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Nanook, hold off for the moment. We got a surprise call this morning where the hospital let us know that they have scheduled Mom for release this coming Monday. While on the surface this might seem like good news, Mom is not ready to live on her own at this time. In fact this evening I spoke with her at some length and while the conversation went very much like a regular conversation, there were a few points that made it clear that all is not right ; like it took quite a bit of convincing to get her to believe that she was really in Raleigh and that Wakemed really isn't in So Cal. In more technical terms, she is "not competent" at this time and so still needs care on a 24/7 basis. This puts us in a bad position as the Dr. had originally led us to believe that she wouldn't be released until year end, so we thought we had a bit more time. So we are scrambling to find a nursing home (which we had hoped to avoid all together considering the progress she has made so far) and sort out the legalities and mechanics of the whole situation.

It is all the more frustrating because when you speak to her, she sounds almost completely normal, and then suddenly she'll say something completely out of left field. Sometimes really funny stuff, but it's painful to hear as it shows that she's really not ready to take care of herself yet. Hopefully we'll find a place for her on short notice, and it will only need to be a short term solution. The hospital did advise us to set up Mike with power of attorney to be able to handle her affairs, but the attorneys I've spoken with so far say that a person has to be "competent" so sign over power of attorney, and that what we really need to do is establish a guardian for her which appears to be a longer and more complicated process.

To add to that complication, we're not sure what costs are involved in a nursing home, but we're pretty sure that we can't fund the adventure ourselves. The hospital mentioned social security and Medicare but I doubt either can be invoked on such short notice.

The good news is that they feel that she is in good shape medically, and you can have a nice chat with her either by phone or in person.

Tonight, call me "frustrated on the left coast".

jmx

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A man's got to know
his limitations