Battle in the Bathroom

There is the Battle of the Bulge, Battle of Midway, Battle of Gettysburg, and in the Ousley household, there's the Battle of the Bathroom.
A few months ago, Mom was really having trouble getting organized in the bathroom. I found a cute little basket to put all the things she needs in one place, thinking I was eliminating confusion. It did for a while. But then she began using Jergens and Vaseline as toothpaste and God only knows what else on her body that she shouldn't use. One night, I snuck into her bathroom after she went to bed and removed the little basket. Her caregiver said if I eliminate all the choices, the less confusing it is for Mom. So eliminate them I did.
All she has in her bathroom now is a box of tissues, a bar of soap, her electric toothbrush (after she threw the manual one away claiming it was someone else's) and a tube of toothpaste. And she still can't get it right. Every morning and every night I must supervise brushing her teeth and washing her face. I bring in the appropriate face creams and powders and then take them back to their "hidden" spot. Once again I feel like a Mother with a small child.
On a recent trip to get her annual physical, Mom's primary doctor said she believes Mom has just declined about 10 percent from a year ago. I was shocked. I said that I didn't mean to be disrespectful, but how could she judge that in five minutes. She doesn't see what I see every day. She maintained her position, however much I disagreed.
But when an old college buddy visited here a few days ago, she said she couldn't believe how much Mom had changed. She remembers Mom as this "tough as nails" woman who was a rock. Now, my friend said, Mom seems meek, much like a small child.
So the Battle of the Bathroom will continue, and I will continue helping my Mom, who I think is declining 10 percent almost every day, not every year.
My sister, Martha, and I still are not speaking. Martha stopped by once during her entire spring vacation to see Mom for less than an hour. She hasn't seen Mom all week this week. After talking to my counselor, I sent Martha an email this afternoon. It was very formal, very business-like, mostly requesting her help buying some things Mom needs. I just sent the email this afternoon, so I'll wait to see if she responds.
My caregiver class was so helpful. I feel more empowered in helping Mom. The more I learn about this damned disease, the better caregiver I can be.