Mom ready to return to home

I’m busting Mom out of rehab on Sunday. On one hand, I am convinced it is the right thing to do; on the other hand, I am terrified that I am jeopardizing her safety.
I have received mixed messages from the rehab people. They say she has reached a plateau and is unlikely to show more improvement although she does everything they ask of her. She also needs help on occasion and can’t stand for long periods. They don’t define what they mean by long periods, or just why she would need to stand for more than a few minutes at a time.
When I took her home for a visit a week or so ago she didn’t need any help. She got into the car by herself, walked around her house and did everything she usually did. I felt bad taking her back to rehab but thought they could help her get a little more steady on her feet as well as get a little stronger overall.
When I called a few days later to ask about an estimated release date, they told me it would be a couple more weeks. We arranged a phone conference and after hearing all the pros and cons to letting her go home, I decided that Sunday was the last day she would spend there. It was at least a week longer than she wanted to stay and a week short of when they thought she should leave.
Now I am hoping I made the right decision. I will stay with her for the first couple of days just to make sure it is truly safe for her to be alone again.
Navigating health care for my mother is not something I ever planned to do. Nobody grows up expecting to decide on care for an aging parent. It is something we do because we have no choice.
What scares me even more than making decisions for her care is the thought that this is a preview of what my daughter will have to go through someday.
As our population ages, more and more of us will be making decisions for our loved ones. Even if they have made their wishes clear, there are still choices to be made. It is not always in their best interest to remain home alone. Yet, most of us prefer to remain at home for as long as possible.
Yes, I am taking Mom out of rehab on Sunday. I firmly believe that she will be happier at home than anywhere else. The crisis has passed and things are slowly getting back to normal. Taking her home is one more step on the way back to the way things were.
After the last few weeks of dealing with the ups and downs of the latest health scare, the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holidays will seem like a restful vacation. I have been so concerned with her welfare that I haven’t had time to be upset that all the Christmas displays in the stores came out of hiding even before the Halloween candy went on clearance.
I expect there to be many more problems in the next few years. There will be more health scares and even more difficult decisions to be made. Meanwhile, I am grateful that I have a mother who is ready to resume her life outside the protective walls of rehab. I am equally grateful that I have the freedom to spend time with her to make sure she is as safe as possible.[[In-content Ad]]