G is for Grandma

As I have mentioned before, my grandmother, Mom's mom, also had Alzheimer's. I vaguely remember going to visit her in the nursing home and she would just talk in circles, nonstop, for hours on end. Today my sister and I went to visit Mom for the first time ever at her nursing home. She reminded me an awful lot of my grandma.

Mom did know who we were and was able to correctly introduce us to everyone. But she was simultaneously living in the past, convinced that her mother had just been to see her. And she talked nonstop for the two hours we were there. It was very cyclical in nature and somewhat delusional, but we just entertained her ramblings until it was time to go.

One thing she kept mentioning were the kids coming to see her. I'm not positive who they are supposed to be. My best guess is they are my cousins, who are all older than we are. But her constant mentioning of the kids reminded me of one of Mom's stories about her mother when Grandma was starting to head downhill.

Grandma called Mom in a panic one day, upset because the kids wouldn't eat. Mom panicked for a brief moment, because she knew she hadn't taken us up to Grandma's house that day. She ran to make sure that we were indeed in the house and told Grandma as much. But Grandma kept insisting that the kids were having a problem, just sitting there, and wouldn't eat! Mom decided to drive up to find out what was going on.

When she arrived at Grandma's house, a box of Cheerios was sitting on the table. There were kids on the Cheerios box. Grandma pointed at them and said they wouldn't eat. Mom put away the box. Problem solved.