For our move downstairs a few things had to happen. Thankfully both Cindy and I belonged to various communities over the years. With a little help from all these friends our transition was smooth and near complete.
The first task was to remove two big couches from the living room where our new bedroom would be. A friend from our hiking community and a nephew on my side of the family came on a Wednesday evening to make this happen. After they left I realized more heavy items had to be brought up or down the stairs; a neighbor helped complete the moving the next day.
The main reason for the move downstairs was to get Cindy outside more, without having to carry her up and down the stairs. One thing that facilitates this is a new door from our “bedroom” to the porch, replacing the window that was there. Cindy’s brother and a friend did the installation, along with additional carpentry that needed to be done.
Being able to sit out on the porch is great, but of course I still want to get her around town in what is likely her last summer (though I’ve said that before). Our pedicab needed a variety of repairs, which required a truck to transport the cab. A good friend from our church community heeded the call.
Being downstairs Cindy now gets sponge baths from home health aides, rather than showering with me upstairs. Along with other factors this has increased the use of a salve for her skin. A high school classmate who is an herbalist and provided healing salves for our hikes made more salve that she quickly sent to us.
Our hospice nurse is a good friend of Cindy’s from her nursing days at the same agency. Norfolk is not her usual territory but she requested being our hospice nurse. In addition to handling much of the logistics for moving downstairs, such as getting a hospital bed in place, she has been a strong advocate for anything we think we need.
One of our needs was an adult stroller. We have continued using the wheelchair this summer, but the wheels of an adult stroller can bring us more places. The brakes come in handy as well, while Cindy will experience a comfortable ride. Unfortunately, acquiring the stroller does not depend solely on help from our various communities of friends. A process that started before April has not yet completed, in striking contrast to everything else that needed only help from our friends to get done.
Friends from among our neighbors, hiking, church, nursing and classmate communities, along with family members on both sides, came through for us. This is in addition to the friends who have been visiting Cindy for years now. I am grateful for all of it.
