So here is a new part of the Alzheimer’s journey…. getting up close and personal with my mom. I’ve read about how parents raise their children and then at some point the children “parent” their parents. It’s part of the life cycle. I understood that on a basic level but today I got to really understand it.
Bless ny dad, as the primary caregivers he does it all but the other day he asked me if I could possibly go with him to get my mom (who has lost weight) new bras and underwear. He just felt “out of his element” in the lingerie store and all the different sizes made no sense to him. Just didn’t know what to buy her. Of course I said I would go and that was our adventure today.
On the whole it was relatively normal. Went to the outlet mall and went into the Hanes/Bali store. Asked a clerk to measure my mom for undies and bras. Then we had to convince mom that she should take off her coat so we got the right measurements. Did I mention she NEVER wants to take her coat off anymore?
Then we picked out some bras to try on. Off mom and I go into the changing room to make sure they fit correctly. Then I had to convince mom to take her shirt and bra off, and put a new bra on. Believe it or not, that part went well. But…(sorry if this is too much information) she put the bra on and I fixed the hooks in the back. When I turned her around I realized that unlike most women who adjust the bra and/or their breasts to fit in the cup of the bra correctly she hadn’t and had no intention of doing so.
When I asked her to lift and adjust her breasts she had no concept of what I was asking. So, yes, it was time to get up close and personal with my mom. I apologized for “getting personal” and then reached in her bra, lifted up her breast and settled it in the cup correctly.
Voila! She had cleavage again and her shirt fit better. It made me think of a mom helping her teenage daughter get fitted for her first bra. I know as things progress we will most likely cross many physical boundaries and personal space. This was relatively minor but a new step in the adventure.
So….we keep moving, keep experiencing new moments together. Don’t worry mom- I got you.
Lost In Thought 