my mom's health has been slowly declining for the past few years. she has end stage emphysema, microvascular disease, and dementia. but, over the last few months, it's declined rapidly.
today was interesting. she's been falling increasingly more the past few months, she's gotten two black eyes and a swollen knee. she fell off the toilet and didn't say anything for hours until she finally unlocked the door to let me in and I saw. my husband and I got her off the floor and back to her room.
after about 10, 15 minutes, I went back to check on her and it seemed like she had just slid off the edge of the bed and was sat on the floor. I got my husband and as we helped her back up, she kept giggling, calling me "Sarah." I said no, my name is OP, I'm your daughter. she would swat my head playfully and say "shh! stop it, my mom will hear you and find out we're loaded!"
this was the first incident where she didn't know who I was, and confused me with a high school friend she used to smoke weed with in the late 60s/early 70s. so, that was a lot of emotions..
anyway. we're buying some bars to install on the wall in the bathroom, one of those toilet chairs, and some handles I can install on her bed. I'm taking her to her doctor in the AM for a check up and to make sure she hasn't broken anything.
she seems to have regained some cognizance back and knows who I am again. it comes and goes in waves.