Friday Update!

Goodness, what a day, where do I begin?! Flew down town to collect mother's new duvet, popped into Boots to buy a couple ot No. 7 items, which meant I got a free gift box of goodies! Also flew into TK Max (my fav shop) and managed to find myself a new pair of gorgeously comfortable work trainers! Flew home, loaded car up and landed (ha ha) at Holme. The cat had used the new litter tray - hurrah! Mother was in so much agony with her hip, she could hardly get in my car – little did she know that she would be seeing a doctor at 5.30pm today, which I booked earlier in the week! If I had told her, she would have cancelled it, as she has done this before at least twice! I felt pretty scared about this appointment, as I knew she would be pretty angry with me later on! It wasn't going to be a relaxing day at all!

Mother and I went to Summerville Care Home (as arranged) at 2pm for a 'family meeting' with father, the Care Home Manager, a Social Worker and Assistant Practitioner from Social Services, to discuss how father was getting on. Father had another mental capacity assessment, which he failed again and he was asked how he was and various questions about his care. I don't think he fully understands that he will be here permanently, but he will be. He was quite bright at the beginning and described the coffee he had been given from a care worker as 'beautiful'! I have never heard him say that before about his coffee! He does understand some things and later on when I asked him if he was happy, he replied 'no, not happy but satisfied' – that's good enough for me! Anyway, we all had a productive meeting and all agreed that this would now be a permanent placement for father.

After the social workers etc had gone, mother and I sat with father in the dining room alone and chatted with him. I then moved a bit further away to make an important phone call to the Department of Works and Pensions on behalf of my parents – this phone call took ages, which was actually very helpful to me, as I had to kill as much time as possible so that I when I left here we arrived at the doctors surgery in Hunstanton just before 5.30pm for mother's appointment! Father then got upset and said he was going to sleep in his own bed at home tonight – we calmed him down and explained why he was here again and then wheeled him through to the lounge in his wheelchair, where staff kindly transferred him to his armchair ready for tea. Mother and I then left.

At Hunstanton we arrived a bit too early, so I killed some time in Sainsbury's whilst leaving mother in the car, as she said she couldn't get out anyway, as she was in too much pain. Bumped into birder Roger Skeen whilst in Sainsbury's! We then left and headed to the doctor's surgery – well.......... needless to say I was in BIG trouble, I won't repeat on here what was said to me! Initially she refused to get out of the car – to which I responded that I would bring the doctor out to her if she didn't. Eventually she got out and agreed to come in, when I pointed out that if I had told her about it, she would have cancelled it and that I had done this just to start the ball rolling – if she choose to decline what the doctor offered etc from here onwards, then it was her choice.

28 minutes later we were out of the surgery with prescribed soluble paracetamol, and a referral for an x-ray to see what is going on with the hip – I can guess what that means.... possibly a hip replacement – oh dear, its all happening with my family at the moment! Took mother back home and helped her with as much as possible. Stripped off all the bed linen and replaced with new cosy duvet on mother's bed. The cat had been left in the house WITH new cat tray all afternoon! Tonight the cat will be living it up and staying in the house overnight – at last! Phew! Good night!