Getting to AgeCare Seton

Kelvin’s move to AgeCare Seton involved Richard and Rebecca with a Saturday morning run to Costco: a buying trip, shopping, Rebecca’s worst fear.

But there was a fifty inch T.V. to buy, a ground mount stand to purchase and a telephone and answering machine to buy.

With all of that, the idea of putting a Phillip’s screwdriver in the cart just didn’t happen, so as soon as she got to Seton and could see that it was the weekend off for the tradesmen, she was on the road again. There is an argument for owning a phone that will give you directions to the nearest Home Depot, especially when you are in a new community.

What is there to tell. A tub of Kelvin’s with a lift to aid getting in the tub. The ceiling looks like soft clouds floating by. There is an armoire for his clothes, shelves for the proverbial equipment that goes along with a CPap machine and a self-cleaning razor.

... dining at Seton ...

Rebecca was the one who did the intake with Kelvin at Clifton Manor and she did it again at Seton. The intake this time was different. She had left Clifton with a Greensleeve that was packed. When she went there in the first place there was only the personal directive and the goals of care. You will remember that getting information was impossible – that is, getting your own information seems to be impossible. But the Clifton Manor people are not the first flaw. For when Kelvin went in, they didn’t know if he was a lock-down patient or if he was more able to get around on his own. There hadn’t been an assessment. That didn’t give Clifton Manor an advantage.

There are a number of dementia people at this facility as well, but it is not full of people in the halls calling out “Help me. Help me.” Hearing that is not calming.

Dinner is lovely at the new facility. The noise in the old room was deafening, so many people in the room and the ceilings were so high. No salt and pepper on the tables in case someone takes too much. That has all changed.

Now dinner has two seatings: 5 pm and 5:30 pm. If you are early for your seating, it is OK. You can sit and wait in a clean place. You can sit anywhere you want. There is a book at the front with a picture of all of the residents, so the questions, do you like a big serving or a small one are already answered for the caregivers.

The floors look nice and there are paintings all around the wall. There is a pillar in the centre so lines of sight are disrupted. Soft dinner music starts playing an hour before hand. As the second seating is happening, the first is being cleaned up. They have laminated visuals, do you want the egg salad sandwich or the deli sandwich. And now the residents can see an accurate picture; they don’t have to ask what the bread looks like.

There is a lot of yelling: Why did you decide to come to Canada? How do you spell your name? Where did you live? And a lot of nodding and smiling, because no one can hear the answers.

Everyone already knows who Grant and Boyce Johnson are. The workers already love Grant so Kelvin can ride in on his coat tails. Grant has lost a lot of memory but underneath is a good person, wanting to help. And finding ways to help. What is there not to love about a person like that. The best way to grow old.

Under Kelvin’s core is a lot of loss and anxiety but not so much memory loss. The other people on his floor are often 93 years old or 95. Kelvin feels like the young guy on the block.

The Shaw guy gave Rebecca his card, if we want anything else set up, like the Internet. But we can’t figure out what Kelvin is actually wanting. He is wanting to go to his grammar book and find some reference to it and then go find that book, somewhere on the internet. To get there, Kelvin would still have to have a university login. He wants cutting edge research on “elocutionary force”, but no, he needs a person sitting beside him full time, and then he would start giving me grammar lessons in between as he tried to do with Rebecca.

Yes, we could put in the internet and programme it for him, but I don’t think it would work.

Rebecca could see she had left carnage everywhere, bolts and screws, cardboard, packing materials. It was 1 at night and she was still programming Kelvin’s phone so he can phone Betty Sabey and as many of his kids as there were numbers for.

Rebecca went to Best Buy Mobile and said, this is an old guy, he has a flip phone and I don’t think he can learn the new ones. The guy said go to Kudo which might be underneath Telus. You could buy either said the guy, but I think the flip phone will be best.

Rebecca found a $35 land line phone, with no long distance on it. He is to use his cell when he wants to call long distance. And for now, he carries the phone everywhere with him during the day. That helps.

The church building is 1.2 kilometres away. Instead of shuttling across town to the old Bow Valley Ward, he will go there, to a very young ward, Auburn Bay Ward. A lot of babies crying but that is hard for people with hearing aids, since they can’t keep that noise off. The other alternative is just to shut the hearing aids off.

The new ward has been split, so the old driver won’t be able to pick them up yet, but eventually maybe Grant and Kelvin can go together. Right now Kelvin is good, getting to church with Access Calgary.

Les Steimeyer and Heber Jones picked up Kelvin’s electric chair from Richard, furniture from downtown and delivered it to Seton, which we are going to underline again is a l-o-n-g drive. How to thank them? There is no way. We are going to be left in their debt.

Rebecca let Kelvin help her put the TV stand together. She had the French instructions in front of her. He would call out put part "Y into part C". She had the picture in front of her, so that worked, even though it didn't work.

The question as to whether Kelvin is happy is answered yes by, there are salt and pepper shakes at the table. Yes. He is happy. The ambient noise in the dinner room is gone. The lady from next door at the other place, who used to barge into his room yelling is gone. In the new place,just keep your door shut if you don't want people wandering in saying, "Hello, it is time for dinner," when it is only 3 pm. The bottom line at Seton is ... yes, it is quiet.

And lovely.

 Arta