I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream, For Ice Cream

Today is One Word Wednesday hosted by my friend Lisa over at My Sweet Peanut.  Lisa, like many of us, is a caregiver to her husband and children and for the past year she has been a caregiver for her Mom who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.  Through this wonderful place known as blogland, many of us who have found ourselves thrust into the role of caregiver for our parents or spouses or children who can no longer care for themselves, have gotten together and offer each other support, strength and understanding.

One of the things that we have found that helps us is talking about our challenges, struggles, conquests, successes, hopes, desires, anger and bitterness.  All those feelings that we bury down deep inside because we NEVER want our loved ones to feel as if they are a burden to us.

One Word Wednesday is one of those places that we can share and vent....each Wednesday Lisa gives us a word or topic and we talk about what that topic brings to mind, knowing that the others will support us, laugh with us, cry with us and NEVER, EVER judge us.  Please join us.  You don't have to be a caregiver though you probably are in some capacity.  You don't have to write about your caregiving journey.  You can write about anything that speaks to you when you read the topic.....and today's topic is ICE CREAM.

I read the topic this morning before I left for my visit with Mom so, with that in mind, when I got to the Memory Care Center, I gathered Mom up and took her for some ice cream.

Mom loves nuts so we got her a scoop of Butter Pecan on a cone.

First she tasted it.

And then she got serious about it!!!

She appeared to enjoy it very much.

As we ate our ice cream Mom started asking me questions (repeatedly but that's ok).  Mom likes asking questions but doesn't like to be asked questions because it reminds her that she cannot remember.  She has taken to saying "I have no brain".  Much of today was spent reassuring her that just because she forgets things does not mean she is stupid.  I reminded her how very smart she is and how well she does in the trivia games at the Center.

I am not sure who Mom thought I was today.  We had this conversation numerous times while we were on our outing.

"So, do you live around here?"

" I live about 10 minutes away"

"Oh, when did you move here?"

" About 15 yrs ago"

"What made you move here?"

"When I would visit my parents we would drive by the house and always admire it so when it went up for sale we bought it"

"Oh so your parents live near here"

" My Mom does but my Pops died a few years ago"

"Do you work?"

" No, I retired"

"So what do you do now?"

" Well, I was taking care of my parents but now my Mom moved into an apartment so I am just taking care of myself now"

"Oh, that's nice....Do you live near here?"

Mom and I are just gonna keep on Thriving at Home.

  Stop by Thrive at Home Thursday for other Thriving at Home ideas.