Hi all on this beautiful first Saturday of September. I for whatever reason keep typing “July” rather than “September”. Maybe that’s me wishful thinking. Anyway, here’s my post for this week’s #WeekendCoffeeShare. I just had my afternoon coffee, but the other clients are currently having theirs, so I bet there’s still some left for you. Let’s have a cup of coffee (or another drink, if you so prefer) and let’s catch up.
If we were having coffee, I’d start out by asking about your weather. Ours is beautiful. Today, we’re supposed to get daytime temps of up to 27°C. On Monday, the temperature’s even forecast to rise to 30°C. I guess my husband was wrong a few weeks ago when he predicted that it’d get only colder from that point on.
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you about all the physical activity I got in this past week. I got in a total of 330 exercise minutes according to my Apple Watch this week so far, exercise being anything at least the intensity of a brisk walk. I guess this means I can up my goal from 20 minutes to at least 30 a day. Then again, I badly want to reach it everyday.
If we were having coffee, I would use the rest of this post to share the details I promised you all in yesterday’s post about the potential new care home. You see, on Thursday at 2PM, the behavior specialist came by my room. The appt had already been planned or so I believe, because of the situation I shared a few weeks ago about an application having been put in for me to live at a senior citizens’ home for the visually impaired, a place I don’t consider suitable. I knew from my care facility’s manager that she understood this place doesn’t sound suitable indeed and also that she had heard that the people at the main institution for my current care agency, with whom I’d met at the end of July, were pretty enthusiastic about me. However, the manager didn’t expect to hear anything from them until next week.
Well, as it turned out, my behavior specialist had planned a meeting with the behavior specialist whom I’d met in July as soon as she could, which was last Thursday. It turns out I am number one on the waiting list for a home at the main institution. The home caters primarily to people with moderate to severe intellectual disability with a need for intensive support due to additional problems such as autism, attachment issues, etc. The level of intellectual disability is significantly less severe than in my current home, so I can actually make smalltalk with the other residents. The staff offer help with activities of daily living (personal care) where needed. Each resident has their own day program. This means that residents aren’t required to go to the day center by default. In fact, some of the residents go some of the time, others ride their bikes around institution grounds, while still others can’t leave the home unsupervised.
I told my husband about this home and he immediately replied that it sounds perfect. Well, I said, that isn’t possible, but it does sound pretty good indeed.
Of course, I am on the wait list, so there currently isn’t an available room, but the behavior specialist said they are working towards finding a new home for one of the current residents. She said it might go quickly but it might still take six months or so. Well, if you ask me, even if it’s going to take six months, that’s still super quickly. That’d honestly mean I’d have found a place within the year from saying I want to find a more suitable home.
I will get an extensive orientation, getting to look around at least twice before I decide whether I want to move to this home. I am both nervous and excited. Mostly quite excited though. I’d read up about this home before and wished I could live here and now my dream might come true.
How have you been?
A Multitude of Musings 
I really hope you get in there and that its much better! I’ve been really tired because I’ve been working. I’ll try to catch up on everything I’ve missed on WordPress and elsewhere ❤️
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Thanks so very much! I feel you about being tired. I had to rest a lot today too.
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That’s so great about the potential new home! Fingers x’d for you 💕
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Thanks so very much!
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Wow, that home does sound really good and like it could really work well for your needs! 🙂 I hope you get in there and will be happier than where you are now.
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Thanks. I really hope it does all work out indeed and it’ll be as suitable as it seems.
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Hi Astrid! That new home sounds very good, I hope you get in there. It must be nice for you to be where you can have conversation with other residents. We’ve had very warm weather for late August and have enjoyed it to the fullest but I was also very thankful for all the rain that came today because we really needed it.
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Thanks for your kind words. I’m happy you finally got rain. We badly need it here too.
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Wow Astrid, this whole process seems complex and daunting. We all like to have control over our lives, but all kinds of things constrain our choices. I’m familiar with my own constraints, but yours are very different so perhaps they only sound more difficult than mine. You know the environment much better and perhaps this is all normal and do-able.
I hope between your wisdom and the good intentions of your care team, that something great works out sooner rather than later.
Blessings
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Thanks so much for sympathizing. I completely understand you are unable to grasp the details of what needs to be done in order to make this possible move work. It is all very complicated indeed, but I am so happy I have a good care team who help me with all this.
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The weather is changing here slightly, it’s getting cooler and it’s making me think of winter.
That is great news about the care home. It does sound pretty good. Good luck. I hope you don’t have to wait too long. x
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Thanks so much. I hope the wait for the home won’t be very long indeed, but even if it is, I can deal with it knowing I at least have something to look forward to.
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Thank you for your weekend coffee share. I hope you get to visit the new home and if you like it, get to move there in the near future.
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Thanks for commenting. I really hope it is as good as it sounds.
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Best of luck getting in the place you really want to be.
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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Astrid:
This is the dream.
So glad you made noise!
Individualised support and choice and control.
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Thank you. Yes, so true. Also, if this place isn’t suitable after all, I won’t need to move, in the sense that I won’t be kicked out of here.
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The weather is very humid here today. We’ve just got back from a walk and it rained on the way home, at least it cooled us down.
It’s almost autumn and I can’t wait for the temperature to drop a little.
Keeping everything crossed that the new home works out for you!
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Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad you got some rain. I love the warmer weather honestly and don’t really like fall.
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I so hope your new residence works out for you. As I type it is not yet dawn and cool (0C) but the day should be sunny.
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Oh wow, where do you live that it’s freezing in early morning in September? Thanks so much for your kind words about my possible new care home.
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I live in Australia. Spring is on its way.
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Oh haha I could have guessed, but then again I’ve heard some parts of the northern hemisphere get nighttime frost this early on too.
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Fingers crossed the new home works out for you! I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to not have full control over your life and how important it would be to be able to have conversations with other residents. Take care, and I hope you get good news soon!
BTW the weather here is not–shocking for Arizona (not). It’s 96F (~35C) here and headed for a high of 100F. Pretty typical for this time of year.
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Thanks for your kind comment. Yes, it’s frustrating not having full control. Honestly, when I moved in here, I said “Yes” to the first care home that would accept me without even having my needs all that clear. Now at least my needs are much clearer and as a result I am at least hopeful this care home will be suitable. And if it isn’t, I know I can say “No” and don’t need to worry about not coping in my current living situation.
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I think its great your dream of living there is finally coming true. Thats awesome! xoxo
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Thank you. I think it’s almost too good to be true, so I’m trying to remind myself there’ll obviously be drawbacks.
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