This entry ends with royalty

I went to Mom's and Dad's house today. They are in a retirement community, but it seems so much more like a real apartment in a real home than this nasty room of mine does. Granted, they are in independent living rather than assisted living, but still.... Residents are treated as thinking individuals worthy of dignity and respect! It would be heaven were anyone here were to converse with me rather than just tell me stuff. The staff seems much more professional...

Maybe its different in assisted living there, but in independent living, when a resident says something to a staff member, the staff member actually listens and reacts in some fashion. Or at least pretends to understand and care. That isn't true here. For example, I changed clothes, with help, when I got back. Then I asked to be put back in my wheelchair, because I wanted to work on the computer. The caretakers didn't listen. They use this big Hoyer lift to move me around and were putting me into my easy chair where I read and watch TV. I said, "No! I told you that I want to go to the wheelchair!", to which the caretaker responded, "But that's not the chair I cleaned off!" As you can see by the fact that I'm managing to write this blog entry, I can be quite persuasive.

One just gets tired of being in an adversaial situation ALL THE TIME!

I had a good time with Mom and Dad. Mom and I played Scrabble. Sue ansd I bought her a groovy new Scrabble set for Christmas which has little ridges along all the lines on the board, forming boxes to put the letters in as one plays so that a simple joggle of the board doesn't ruin the game in progress. (Sorry, Ed!)

We also gave Mom a little figuine of Queen Elizabeth. It is solar activated and waves *hello* in a royal manner. Mom now has it in a window and SHE LOVES IT! She waves back! Mom has always felt a great kinship with Queen Elizabeth, you know. In fact, at times I believe she thinks she is Queen Elizabeth.