Yesterday was clearly a day of improvement for Kate. There has been no sign of wheezing since Friday evening. She is also coughing less. Those were the two most obvious signs of her being sick. She has had to clear her nose more than usual, but it has been less of a problem.
She has been so tired during the past eleven days, that I was surprised when she got up about 8:30. She wasn’t as groggy as she often is. For the first time in several weeks, we arrived at Panera about 10:15. That gave us plenty of time for a muffin and lunch before the sitter came at noon.
When Valorie arrived, she gave her a friendly greeting. I mentioned that I had put in a DVD of Fiddler on the Roof. At first, she said she wanted to rest. Then she changed her mind and wanted to watch. When I told her I was leaving for Rotary and the Y, she said, “You’re leaving? Why don’t you stay here with us and watch?” I explained that I needed to get my exercise and would be back later. She didn’t complain, and she didn’t look sad. It was clear by the look on her face, however, that she really wanted me to stay. As I left, Kate and Valorie were watching Fiddler. I wondered if Kate would make it through the entire movie without resting. When I returned, Valorie said she watched the whole thing without napping at all. I was happy to hear that.
The big disappointment of the day was learning a little later that Valorie will no longer be coming. She is the sitter I liked the most and would have loved having all the time. The agency didn’t give any explanation. Given the privacy laws, I can understand that, but I would really like to know if she left the agency or they shifted her to another client. I have her phone number and plan to call her tomorrow.
In the meantime, they are sending the new sitter that came last week while I attended a luncheon. I felt she was all right, but Kate slept the whole time I was gone. I did introduce the two of them before leaving, but I wish Kate had had more time to get somewhat accustomed to a new person. This is one of the challenges of our time. There is a lot of transition in positions like this. It makes me realize how fortunate we were with the team of caregivers we had with Kate’s mother. After the first month or two, we settled into a team seven or eight people who were with us until her death. That was almost five and a half years.
