Ack!

The things I hate most about nursing homes is the smell. And when we walked into the one where my mother is temporarily staying, the smell stopped me.
Turns out it wasn't the usual smell in these places - it was something much stronger. They were preparing kraut as part of the dinner last night.
Thank goodness that was the worst smell I encountered.
The next thing that frightens me most about nursing homes are the sounds. When my husband's grandmother was in an Alzheimer's unit, I took to wearing the earplugs he uses when he target shoots because I just couldn't stand the moans and yells.
One very loud moan. That's all I heard last night.
It probably helps that mom is in a wing where people are "too well for the hospital, but not well enough to go home."
With the exception of having to share a very small room and phone with her roommate and the lack of cable television (CNN withdrawl was already settling in), it seemed like an ok place to be. I think we can do it for 5 days.
"What's this 'we' stuff," my mother asked when I told her my observations. "You get to go home."
She's right. But it makes it far more easier for me to go sit with her if I don't have to wear earplugs or hold my breath.