Archive for January, 2010

I wanted to take a moment to let everyone know about the wonderful care my mother is receiving at the Summit at Westlake Hills in South Austin.    But first a little bit of background on my mothers situation.

• My 82 year old mother has been independent until a recent cold which has really brought her down.
• I wanted her to stay in her apartment an hour and a half from me because I thought she would have more interaction with people.  She staying in her room all the time.
• She has been depressed for years but never more so than after my fathers death 9 years ago.
• She was hospitalized for a week and then discharged to a Rehab unit next to her apartment which after less than 24 hours I pulled her out of due to complete incompetence.

Ok this is my experience with the Summit.  I called on Friday morning to see if they had an opening for her and their Admissions Coordinator, Tammy, said sure! and she would handle it all for me.  And did she ever.  She kept in contact with me throughout the day while I retrieved my mother from the “other” facility and she met my mother at the door with flowers.  As a caregiver who was stressed out and very upset at the poor decision I had originally made it was such a relief to know my mother was finally in good hands.  The nurse and the therapist saw her in the first hour, they had everything ready for her and I could finally relax.

I have never seen my mother so happy.  She actually got her hair set.  I haven’t seen her do that since before my father passed away.  She loves the staff there.  They have been kind to her and patient with me.  I have run nursing homes in my past and have always had to force myself back into them.  But this place doesn’t give me the willies.  I think it’s a combination of everything from the staff to the ambiance.

I wanted to use my blog to express my appreciation of their care of both my mother and myself. I don’t know if this is the thing to do but as it’s my blog I’m guessing I can.   If you live in South Austin and need to place your family member in a facility for care I highly recommend The Summit at Westlake!

The one thing we always put off is dental care.  I put it off because I’m a chicken when it comes to sitting in that chair.  But caregivers put it on the bottom of their list because of the stress of it all.  What most people don’t realize though is that poor dental hygiene can lead to much bigger health problems including hardening of the arteries and premature loss of teeth.  Click here for more info

Combine all those issues with stress and you are a ticking time bomb.  That’s no help to anyone.  So get to the dentist at least twice a year and remember to brush and floss!