Sometimes a loved one needs a place to stay while their caretakers travel. At Apple Blossoms your loved one can make a smooth transition from one home to the other with minimal amount of disruption to their lives.

Our Temporary Senior Care Facility offers Maryland’s citizens:

• A home environment with healthy meals and daily activities
• A familial staff who will care for all daily activity and medical needs
• Comfortable rooms with fresh linen
• Housekeeping and Laundry Services
• A Community in which to easily Immerse themselves

Temporary Assisted Care in Maryland over Thanksgiving Saved my Marriage!

“We can’t just leave my mom!!” I shouted to my husband of six years in yet another of our arguments regarding a much needed getaway for the two of us. It seems we’re always yelling at each other these days. I love Rob but he just doesn’t understand that I just can’t fathom leaving my mom behind while we go to Cancun, Mexico. How could I leave my mom with dementia while I frolic in the surf? My mother needs a safe and caring home environment with a regular routine. All the same, it was growing ever apparent that I have a marriage to take care of. I never realized it would get to this.

My dad died three years ago leaving my once exuberant mother to fend for herself. Two of her kids lived more than seven hundred miles away and I, mom’s best girl, lived in close by. Mom was all right for a while – still doing her exercises and playing Mah Jong with her friends but then she turned. I found her one day with burning soup on the stove, the smoke detector going off, and an utterly lost look on her face. It broke my heart. I knew then, and still know, that my mom could no longer care for herself. She needed some form of assisted living and for now I would take on the daunting task. Rob, my love for over ten years, would understand. His compassion is one of his best qualities.

“But what will happen to us?” Rob asked. I was shocked. This cannot be the same man who would do anything for my friends and family. “I mean, I love your mom Jen, but really, our lives will no longer be our own. We’ll be stuck here.” I denied his fears and convinced him that we’d work it out. Wonderful at making my point, I made it and won. My mother moved in and I felt incredibly relieved with a hint of (okay, more than a hint of) absolute panic. Rob and I never had kids and hadn’t taken care of anyone but ourselves. With enough space to comfortably take in my mom I just figured this would be a great chance for us to think of someone other than ourselves. We could really give back to my mom who has always been so supportive of us and our choices. It was the right thing to do.

At first my mom was lucid most of the time and only confused and disengaged for an hour or two out of the day. I could handle this – we could handle this became my mantra. Rob and I always enjoyed our home time and were big fans of cooking elaborate meals while drinking wine and listening to our favorite tunes. And, at first, we tried to keep our beloved routines – but it was becoming more and more obvious that our lives would never be the same again with my mom living with us. My mom is lovely and intelligent and unobtrusive but her dementia was affecting her personality – her overall good spirited nature was getting lost in her growing confusion and increasing depression. Rob and I grew distraught and more than a little sad.

Our therapist helped by providing us with information and support in dealing with an aging parent. Together, Rob and I would manage our household, marriage, and my mother. Our routine over time revolved around her and still does. I’m also noticing that Rob seems to find a number of reasons to leave the house – once he went out to get milk and in opening the fridge I realized there was no need for it. That was it. My husband, my best friend, was escaping. This was not how it was supposed to be and I had to do something about it.

A miracle happened. They always do come out of moments of complete desperation, don’t they? I put it out there to the universe: “GIVE ME A BREAK!” Then I typed in: temporary assisted living Silver Spring Maryland and up popped Apple Blossoms. I could not believe that someone like me who is usually so resourceful did not know that such a service existed in my very own neighborhood. I guess I didn’t know because Odette’s house (the director) does not have a sign on it and blends into the beautiful neighborhood that is yes, enhanced by the beautiful trees. Odette offered a vacation rate (for three days or more) for my mom that would free Rob and me up to have a real holiday where we could hopefully rekindle our dwindling flame. My mom walked into the house, met Odette and the staff, and smiled. They even fed her a glorious thanksgiving meal with what she later described as the best mashed potatoes and gravy she’s ever had!.

Cancun, Mexico is all Rob and I needed to remind ourselves that no matter what, we have each other, and that we really love our time together. The warm sea, frozen Mojitos, and lazy swings in the hammock brought us back to ourselves. With gratitude and absolute hope for the future, Rob and I knew that now we could get away. I did the right thing by taking my mother in but also need to nurture my marriage. Temporary stays in a home like environment like Apple Blossoms is the answer for people like me and I just have to spread the word. Rob and I are already planning our June cruise to the Bahamas – and these plans, and the knowledge that my mother will be cared for, keeps us smiling and connected.