The Passing
On May 20th my mom, Anna Petrarca, passed away. She hadn’t been well for a very long time. In April she was hospitalized for renal failure and the docs inserted a stint in her urethra and sent her to a rehab center in Greentree Pa., Marion Manor, one of the very best facilities of that kind in the area.
Unfortunately for her and many older folks, she was prescribed Seroquel and Paxil, two very strong antidepressants, so that she wouldn’t be “agitated”. After the procedure to insert the stint, she was disoriented, probably a bit fearful and not too happy about her situation. In order to quiet her, the drugs were prescribed. She became compliant and quiet, the desired effect. I requested repeatedly that she be taken off the drugs; she was becoming zombie like, disoriented, unfocused and very unsteady on her feet. At one point I thought the drugs were discontinued, but they were not. After a family meeting at Marion Manor, I again requested that she be taken off the drugs and finally they did, but slowly, they said it would be dangerous to take her off the drugs, Seroquel specifically, abruptly. It was just a day or so later that she fell, a very violent fall, fracturing bones in the face, a swollen eye, face black and blue, stitches above her eye, broken wrist, brain injury, bruised right side, shoulder, hip, leg, and foot. It took two weeks, but that fall finally killed her.
That was a long two weeks. It was obvious that she couldn’t make it through this last incident. She couldn’t swallow, had to have pureed foods, thickened liquids, she couldn’t stand and was becoming completely dependent. It was difficult to watch the rapid decline.
On Tuesday, May 17, Marion Manor called to say that it was very serious, imminent, they said. So I went to spend as much time as possible with her. My children, my grandchildren went and we talked to her and spent time with her. My daughter in law, Kristy, whose dog Mia was certified as a pet therapy dog, brought Mia to Marion Manor and my mom was visibly excited to see her. That was the last time she showed any emotion. On May 20th, Friday at 5 am, she passed peacefully in her sleep, a blessing for her.
She was cremated, per her wishes, and we had a memorial service for her at my home. A Deacon conducted a service for her; there was lots of good food, thanks to my son and daughter in law and my daughter. My granddaughter made a couple of memorial picture posters and family and friends made the day memorable.
My mom was sick before, but that fall may not have happened if those drugs were not in her system. You may be in that position some day, and if things don’t change for our older citizens, you may find yourself drugged and no one to help.
My mom blossomed later in life, becoming a Vista Volunteer and even being honored at the White House, one of twenty five in the US, for work on a Medicare program in Illinois. She won numerous awards and worked until she was 78. She liked, loved, to talk and would go on and on about her favorite subjects, Medicare especially. She will be missed.
Her Daughter
Anna Marie Petrarca Gire
