Oops - What Am I Forgetting?

I have been way too relaxed about getting Mom's things packed.  I've also been very random about it.  I have a theory, which I put to test every time I should be organized - if I randomly do tasks needed to get the job done, I will get it done faster.  Addendum 1:  When I don't get it done faster, I only do the things I really need to do.

So - things I really needed to do:

Fill out Registration Forms for Providence Senior Care Center and Gather Medications
Mom is required to have a doctor in Anchorage, so we made an appointment to visit with Dr. Farzin before taking her to Anchorage Pioneer Home on Thursday.  I forgot to pick up the paper work .. actually, I don't remember seeing it in our mail.  I also haven't seen Mom's March Medicaid stickers, so maybe it wasn't entirely my fault - but they had to fax it to me.  Then I discovered the printer connected to the fax number I gave to them was totally and completely out of order.  I provided a second one in our building today.

When I sat down to fill out the paper work, I put my name on it instead of my mother's.  I couldn't reprint the forms and we don't have any type of whitening cover up, so I cut out pieces of white paper which I attached to the forms and then wrote over.  The medical history itemizations were detailed - two columns running down the full page.  Each column had condition, year, Yes/No, so you had to do something for each possible malady. I managed to answer one condition and then read the following condition and put its response in the row above - twice - on the same row in two different columns.  I couldn't use my cover up trick for that mistake and simply crossed out the wrong entry, and then wrote it in the row below.

I did remember to ask the clinic in Anchorage to test her oxygen level.  Her levels were very high on Saturday and I think it must be because she is getting enough oxygen now that the Apria delivery man corrected the issue with her concentrator.  But, in any case, it was too high for them to prescribe oxygen through Medicare.  This borders on being funny in that she has needed oxygen since 1999 and gets addled and/or start coughing without it.  But the good news is, I don't have to take the portable oxygen tank with us on the plane.

I also need to take her current medications, of which there are only 5 and 2 of those are not used daily.  I need to present them to the clinic in the prescription bottles, so I placed her weekly allotment in her pill dispenser and then placed her medication bottles in a plastic bag for TSA.

Sew-in Name Tags on Mom's clothes for Laundry
Anchorage Pioneer Home doesn't have a packet of do-this-and-don't-bother-to-do-that, so I have found out about things as it occurred to me to ask.  Do I need to take sheets?  No.  Do I need to provide shampoo, soap, and other personal items? Yes.  Do I need to provide towels; how about hangers?  Do I pay for laundry? No.

We don't have time to get real name tags, so I will write her name on ribbon and then sew only the ends to her clothes.  What do I do about socks and bras?  I have not started this part of the preparation.  I have visions of Teresa, my daughter, and I working feverishly on it tomorrow night and then, when we don't finish, my doing the same the entire time I am in Anchorage.

Packing Mom's Clothes, Toiletries, and Family Photos, and First Doll
I have started that, although I forgot what I packed in one suitcase.  I packed some nice clothes that Mom could wear when she got there the next day, if I didn't get other things unpacked.  So today, I did the same thing with a different small, carry-on suitcase.  Then I wondered what happened to a particular pair of pants and thought to look in the first suitcase.  Should I take carry on both or just one?

One is probably enough.  I need to get all of the rest of the clothes packed in a suitcase or box so Gary can take them in the truck. Except for the name tag issue, this is actually almost done.  See?  Being random is okay sometimes.

I am holding off on packing her toiletries until after she has a shower tomorrow night.  Teresa and I will do her photos all at once.  Oooo - I need a box for those photos; I need to check the garage for a box or stop and get one at a liquor store or something.  I feel sad taking down the photos she has on her wall, but I will only take down the 3 that she still recognizes who is in the photo.

Load Furniture into The Ridgeline
We are taking down her rocking chair, her dresser (which I emptied out), her tall corner bookcase (which I cleared of videos and computer hardware), a lamp, and a walker.  She doesn't use the walker at home or at FRA, but she often looks like she would like something to lean upon while walking.  I figure we might as well include it.

Check in Ahead of Time and Oh YEAH -
She needs an ID for TSA.  I never bothered to get Mom an ID when she moved here.  She wasn't driving anymore.  I did order her marriage certificate.  She had her birth certificate, but in order to issue an ID without a passport, the State of Alaska requires a birth certificate and a marriage license to verify the name change and pieces of information indicating her address.  I have all that, which is a dang good thing because Mom and I are going over to the Department of Motor Vehicles tomorrow and getting a photo ID.

Other Important Papers
I am taking documentation for my status as POA and Medical POA.  I think Providence Senior Care Center will want those on file.  I am also taking copies of her Medicaid number and Medicare card along with her prescription drug supplement company.  I am taking her burial arrangements, for Pioneer Home to copy ... I think that probably covers it.  I sure hope so because we leave for Anchorage is less than 36 hours.