February 26, 2017

Afternoon surprise visit to Jane yesterday afternoon!

Friday night, my talented friend, Melinda & I made cupcakes that look like dogs for our volunteer party for Luv of Dogz – the rescue we happily support. If you remember, I mentioned the cupcakes to Jane on Wednesday & that is when she was the happiest. So Melinda & I stopped by to see Jane today after the party.

My Dad said she had been pretty tired when he visited earlier so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve also never visited Jane so late in the day (it was close to 4). We found Jane sitting in a chair in the family room watching tv & as soon as she saw me, her face lit up. Even though Melinda & I brought a plate full of cupcakes with us, by the time we got to Jane, we had handed out all but 2 to the other residents. Nice to bring a smile to more than just Jane this visit. We went to the kitchen for Jane to enjoy her cupcake. 1 was all she wanted so we gave the final cupcake to her aid who was in the kitchen working on paperwork. Jane was very happy & alert so we decided to take a short walk. I didn’t have long for a visit today because I needed to get home to feed my foster puppy. I felt bad because Jane would have enjoyed a longer visit. She was happy & chatty. And while she rarely makes sense with her words anymore, I could tell they were happy words. And she took very well to Melinda too – smiling at her often. Jane enjoys company & she very much relies on how people make her feel. Melinda made her feel special so Jane was instantly comfortable with her.

When I left Jane, she was wandering the house. Her caregiver told me that is common for Jane this time of day. She simply likes to wander the house.

I am grateful I was able to bring a smile to Jane this weekend. My last 2 visits with her were tough – yesterday was a nice change. I know we are to a point in the disease where there are more bad days than good – which makes the good days even more special. I joked with my dad I am going to need to bake a cupcake for Jane daily – he said – you just may need to do that! Melinda & I were brainstorming about how I could make just 1 cupcake instead of a couple of dozen. If I can bring a smile to Jane’s face & brighten her day, then it’s worth it.