For Jennifer

One of the nice things about the family support in Reno is that each person has their own obsessions. For example,  Monica is in charge of spa activities and keeps Mom's nails and skin tended when she comes 3-4 times a week. She always cleans Mom's fingernails and lotions her skin, things I do not do on a daily basis.

When Jenn visited, she reminded us about Mom's oral health and the importance of keeping Mom's teeth brushed.  And while brushing Mom's teeth in the morning is something I do.  The reason is because all of my life, Mom got up peed then brushed her teeth first thing.  We could not go out to the living room at Christmas till Mom brushed her teeth.  I wanted to establish a regular morning routine for her as close to her normal life as possible.  I now know that there is nothing close to Mom's pre-stroke life happening, so the fantasy of Mom finding old normal has dissipated, and each day we do the best we can to find a new normal.  So sometime in the morning hours Mom brushes her teeth.  I do guide her a bit and remind her to brush the upper teeth, and the front of her teeth, but for the most part she brushes her own teeth while I clean her partial. 

In the hospital, Mom refused to allow her partial to be removed, but as soon as we got home, she let me have it without complaint.  That sucker was super gross and stinky for not being out of her mouth in who knows how long.  The first day, after soaking in the denture cleaner and being well scrubbed by me, when I put her teeth back in her mouth, she made an audible happy sound.  Ever since, she lets me have them each morning willingly.

However, I was not good about the evening brushing everyday, or following up with those who tended those duties in my absence.  After Jenn visited, David reported that he received quite the lecture from her regarding evening brushing.  I didn't hear the words, but felt the guilt when he told me about it, because I was bad about making sure she brushed at night too.  The photo above was last Sunday morning, and David had to snap a photo to send to Jennifer, lol.  We are all much better about brushing now. I also told our helper girls they need to do this too.  While much of Mom's oral health problems started long before her stroke, no sense in letting them get worse. 

So, thank you, Jenn, for the kick in the butt we needed on behalf of Mom's Teeth.