Exit Strategies by Catherine Todd

Author:Catherine Todd
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781626819009
Publisher: Diversion Books
Published: 2015-06-25T16:00:00+00:00

Dunewood, my mother’s new home, was used to dealing with the difficult transitions that lead to the end of life.

“We’re so pleased to have you here, Mrs. Weston,” said Mrs. Fay, the residence administrator. We were sitting in the reception area, a pleasant tiled room full of potted plants and mock-Impressionist paintings. I was pleased to see that the administrator did not use my mother’s first name uninvited. “We all hope you’ll be very happy here,” she added.

My mother’s expression said she found that an unlikely prospect, but Mrs. Fay was used to doubters. “Let me show you to your room. Your daughter has already approved it, and I think you’ll find it very attractive.”

My mother’s arms folded over her chest. She set her face mulishly. She sat in her wheelchair, which the nursing home had provided for the trip between facilities, but in Dunewood she would have to make her own way around. “We provide a safety net,” Mrs. Fay had explained to me when I interviewed her (or she interviewed me) regarding my mother’s placement. “We try to give people the highest level of independence they can handle. But we aren’t set up to provide more than a certain level of care. Your mother will have to meet certain standards of mobility and autonomy in order to stay.”

“And when she can’t?” I’d asked her.

“We keep an eye on them,” she said, meeting my gaze. “When they need more help than we can provide, the next step is a skilled nursing facility.”

I suppressed a shudder. “Like the one my mother’s in now.”

“We can assist you in finding a facility your mother will like.”

“I doubt that,” I said.

She smiled. “You’d be surprised.”

Although she herself had never been one for sentimental mementos, I had put framed family pictures around my mother’s room, Still, it was far from homey. I was struck by how few things she had, other than her clothes, and by how bare her life had been, living with me. I felt guilty. Maybe I had been too wrapped up in my own problems to realize she’d never made a life of her own after she’d come to my house.

“Look, Mother, isn’t this nice?” I asked, using the same tone I’d employed taking Alicia to her first day of school. My hearty cheer hadn’t convinced my daughter either. She’d hung back and clung to my hand as if that tenacious grip would keep her from being swept away from me, into the future.

“Very lovely,” said my mother without enthusiasm. She looked pointedly at a teddy bear that was sitting on the bed. “And where did that come from?”

Mrs. Fay beamed. “It’s a gift from all of us here. We always like to welcome our new residents that way. I think you’ll find us a very friendly community. We care about each other, and we try to show it.”

“Sweet,” said my mother.

“Now I’m going to leave you to get settled, and after your daughter has left, I’ll come back to take you to the dining room and to introduce you to the activities director.

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