Today did not get off to the best of starts. The carers were due around at about 7.55 and so 15 minutes beforehand, I started to the process of getting Meg out of bed and into the bathroom. But Meg was in a very deep sleep and took some arousing which did not bode well for the transfer into the bathroom. I managed to get Meg into the transit chair but once in the bathroom she could not really stand unaided and slithered to the floor. In the past, I have managed to get Meg off the floor unaided by using well tried and tested techniques but Meg’s body strength has declined to the point where I considered such efforts to be futile. So I had no alternative but to call for the assistance of the Falls team who are used to dealing with situations of this type and have the equipment (inflatable mattresses placed under the body of the patient) to assist. So I left Meg on the floor with a blanket and a pillow and just had to sit and wait. The carers came around about 25 minutes late and they were very good and solicitous but between us, all we could do was to await the arrival of the Falls team who arrived after 45 minutes. Once we had got Meg onto the transit wheelchair, the Falls team departed having sone their bit and the carers and myself got Meg back into bed as this was judged the easiest place in which to get Meg changed, washed and dressed. The care workers, both of whom I know, worked really well and evidently I assisted. When she was up and ready, we got Meg downstairs using the stairlift and into her armchair in the Music Lounge. From this point onwards, I was able to care for Meg for myself (just about) and I gave her some breakfast most of which she ate. We evidently needed a quiet morning so Meg listened to Beethoven’s ‘Missa Solemnis‘ and after we had done the extensive washing up, it was practically elevenses time. Our next neighbour had very kindly called out with some pastries from the place where she works and so this morning, I treated Meg to a Danish pastry and I had my usual coffee. Quite unusually, I have started this blog in the late morning because Meg has fallen fast asleep and I always have a policy of ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ – so far, she has fallen asleep without consuming any of her grub.
Late yesterday afternoon, I received a most welcome telephone call from one of my ex-University of Winchester colleagues. I gave her details of how I was caring for |Meg, all of which she quite understood as she has to adopt a caring role in relation to her own sister who experienced a stroke in the last year. My friend was phoning to ascertain whether Meg and I would be able to attend an ‘Old Fogies’ dinner probably in Winchester or nearby. I had to give her the rather unpleasant news that I think this is probably a stretch too far for Meg and I to attend. In view of this morning’s news, if I had thought that a Winchester trip was just about do-able, I am now pretty sure that it is not. As it stands at the moment, I hope that in the few days ahead Meg recovers some of her strength and balance such that I can just about manage, by hook or by crook to get her to her much loved cousin’s funeral which is now about a fortnight away. I am minded to get into contact with the exceptionally helpful OT (Occupational Therapist) who has been such a source of help to us in the past. I am wondering if there is some relatively simple devices to help ease the transfer from Meg’s wheelchair to her normal armchair or even to assist in getting her onto her feet after a ‘simple’ fall to the floor. A consultation of the web reveals a bewildering array of devices available for sale at a price. Although I am certainly not averse to spending some money to assist with Meg’s condition, I would want the money to be well spent in a direction that would undoubtedly help and not just be a white elephant and even more clutter in the room.
I always look ahead in the TV schedules to see if anything grabs my attention and this afternoon, we are treated to England vs. France in the Women’s Six Nations competition. Kick off is scheduled for 4.45 this afternoon and, other things being equal, I would have wished for an earlier start to this match. However, there is a film on this afternoon which although it was shot in 1940 is meant to be a classic of its genre we shall perhaps suck it and see. Of course the classic ‘Casablanca‘ was shot in black and white but is no less enjoyable for all of that. Sky Arts is due to be a Charlie Chaplin season starting this weekend and although some people are enamoured of the Chaplin performances, I am not one of them.
The Trump saga rumbles on and Trump has had some mixed fortunes. On the negative side, it looks as though one of his demands for a retrial in one of the cases brought by a woman against him has been denied. The judge in his present trial still has to rule whether Trump should be fined for attempting to adversely influence the jury. On the more positive side for Trump, it looks as though the Supreme Court (now dominated by nominees of his own choosing and therefore sympathetic towards him) may now be inclined to offer some partial immunity for crimes committed whilst in office. The Supreme Court is arguing that without some limited immunity, all presidents would be liable to prosecution. But the attack on the Capital building after Trump last the election was so outlandish that one would think that no Supreme Court could afford to almost condone such an attack on American democracy. As with so many things with Trump at the moment, all lot appears to be in the balance at the moment. Most Americans are of the belief that Trump is being unfairly pursued by legal actions all which are all assumed to be politically motivated. If Trump manages to escape unscathed from the legal actions in which he is engaged at the moment, one must despair for the future of America’s democracy, not to mention its legal systems.