Senior Residence: Surprise, Surprise, Ridgefield Crossings start date has been delayed another week due to power outage. Still waiting to hear from Roar, postponed last week due to Ringworm. These vocational settings have been fraught with problems, though the trustworthy Complete Cat Clinic has remained steadfast and true so far.

Medicaid Update: Looks like the bureaucratic glitch was just as anticipated: “It (the waiver application upon which the Medicaid approval is dependent) is in Hartford in the waiver unit’s possession. They hope to process by Friday…” so says the regional director. Makes sense, it is after all, her birthday on Friday. Fingers crossed they won’t mess around with the promised “entitlement” gift of the aged out independent young adult gal.

School Was Easier:  The years our daughter spent at Riverview were far less taxing from a parental perspective. She was surrounded by staff, four hours away, and we didn’t have to fight for anything beyond some occasional social facilitation when “drama in the dorm” reared her ugly head, or heightening awareness of academic oversights, and touching base with health care regarding sinus medications and other minor health related activities. Her new life has kept me busy almost daily since June, setting up and now follow through, even though she is with an excellent agency. Is it me? Or is it  that Phase 1 of independent adult living takes a village and a half to get it launched. That plus two power outages since she moved in, and all kinds of vocational placement problems, have kept things lively. Too lively. And of course, this latest “entitlement” conundrum.

Who Knows?  Will Medicaid be fixed by Friday? Will Roar reopen Friday, freed from the taint of Ringworm, to allow our daughter to attend her first actual volunteer day? Will Ridgefield Crossings open its doors next Thursday when our daughter is rescheduled to meet the senior female resident with cat to embark on her new career as “companion?” Who knows? Not I.

Just As An Aside: For those readers who do not reside along the east coast between Maryland and Maine, most of normal life has been cancelled or postponed in these here parts. For our daughter, her Sphere rehearsal, scheduled as usual for Thursday evening, will not be happening as a tree apparently has fallen into the room at the church where the group meets. Pegasus Therapeutic Riding program sent out a warning that they may have to cancel all classes this week due to lack of power. And most Halloween events, except for the small party at our daughter’s Ability Beyond Disability DSO on Monday, have been postponed until next week. Can you actually postpone Halloween? At least candy, as a rule, doesn’t spoil, though the food in our daughter’s CRS apartment fridge and freezer that I observed being hauled out  in white garbage bags to the bin, sure did. Still can’t get a fresh piece of meat at the local supermarkets…and I am lusting for a chicken thigh.

Follow-Up On The Grumps: Our daughter called last evening to fill me in on a hysterical episode of “The Big Bang Theory” in reruns, where Sheldon has long dark hair and polishes Penny’s nails. She followed with a short synopsis of a Seinfeld that I couldn’t identify from her description and ended by apologizing for her grumpy mood on Monday. She ascribed her’s to her sinus infection and fatigue. I too apologized for my grumpy mood, tying mine to my tummy virus and frustration with the Medicaid debacle. Two lady grumps with a lot to share, mutual forgiveness, and much fun ahead.

©Jill Edelman, M.S.W., L.C.S.W. 2011