Mom has been dealing with an injured shoulder that can be very painful. It has taken a significant toll on her mobility and comfort.

Today she got up to her big chair and had enough energy for a Facetime visit on her iPad with her son, Leif. He was commuting home from work. Mom read aloud to him from her current reading, "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens.

It is good exercise for Mom to read aloud. It diverts her attention if she is feeling delusional or agitated from her mental illness or dementia. It is surprisingly effortful to read aloud, it gives Mom a cognitive, respiratory, and cognitive workout. The story and its characters provide new subjects for conversation, which can be hard to enliven at a distance and from the confines of home.

Mom is getting used to using Facetime for her phone calls. She gets to see what her children are up to in real time and they can show her new views on the screen. Mom said, "I like to hear the voice of my children, it does my heart good."