Soap Opera Central

My aunt, age 88 with no family of her own, recently moved from her house in Vancouver to a seniors apartment not far away. She had fractured her spine at the beginning of January, and after spending a month in the hospital had come to realize that it was time to get some help. My older brother, who's retired, had gone out to stay with Aunty, facilitating her return home. He was the one who got her looking at the various seniors places. She was reluctant, but it had to be done.

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When older brother went home, younger brother had a few weeks of helping our aunt. An apartment had come up in a building Aunty liked, but she was hemming and hawing; she thought it was too expensive. Younger brother managed to convince her to take it, especially once she came to realize that she would be getting a cool million on the sale of her house.

The apartment was taken and the move was imminent. Time for me to take over. I drove out to Vancouver in my hubby's Ford Ranger truck as there were various things Aunty wanted to send home with me, including items destined for the museum in her home town.

Six weeks before our aunt's move, I'd discovered I'd been taking thyroid medication that contained gluten, but I still wasn't feeling that great on the new, gluten free drug. I wasn't all that sure I'd be much help to Aunty, but if nothing else, I'd be able to keep her company. One good sign was that the constant headache was going away. I'm one of those 'a-typical' celiacs who doesn't get stomach pain or diarrhea; I get headaches, fatigue and depression. Guess that's why it took 26 years to get diagnosed...

In the end, I worked pretty hard. Aunty had hired a company to pack up her stuff, move it to the new place, and then unpack, but there was still a lot for me to do. I was able to do some of the minor decision making and so saved Aunty from exhaustion, as she still had back pain. And once the company had finished, I helped her arrange things in the apartment the way she liked. I even hung a picture before I left. I was glad to see that once Aunty was in her beautiful, new apartment with all the latest conveniences, she sort of stopped mourning her house, that truth be told, needs updating.

Two blocks away from Aunty's apartment, I discovered a newly opened store: Ed's Gluten Free, www.edsglutenfree.com. That was the first gluten free store I'd ever been in - what a delight! I was able to find whatever I needed there, although I was disappointed that they didn't carry my favorite chocolate cookies. I know, I know, you can't have everything.

I should also mention that the restaurant in the seniors apartment block did a great job of serving me gluten free meals the days Aunty and I ate there. There was always a gluten-free choice on the menu. I hadn't thought ahead to the time I might need a senior's apartment myself, so I was pleased to find out there are places that have taken that into consideration. Let's hope that's a trend that keeps on growing!