Mentally disturbed Aiko-sama of the Yano family

Mentally disturbed Aiko-sama of the Yano family

Early one morning in the winter of 2003, there was a cry for help from my daughter, who was upstairs. "Mother! Help me, Mother!" I rushed upstairs with an uneasy premonition, my heart pounding. What I found there was a lavatory bowl full of used tissues. The culprit was standing by the bowl, looking puzzled, as if to wonder who had done such a naughty deed. She said, " Someone came here, and put a bunch of camellias into this bowl," while peering worriedly into it. "I do wonder who has done this!" I could not blame her. I went downstairs to fetch disposable gloves and a bag, with my eyes dimmed with tears. A couple of days before, I had had an interview with a judge from the city care agency to evaluate the level of the home care services my Mother needed. I took a photograph of this situation so that it could be used to help determine such a level later.

Almost in the same hour the next morning, I had to rush upstairs for the same reason. By the end of the day we had placed a sign indicating, "This toilet is out of order!", on the door of the toilet. Instead, a bedside toilet was installed with a restricted amount of paper. Because of her failing memory, Mother wipes herself as long as there are tissues, forgetting that she has already done so. Several days ago she broke the disposable toilet bag into small pieces and scattered them all over the floor. As the bag was made of polymer composition, her clothes, the floor, bedding, and everything else in her room became crunchy and sticky. I called my sister, who lives in the immediate neighbourhood, for help. She soon came to my assistance, but it took hours to clean the room, and to clean Mother's body. This kind of event never happens in daytime when helpers are at home. This might be another proof that famous "Murphy's Law" is correct.

The development of Mother's symptoms of mental disturbance went from bad to worse. I used to ask a helper to come and take care of her while she was having her meals. One evening, a helper came to me, saying, "Aiko-sama is calling you." When I went upstairs to see her, she asked me, "Are you the person who is always looking after me?