beyond cinderella

My mom has lived in a 24/7 skilled nursing center for almost four years now. The center provides many different activities for their residents. Of course bingo is a must, but they also offer arts and crafts, puzzles, music, church services and field trips to the dollar store, Wal-Mart, casino’s, and various food places for lunch to those who can, and want to participate. My mom participates in all activities held in within the center, but she has never gone on any of the field trips.

When my mom first went to live in the nursing center, I would take her out to lunch, movies, or bring her home to my house for the day at least once a week just to get her out of the center for a while. She always loved getting out and seeing what other people were doing. After my mom quit walking, I could no longer take her out by myself because of the dangers of her falling. That’s when I started trying to get her to go on one of the many field trips the nursing center offered. I tried and tried to convince her she should go but she kept telling me she didn’t want to go out “alone”. She said she was afraid something would happen and she wouldn’t know what to do.  She wanted me to go with her on the bus that is equipped to carry the residents in their wheelchairs. However, the day’s and times of the field trips conflicted with my schedule of getting Shantel to school or other things I needed to do. So, if I couldn’t go with mom, she decided she just wouldn’t go at all. I tried to explain to mom that nothing was going to happen to her if she went on one of the field trips with the nursing center. I told her if I could go all the way to New York City by myself, she could go on a field trip to the dollar store or Wal-Mart. She told me I am just a stronger personality than she is and she wasn’t going to do it so I should just quit talking about it to her. So I never brought it up again, until now!

This past week, all of a sudden, out of the blue, and  for some reason unknown to me, my mom went out on a field trip with the other residents of her nursing center to the dollar store, and more importantly, she had so much fun she decided she would go with them to Wal-Mart tomorrow!!!  I asked mom what made her decide to go on the field trip. She smiled and said “they asked me to go” All I can say is “well blow me over, will wonders never cease”?

Now, I’m trying to get her to go to the casino’s with the other residents. She used to love to go to the caseino”s with my dad, but so far she keeps telling me she would never go to the casino’s with the nursing center residents…But, she said the same thing about going out to the dollar store too. I guess I will have to ask one of the staff members to “ask” mom to go with them the next time they go to the casino’s…:)  I just hope I don’t create a gambling monster…Stay tuned!

Next: The Big Party Update!