2015 – 05/19
I started doing some kitchen activities with my mom. I started bringing in supplies to make some simple goodies for the residents. I would work with my mom on putting them together and she would help serve the residents when the treats were done.
On this particular day, my mother seemed more out of it than normal. They had modified her meds and I was concerned that they had not gotten the combination right. I brought it up to the nursing staff and they added a note to her chart to reduce the dosages on some of her meds so she could function better.
I tried to put her condition out of my mind as I gave her a coffee and guided her into the kitchen area. She was excited to do another project together.
Today we were going to make strawberry shortcake. I sliced up strawberries at home the night before so they would be prepared. I brought some pound cake and some cool whip and some cups.
I tried being overly excited to boost up her mood. As we started she got more and more animated. She loved it. It was a challenge for her, but I guided her through the steps. Putting together the shortcake parfaits involved using a pattern. This is good exercise for the mind so the project was fun, tasty AND therapeutic!
We started out by arranging all the slices of pound cake on a sheet of parchment paper. Then I guided her as we sliced them into smaller chunks.
Next, she helped add the pound cake pieces to the cups and added some strawberries to each one, then added the cool whip to the top. We worked side by side and I kept up a conversation with her the whole time. She got happier by the minute. She was thoroughly excited by the time she helped me pass the cups out to the residents who could eat them. I sat down with her after that and we talked a bit until she was tired. Then I told her I was going to head home but would be back the next day. She tried to come downstairs with me, which she did on a regular basis. I got in the habit of enlisting the help of the staff to distract her as I left. It was difficult but necessary.