We received confirmation this morning that a bed was available for Maria at the Hospice after a busy weekend, where they had to deal with a few emergency admissions. A patient transfer ambulance had been arranged as well, which was a huge blessing to us. One of the two ambulance officers that came had brought Maria home after her last admission. They were both very nice and helpful.
Maria was quite excited about her stay. Because she doesn't want to be left alone, I have been sleeping on the floor next to her over the last week or so. When it was finally time to get up after a rough night, my back had sort of seized up and it took some time to get into motion and off the floor. After a really difficult weekend and an increasing painful back and abdomen/groin, I too am looking forward to the break from the labour-side of things.
The Hospice itself is a beautiful and tranquil place on the lake with all rooms having water views. There are 19 rooms and it looks as though Maria is the youngest resident by a long-shot.
The staff are lovely and Maria's room is quite large. We were all warned about brown snakes (for our overseas readers, they are deadly) that get about so to be cautious when outside. The kids and I went for a short walk as it was very hot at 38 C (100 F). We saw a couple of swans with a very young signet. They came right up to us, expecting to be fed. It will be nice to get out and perhaps do a little casual fishing later in the week if it cools. There is also a kids playground and family room. Should Maria and I need time together, there are volunteers who can keep the kids company.
It looks like Maria has another urinary tract infection, which they were investigating to hopefully treat ASAP.
Upon leaving, Maria looked exhausted and a little down. I arranged with a dear friend to leave the kids so I could go back in for a couple of hours in the evening to see Maria again. Anneke also kindly fed the three of us.
Maria was asleep when I arrived. She woke a little later and we had a lengthy discussion about some important housekeeping issues. She was curious where Ben and Gabi were. She could not recall the three of us spending 4+ hours with her earlier in the day. She is failing to even recollect events that took place only minutes before. It's hard to see you loved one confused and with such memory loss.
On the way home Ben asked, "Dad, what will we do with mummy's things when you know what?" Gabi replied, "Mummy said that when she dies I can keep all of her jewellery." I found that pretty hard to respond to. They both encouraged me to cry. They have matured so much through this experience and are such blessings to have around.
We arrived home just before 10pm and it was still 29 C. Hopefully the usual Canberra conditions will kick in and the evening will cool.
I am looking forward to sleeping in a bed and getting a few hours of straight sleep tonight. But I will miss Maria's calls out to me at all hours.
