Monday we went on a picnic with the D.s We went down to Laguna Beach and had fun eating together, talking laughing and learning. I learned that
Yesterday, Sunday we went to brunch with Gram. When we got there she seamed almost her usual pleasant self. But after greeting us all and sitting us down she started talking about Gramp and how he gets out of bed and falls out of bed. She had to call the fire department last week to help get him back into bed.
We went to downstairs to brunch and had a great time. Gram is artful at deflecting the how are you's with pointedly asking about the other person. She holds herself together for others by talking about others.
After brunch we went back upstairs and gram said she would just check on gramp. She opened up the double door leading to the master bedroom and saw the bathroom light on. "He's been up" so she opened the bedroom door. The look on her face was hopeless. I asked if he was alright, she said no. I went in to find gramp laying flat on his back, his feet and legs sticking 2' off the end of the bed with his mouth gaping. I thought he had passed on. I went to him and rubbed his arm, it was warm, "hi Gramp, how are you?" He blinked awake and recognized me. "Oh hi, Good to see you," he said. JohnE and Lisa came in, Gram followed. She leaned on the end of the bed and began to cry. She had thought he was dead, too. The three grandkids moved gramp up to a better place in the bed, and gram wanted to let gramp sleep. We all went out, except Lisa who visited and talked with gramp for a while. He recognized her.
We spoke to gram about Adam, our cousin. She was truly fascinated to learn about what he was doing, what we talked about etc. Later she told us that a day or so after the party, gramp woke up and he was completely different. He is usually very non talkative , but he woke up and just started talking for a day and a night he relived memories. As Gram was telling us some of the things he said, she was bawling her eyes out. After his day and night of talking, he now just sleeps, and has a very hard time moving around.
What do I do? I have never had to deal so closely with this sort of thing before. I'm wondering if I should skip work and just go get a hotel room close by. I want to be there for gram. Perhaps until she can get hospice in to help her.