Caley Ridge Assisted Living, Colorado -Elder Abuse - Our Nightmare Part 8

“Who are you?  Don’t I know you?”

My mother spoke those words to me as I walked into her hospital that Monday night.  My sister had awakened her so she could see me.

She couldn’t figure out who I was that night.  Some may think it is funny.  I didn’t.  I don’t.   She behaved as if she had dementia, but I knew she didn’t.  She recently had a neurological work-up and the doctor reported no signs of dementia.

 That night I was a nun, I was God, and for a brief moment I was me.  She had come around after I had been there some time and asked me when I got there.  I guess you could see humour in all of that.  I just didn’t.

I laughed to release tension - easier than crying. 

She was drugged pretty heavily because of the pain, and she was crashing from heart failure.  There was liquid oozing from her stomach.  Her kidney’s weren’t working.   You could hear her struggling to breathe.  Fluid was building up in her body.

I am not a nurse and have no desire to be one.  I don’t know medical terms or situations.  I only observed and speak what I saw and it wasn’t good.   

I didn’t want to go back to my sister’s that night.  I didn’t know if she would live through the night. 

I felt anger about Caley Ridge’s lack of concern.  I felt angry with the driver for driving too fast.  I felt helpless because I couldn’t make everything okay. 

Betrayal takes many forms.  Caley Ridge Assisted Living betrayed my mother that day.  Some will say perhaps this is God’s will and how everything is supposed to be.  Maybe or maybe not.  I don’t know for sure.  What I do know is that I never want another human being to suffer the same way.