Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Giving French Julie some life.
Costa Coffee......can't help it ....we tend to call it Costa Lotta!
But today we have been to Costa Coffee and were very happy to do so.
We didn't know it would be a Costa Coffee when we set out.
I thought we were going to a WRVS tea shop - nasty tea in a polystyrene cup perhaps.
We have been to Epsom General Hospital to see Julie - French Julie, who is with us on Mondays in the antiques shop.
Thank goodness - she looked so much better than last week. She was out of bed, sitting in the chair.
She had a head scarf on - hiding her unwashed hair no doubt; and even in hospital clothes and with no make up she looked like a very chic elderly woman.
She had had a bad day yesterday - no visitors, boredom, constant noises from woman in next bed....just noises, no words. She told me it was a day like a load of........... I suggested it might be a load of something beginning with "sh". Oh no, she said with a twinkle in her eye " a load of something beginning with 'm' " I know my French swear words! Her word beginning with m was the same as my word beginning with sh.
That's Julie!
We teased and bickered and laughed - just like happens in the shop on Mondays.
She ate the yoghurt we had taken in for her.
I asked if there could be a wheel chair that we could use - and it was brought in.
And we pushed her to the lift and down one floor and found Costa Coffee.
Oh my, she was so excited to be on this treat.
But it did tire her - well, of course it did.
She needed help to get out of the wheel chair when we got back to the ward.
Now everybody has to decide where it would be best to get her strength back. Her son and daughter live out of the country and must find it hard to get an accurate opinion.
We were happy to be with her and lapped up her appreciation of our being there. Making her tired is not really a problem. Cheering her up and tempting her to believe that there is still some life to be lived was the aim, and we succeeded.
Maybe she will never return to happy days in the shop. But I think we will all go on loving her for as long as she needs us.
A bit later........I just had an update from Julie's daughter. It seems she is being sent home tomorrow. Julie knew nothing of this at 5 o'clock.
But today we have been to Costa Coffee and were very happy to do so.
We didn't know it would be a Costa Coffee when we set out.
I thought we were going to a WRVS tea shop - nasty tea in a polystyrene cup perhaps.
We have been to Epsom General Hospital to see Julie - French Julie, who is with us on Mondays in the antiques shop.
Thank goodness - she looked so much better than last week. She was out of bed, sitting in the chair.
She had a head scarf on - hiding her unwashed hair no doubt; and even in hospital clothes and with no make up she looked like a very chic elderly woman.
She had had a bad day yesterday - no visitors, boredom, constant noises from woman in next bed....just noises, no words. She told me it was a day like a load of........... I suggested it might be a load of something beginning with "sh". Oh no, she said with a twinkle in her eye " a load of something beginning with 'm' " I know my French swear words! Her word beginning with m was the same as my word beginning with sh.
That's Julie!
We teased and bickered and laughed - just like happens in the shop on Mondays.
She ate the yoghurt we had taken in for her.
I asked if there could be a wheel chair that we could use - and it was brought in.
And we pushed her to the lift and down one floor and found Costa Coffee.
Oh my, she was so excited to be on this treat.
But it did tire her - well, of course it did.
She needed help to get out of the wheel chair when we got back to the ward.
Now everybody has to decide where it would be best to get her strength back. Her son and daughter live out of the country and must find it hard to get an accurate opinion.
Maybe she will never return to happy days in the shop. But I think we will all go on loving her for as long as she needs us.
A bit later........I just had an update from Julie's daughter. It seems she is being sent home tomorrow. Julie knew nothing of this at 5 o'clock.
