Mom was in bed when I arrived on August 13, but she was articulate, alert, responsive, and in good spirits, despite the fact that her speech was slurred just as it had been a few days earlier.
When I complimented her on her hair and told her she was beautiful, she took exception:
Mom’s feistiness meant it was a perfect day for Eric to come over. I called him immediately and then told her the plan:
Two caregivers helped me move Mom from her bed to her wheelchair, and I took her downstairs to have tea and chat with Shirley while we waited for Eric to arrive. We had ginger snaps, and talked about the weather.
Eric brought his guitar and we sang a whole whack of our favourite songs: Mrs. Brown You’ve got a Lovely Daughter, I’ve Been Working on the Railroad, Ain’t She’s Sweet, ’Til There Was You, Rock Around the Clock, Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Clementine, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, How Much Is that Doggy in the Window?, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Mona Lisa, Goodnight Irene, and Would You Like to Swing on a Star? Mom knew some or all of the words to every one; I captured a few moments on video:
We were so lucky to have had Eric and his healing music during the last four years of Mom’s life. I will be forever grateful for that.
Subscribe to MAS now & get 5 free PDFs & a page of welcome links:
My Alzheimer's Story 