But, as soon as I mentioned walking my mom suddenly had a pain in her fanny.  When she stated where her pain was I couldn't help myself and said, "And her name is Susie?" 

We both laughed.  Uncle Al came to and wondered what he had missed.  Not for long though, as soon as he saw the ocean all thoughts about why we were laughing vanished.

We drove up the coast, back to Uncle Al's nursing home.  We took the scenic route through Nahant to get to Danvers.  Anyone who knows where Nahant is, you definitely can't get to Danvers via Nahant... Nahant is a peninsula, one of the coolest communities that I had ever lived.

Uncle Al and my mom enjoyed the ride today.  The sun was bright and the temperature wasn't all that cold for a November day in New England. 

I gave my mom 4 pellets of Helleborous Niger when we got home and a cup of nettle tea with a little fenugreek.  I believe we nipped the hallucinations in the bud, I hope we did.  We'll know tonight when the house is quiet and the floors start squeaking if my mom needs more helleborous.

In the meantime, today my random act of kidness was toward my Uncle Al.  Even though I have so much to do for myself, I put it all aside and gave my time to Uncle Al. 

He enjoyed himself and is looking forward to Thanksgiving Dinner with his family.