Mother appears to have stabilized with no more collapses, though slow progression of her condition continues. Days are routine with activities paced to Mother's ability to cope, with a half or whole day a week spent in bed now. Mother seems to need a day or two of rest to cope with the rest of the week getting up in a chair. Times of breathlessness are regular and more sudden with the slightest exertion. She tries to keep her legs mobile, but they are weaker and she has become progressively slower. Mentally Mother has improved from her last collapse, with her memory good some days. She still retains an interest in everything going on around her and makes her wishes very clear. She is at peace.
It seems the less active Mother is with physical limitations, her inner life becomes more active. Mother has given permission for me to share some of these stories and happenings that she speaks of.
Often when watching scenic or travel type programs on TV, Mother will turn to me and ask "have we just got back, or have I been here all the time?" She laughs when realizing she had 'escaped' into the program for a while and finds it refreshing.
One evening in bed, after watching an animal rescue program, Mother reasoned with me saying that "I really was there standing on the bank (where the cow was in the water) because I felt the splash!". She looked down to see she was in bed and then laughs. Now that is transference!
Because transference is very real, I have guided Mother away from watching anything too spooky, gruesome, scary or violent. Favorite channels for her are Travel, talent , geographic and nature shows.
