Pre-Planning

Last month I received a card in the mail from a local Funeral Home regarding a free Seminal and Lunch that they were offering to inform folks about some of the reasons why Pre-Planning is a wise choice regarding Funerals and Memorials. I returned the card and they called me back in a couple of days and gave me the time of the Seminar. I told Mom that I signed me and her up for the free Lunch and Seminar. She wasn't that thrilled about it. Well, the day of the Seminar came and when I called Mom she said she just wasn't up to it and hadn't even gotten dressed yet. So, I attended the seminar alone.

There was some good information given out in the seminar and for attending I was awarded a certificate for a free burial space which I put Mom's name on since my wife and I can both be buried at no cost at the National Cemetery here in town with my Veterans Benefits. I made arrangements for the counselor to meet me at a later date at my house to work out the details of some pre-arrangements for Mom and explained that I would do my best to encourage her to be there. Well, wonder of wonders, Mom came over for the meeting and we were able to get a real good price on everything .

The total price was just under $2000.00 for the plot (free), memorial endowment, burial internment and recording fee, outer burial container, concrete grave liner, container setting, granite marker, memorial setting charge, and taxes. Mom has a savings CD at her bank and when it matures next time, she wants to use it to pay off these arrangements. In the mean time, starting in January, the monthly payments are about $80.00 dollars.

Later that week Mom came over and had Thanksgiving Supper with us and our daughters and their families. It was a grand time. We've started a tradition of doing it all over again the next day on Friday after Thanksgiving and the food and fellowship is just as good if not better on Friday. Mom thoroughly enjoyed herself both days.

Call the Dr. for me.

Yesterday Mom called and said she needed me to call her Doctor and set up an appointment with him some time after the first of the year. It was Saturday and the Doctor office was closed, we were swamped with four grandchildren of our own that we were babysitting for the weekend and not only that, we were on the way to the funeral service of my brother-in-law who passed away suddenly a week ago Friday while clam digging at the ocean. So, I asked Mom if there was any reason why she could not call in for the appointment herself.... Well, I guess not. OK, good, let me know when you get it scheduled. When I called her this morning about picking her up for church, she said she was not even able to get herself dressed. This is another line that she uses frequently when she doesn't feel up to getting out or going somewhere.

FIRE

On Tuesday December 8th, 2009 I got a call from the Apartment Manager over where Mom lives expressing concern about Mom. It was not an ultimatum that she cannot live there but an incident that needed to be documented. Mom set off the Fire Alarms in her apartment due to catching a roll of paper towels on fire on her stove. This was another mark against Mom in regard to the need to be in assisted living. I told the manager that I would follow up and see how much longer it is before the volunteer "Chores" people will be able to assist Mom. She has been on their waiting list for quite some time. The manager also suggested that I look into an organization called "Cope". On Wednesday, the following day, my wife, ladybug, went grocery shopping for Mom and when she brought the things into the apartment, Mom sat one of the bags on the stove right next to a hot burner that she was boiling tea water on. Ladybug scolded her and said that was the very kind of thing that set off the Fire Alarms and cautioned her to think and be more careful about things like that. Mom just tried to play it off by saying that there was not enough room on her table. So, Ladybug immediatly began to clean off the table for her. Mom seemed to be irritated about it but the table had stuff on it that needed to be tossed long ago, stuff like two old calendars from years before and old junk mail.