It's been a hard time watching my dear Gertrud suffer. She has been placed in a nearby nursing home. Heinz is overwhelmed by the care it now takes to look after her. She has become incontinent and slept in a bed in the former dining room on the main floor of the house in order to make it easier for her to get to the table to eat. She now has a wheelchair that I was lucky enough to acquire second hand as they are prohibitively expensive and she needs one that is comfortable for sitting in a day. She needs to be fed food that is mashed so that it's easier to swallow. Heinz even slept on a mattress on the floor beside her for almost a year as she started wandering at night. She tried leaving as she was afraid of the owners of the house coming home and getting upset. She couldn't understand that she was at home, that the house belonged to her and Heinz. It all became too much for Heinz to take care of. They loved each other though despite their marital ups and downs and couldn't bear to be parted. So Heinz found a good nursing home just down the street from his home and visited her every single day. He took turns with his daughter. He went mornings while she did afternoons. Hardly a day went by that not both of them spent their days with her to ensure she was receiving the best care possible. But the cheer was gone. The strength faded and eventually Gertrud gave up on eating. Her daughter collapsed in the nurse's arms the day she refused her first meal as she knew it was the beginning of the end. She called her sister to give her the news of Gertrud's decline and the family gathered for the eventual demise of a beautiful being. The evening Gertrud passed only her two daughters were by her side. Heinz left at his usual time at 8 pm vowing to be back the next morning as usual. He likely refused to believe that his beloved wife of over 60 years would actually pass that night or perhaps he simply couldn't stand to watch her leave for good. But her daughters held her hand and comforted her and told her it was alright to go. Everything would be fine and Heinz would be looked after, which he is to this day.
