DEMENTIA CARE: AUTUMN LEAVES.

The leaves swirl in a reddish brown kaleidoscope as we make our way to the clinic for a dose of influenza vaccine. Dementia care has its ups, downs, lurches, spills, and hazy shades of winter.

A day before, I was asked by my mother if she'd been the best mother. The obvious answer was YES, with the obvious follow-up...

   She was the ONLY mother. Laughter. At least there's still that.

The concentration is gone. Sometimes, I wish she'd forget more. She remembers this other awkward jacket that I've hidden at the very back of the cupboard.

   It's there if needed. But its pockets have no zips, and it is vital to secure the travel card in a pocket with a zip. Another jacket sits prominently on the peg. The coat has zipped pockets, and the universe smiles on its existence.

   I rise early for the  routine. An alarm is set in stone, but I'm up before that kicks in. We spend two hours getting through business that would take me ten minutes if I had to leg it out the door in a blazing rush.

   And by ten minutes, I mean five minutes.

   We take two hours. But that's why I rise early for this once-in-a-while alteration to the daily routine. All medical journeys are tense, but the tension rises as the harsher weather strolls in.

   The weather stays mild. We navigate the pitfalls of busdom: the use of buses.

   Great dangers? Crashes. Collisions. Falls. The influenza queue is (mostly) elderly, and young persons are dotted around to steer the infirm to the right place.

   Poor balance meets lack of concentration in the surprise comedy hit of the year. I guard doorways and narrow passages, and do a great deal of steering myself.

   There's one supreme point of danger, and that's within shouting distance of home. Someone's set out a wooden contraption for disposal.

   Its jagged edge, jutting like a spear, invites the infirm to throw themselves at it in a one-sided game of chicken. I play shield to spear, and wait until the danger is no more.

That, three hours of it, is tense. Nothing adverse happens. Unless you count the woman in front, who didn't attend at the right time. She should have had a letter. The records show she has to come back in two weeks.

   Thankfully, I've not had to deal with that level of nonsense as a carer. Quite the reverse. We take in two letters, where other people only receive one. (Or none.)

We returned to the fortress at dusk. That's a lie. We were back before High Noon. Drinks were served. I know that, as I served them.

   Autumn hues prettified the dying of the year. Warm drinks indoors steadied and calmed the nerves.