Dementia Diary: "Miraculous"

These days, Mom's thoughts often get scrambled before she can push them out. But she said very clearly that turning 87 was "miraculous." She'd had no idea she was that old, and she seemed pleased with herself.

The staff at Arbor Terrace had done up her hair. Laura, her longtime companion from Visiting Angels, brought balloons and a card. She made sure Mom was spiffy in nice clothes with pearl earrings and she was helping Mom with lipstick when my sister Kim and I arrived after lunch. Reminded to "kiss" a tissue to remove excess lipstick, Mom instead used her fingers and blew a kiss to us.

We brought an orchid, cupcakes with blue and yellow icing, and a chocolate shake. When we observed that the icing colored her mouth, she stuck out her blue tongue.

During a visit on October 28, Kim helped Mom to don her old tap shoes. Seated, Mom immediately tapped.

Find a list of my other articles covering our experiences over the past decade in my page Dementia Diary