marks mom

marks mom is in the hospital, she has been there for a week and a half now.
they are having small success helping her, but they are not there yet. she has been diagnosed with alzhiemers and demensia. she is not near as scared as she was before she went into the hospital, but she is still a little scared. that is a blessing.
she is, however, more confused than before. we went to see her last sunday. she told us she had been to a big party the night before, then to church that morning. she went out to eat after church and saw her neighbors that live by her in pickwick. it was very hard for mark to see her so confused. he is used to her cutting up and laughing, telling jokes and being silly. he is having a hard time adjusting to her being more quiet and calm and confused. i am trying to help him remember confused is better than scared all the time.
the night before we went to see her, lacee and i stayed up late making her a picture board. her face lit up so much when we gave it to her. more than with any christmas or birthday present i have ever seen her face light up. lacee wasnt able to be with us for this visit, as she had gone to nashville with her friend anna.
mark has been back up there to see her once more so far. the trip is almost an hour, and with our work schedules and the visitation schedule at the hospital it isnt easy to find times to visit. he has spoken with her every day, except one where she fell asleep before he called.
the doctor told mark the other day that she is worse than they had first thought and she will be there longer than they had first hoped, and that once she leaves there the best and most reasonable option for her is a nursing home.
this news was very hard for mark to hear, even though he knew it was true. this is a situation that i have not been in completely. i was 18-19 when my grandmother had to go to the nursing home. she did get the confusion, and only one time did not know me. that one time was enough! i certainly hope that mark never has to experience his mom not knowing him, it is a hard hard thing.
he has made a decision as to which home for her to live in. i hate that he is having to do this. i wish i knew how to help him. i listen to him when he will talk about it and urge him not to hold it in let it build up. i offer to help with the paperwork and other tedious tasks. most importanly, i pray for him. and i pray for her. and i pray for us and our family during this stressful time.