September 2006

We move to our son Ken’s rental cottage in Palo Alto, which he has fixed for an invalid in a wheelchair. She has gotten to the point where is unable to feed herself. Also, there is a bathroom problem. I suspect that being in unfamiliar surroundings has confused her and she is unable to do things as she did in our Seattle house. She asks to be taken to the bathroom. I leave her there for privacy. I stood outside and heard nothing so after several minutes I peek in. She is still standing there clinging onto the grab-bar. Remembering the difficulty she has dressing and undressing herself, I decide that she needs help. Undressing her to use the toilet proves to be difficult as she clings to her clothes, and it is difficult to undress her. I hit upon the idea of putting a towel in her hands to occupy them while I quickly prepare her for the toilet. Still she won’t sit down. So I hug her and firmly seat her down. I leave again. When I return she has gobs of toilet paper on the floor, a big mass of toilet paper in her hands, and she doesn’t seem to know what to do with it. I go ahead and perform the necessary sanitary tasks. After that, I go and purchase rubber gloves at a local drugstore. I’m afraid I am invading her privacy since I stay in the bathroom now so that she does not put a lot of toilet paper into the toilet and clog the plumbing.