My dear mother & wonderful father.

This is looking from mom's room across the hall. This is a nice facility with very few residents. The people that own and run the center are L.D.S. and they have a Sacrament service every Sunday. There is a big common area with a fish tank and t.v.

As many of you know, my dear mother has Alzheimer's and she has been rapidly declining the past few months. My father has wanted to be able to care for her himself for as long as possible. That ended this week and he decided, with the support of the daughters, that it was time to place her in a care facility. This was the most gut-wrenching thing that I have had to witness and as much as my heart aches for what my mother is going through, it is absolutely breaking to watch this giant of a man have to leave his sweetheart. She doesn't recognize us to much, but she sure remembers him and is always telling him how much she loves him. This picture is after she had eaten dinner and fell asleep on his shoulder.

When we first got there, they sat on the sofa and she fell asleep. It had been a busy and long day for her. This was the sweetest thing and it made me love them even more for the example that they always set in loving each other.

I know that it was good for dad to be able to hold her again. She had been at the hospital in Malad for 5 days before we brought her to the Downey Care Center and I know that he missed her so much.

This is her bed and Deneice was making sure mom's name was on all of her clothes and belongings.

The sofa is a hide-a-bed and family are always welcome to come and visit and if they want, they can spend the night.

The other side of her room. Since this picture, we took an recliner chair to put in her room as well. We don't want to put to much in as she has a hard time walking and we didn't want to make it hard for her to get around.

Bathroom

She has a big walk-in shower and the potty is on the other side of the wall. I found out yesterday that Jody, the Hospice worker that has been caring for mom, wants to continue caring for her even though she is no longer in Malad. This means that she will have to travel about 30 minutes each way. We are so glad because mom loves Jody and so do all of us! We have been blessed to have wonderful Hospice workers and appreciate all that they have done and continue to do for our sweet angel mother and father. May God bless them in their continued efforts to care for mom.

As I said before, this has been so hard on all of us. As I left to come home on Monday, dad said that he was trying to figure out just how many times a day mom would tell him that she loved him. He said that even though he knows that her time on this earth is short and that he knows that death will be a sweet release and graduation for her, he misses the warmth of her presence next to him at night and they way her hand fits into his. Oh dad! I love you! I know that you have been married almost 59 years (July 26th) and that you have been sweethearts for even longer than that and how your heart must hurt!

We found a history that mom started to write and dad didn't even know that she had done it. What a sense of humor she had and was always so close to our Heavenly Father. If there is one thing that I could encourage everyone to do, please write your history! It has been so comforting to read her thoughts and concerns. I know that we don't think that we have anything important to say, but it will be important to those whom you leave behind. Write your memories, dreams, fears and church callings, jobs, etc. Make a video if you can and do it NOW. Do NOT wait..................time goes so quickly.

I love you Mom and Dad!