So hard NOT to despair for our country

As a country, the US van has driven to the brink and is dangling over the edge. We are more divided than ever, as evident by the Kavanagh hearings. When Dr. Ford's allegations came to light and she was scheduled to have her say to the Judicial committee, many of my friends had already concluded that she was a  "liberal operative" who would say anything to ruin this good man's reputation. Then the hearing began with what appeared to be a miracle. She was humble, kind, apparently nonpartisan and BELIEVABLE. In comparison, Mr. Kavanagh's testimony could not have been more of a contrast. (Just watch Matt Damon's portrayal on SNL, which is funny as hell and eerily accurate.) He came across as arrogant, aggressively scary, and worst of all, extremely partisan. Not an admirable quality for a judge to the HIGHEST COURT IN THE LAND, who we all hope will be at least somewhat unbiased.  As my mother always said, "You only have one time to make a first impression." I had never seen either Dr. Ford or Judge Kavanagh speak before, and they made very strong and opposite impressions to me. In spite of her compelling testimony and the judge's angry rants, late in the day it appeared that the Republicans who held most of the cards were still going to vote for his nomination. Then, a second miracle - Jeff Flake agrees that the FBI needs to investigate further. The president and Senate leader allowed for a "limited" investigation. What does limited mean? They were given one week to investigate, and were instructed on what they could and could not investigate. In the meantime, our president, who had initially said he would allow the FBI to do their job, angrily denying that they were trying to direct this investigation, went out on the road complaining to his "base" (oh how I hate that word) about Dr. Ford's "unfair" accusations. So, let's just call a spade a spade - this FBI probe is just a bandaid on a compound fracture. It might look like some action is being taken, but let's not kid a kidder.This is a sham to appease the few people who have the power to deny this man's appointment. Another thing my mother used to say was "I was born at night, but not LAST NIGHT!" If Judge Kavanagh wins this appointment, the red white and blue van will crash to the rocks below. And the radio will broadcast as the van free falls, "The stock market rose again by 50 points."

Recap of the past 6 months

Since July 24, Bill and I have done our best to obtain the best care possible for Mom and Dad. There have been many more bumps in the road than we would have liked - here is a recap of our efforts in the last 5 1/2 months:

• Locating a residence that would provide appropriate care for them that was near to both us and Dave and Casey (Delmar Gardens)
• Convincing Dad to give a move to Georgia a try
• Coordinating the move on July 24 (thank you to everyone of you who helped this happen). Completing extensive paperwork that was comparable to a first mortgage closing.
• Working with the staff at Delmar Gardens to help them acclimate as much as possible
• Dealing with Dad's long hospitalization and confusing diagnosis (UTI? congenital heart failure?)
• Dealing with Mom who was separated from him for the first time in 63 years of marriage and was increasingly agitated and upset being alone
• Learning that Dad would not be able to go right back to Delmar Gardens until he went to rehabilitation, only to learn further that no rehab center would accept him due to the fact that he had been restrained in the hospital
• Scrambling and calling anyone I could think of who might suggest where he could live as the hospital was pressuring us to get him out, and saying we would be "private pay" if we didn't get him out of the hospital
• Learning of Hope Memory care through Senior Provisions, who said they would take him with little question and who accepted him THE VERY NEXT DAY  (more paperwork)
• Keeping Mom company at Delmar while she was separated from Dad, especially at bedtime when she was the most upset and unable to settle
• Moving Mom in to Hope in a week's time
• Learning that Mom climbed out of the window after one week and that Hope recommended she be admitted to Eastside Behavioral Hospital to be medicated for her safety and peace of mind - she was there for two weeks
• Signing up Dad for Embrace hospice for additional support for his congestive heart failure. Embrace provides additional services to compliment those provided by Hope, including providing equipment such as hospital beds, wheelchairs, diapers, cleaning supplies, weekly chaplain visits, bathing and dressing services, and weekly visits and care from a registered nurse who specializes in palliative care. All of this is paid for by Medicare.
• Meeting with an attorney who specializes in qualifying veterans for VA "Aid & Attendance" benefits in order to help them receive these tax-free benefits. This required a great deal of paperwork, most of which is completed, but am still waiting for the physician form to be completed by Embrace Hospice.
• Returning Mom to Hope after 2 weeks and trying to get her medications regulated so she was more comfortable but not "doped up"
• Signing up Mom for hospice for additional support.
• Dealing with Mom's unexplicable decline in December due to an apparent medication mixup. She has improved a great deal
• Meeting with Hope and Embrace Hospice representatives to try to improve communication between them, each other, and with the family.
• Hiring Sam as a sitter to help out with Mom and Dad while we were out of town for 10 days.

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Questions for Attorney

Medicaid process - talk us through
Status on VA - will move to new facility affect this process?
Kelsey Larios - Hope contact for financial form
Discuss move and concerns