glasses - part 3

Recap: Saturday -- Glasses lost and broken. Monday -- My frustrating visit with Mom's ophthalmologist. I glue her glasses together.

On Tuesday I make an appointment with another eye doctor. Mom has seen her for eye infections and other  eye problems.  However the next available appointment isn't until July!  I take it, and also get on their appointment cancellation list. Something is better than nothing.

Wednesday morning the staff from the assisted living residence calls, Mom's glasses have fallen apart again, they are going to try to glue them. "We've got to do something..."

In a flash of desperation I drive over to my optometrist's office.
"It's for my Mother... she has dementia... Alzheimer's... she has broken her glasses... can you help me... can you... soon?"  I think I was almost in tears.
"Well Dr D is on vacation for the next week."  My heart sinks. "But Dr L has an opening tomorrow."
"Dr L?"
"She new with our office, she's very nice, and she has a few patient with Alzheimer's."
Tomorrow, tomorrow!  Mom's going to get her eyes check tomorrow!  I'm doing the happy-dance in the parking-lot.

I have to shuffle my work schedule around quickly - thankfully I work in a place that is very accommodating and flexible.

On Thursday I drive Mom to my optometrist's office for the exam.
"This is not my doctor." she is edgy.  They were so nice to Mom. They did not belittle her, or treat her like an idiot. They did not get frustrated by her slowness or inability to answer question.  They are people who "get it", who understand communication and compassion.

Mom could not tell the doctor if A was clearer than B. Mom could not answer most of the questions, that the doctor asked. But she could read the letters, she was a reading ninja. Mom remembered, that when you see the charts, you read the letters.  She read and read. I guess that was good enough for the doctor. The doctor was calm and polite throughout the whole examination. While we were waiting for Mom's eyes to dilate, for the next part of her exam, another staff person came into the room with 5 or 6 different frames. Frames similar to what Mom had, something that would be familiar and comfortable for her.  They didn't make her get up from the exam chair to shuffle into another room, they brought the frames and mirror to her.  So thoughtful. They even adjusted the frames to fit Mom's face that day, so I wouldn't have to bring Mom back to the office when her glasses were ready. (It's only a 180 mile ride for me.)

Mom has new glasses and they look great. (The super-duper-glue held the old ones together long enough.)
"Why are you giving me new glasses?" she asked when I gave her the new ones. I shake my head and laugh to myself. You don't remember anything, do you.
"They look so nice on you, Mom."