During the summer, Tom and I left the area and we needed someone to take care of Nana's needs: fill the prescription boxes, check in and make sure she was doing OK. I turned to Michelle, one of Ed's best friends and a nursing student at UMass Dartmouth. Not only did she do a great job, but Nana loved the extra attention-- when asked if Michelle was one of her granddaughters, she answered, "No, but the day that I adopted her as one of my own was one of the happiest days of my life"... :)
So when Nana showed some distress in the midafternoons, calling my cell phone 6+ times a day, I turned to hiring another young friend for her. I visited my nurse friends at the local high school and asked for recommendations for an after-school companion for her: someone fun, caring, and willing to walk/bowl/play pool for a couple of hours twice a week. After listening to my request, one of the nurses suggested that her son might be interested. We met, and Sam started last week.
What a score! He is terrific-- so terrific that Nana actually remembered his visit the next day and told the activities director all about him- "Such a nice man, and he was hired just for me!" And the number of phone calls last week? Three. All week. SCORE!!!
How fabulous for your mom and you. I'm sure Michelle and Sam benefit as well. So glad to hear you've found a solution that works for you both.
ReplyDelete