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Sorry, just got your message now; 59 minutes later. We were watching Glen Beck address CPAC, from a video someone posted on FB. Thanks for your emails earlier. Did you find anyone there?
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Hi SS. It's okay. There was a new person there but I can't remember the name. Our computer started acting crazy and it may have a virus. Hubby is working on it. Hopefully it's okay now. If the new person sees this, I am sorry I left you high and dry.

love,
miz
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wow... I missed a boat trip!! sorry miz and ss, let's hook it up later today.

Deadliest Catch marathon today!! New season starts Tuesday and they will cover what happened to Cap'n Phil.

love you all and hopefully we'll hang out later.

lovbob
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Hey Miz,
I'm the new person. I didn't see you and then I got distracted with mom for a little bit and by then you were gone. We'll try again soon.

Have a great day my shipmates!
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Okay, Dfflex. You have a great day too!!
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BTW, puter is fine now. Way to go, hubby!!
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hello Sailors!

Who will be the one to push us over 1000 posts?

lovbob
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Is there a prize???? ;)
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Hello Bobbie, Miz, et al. Hope everyone has had a good weekend.

I just got back from visiting my dad at the nursing home. He refused a haircut from the barber the last two times, so my hubby brought up my grooming tools for me to do it. Dad wouldn't have anything to do with that. Fortunately he gets up to eat, but then goes right back down to bed. He spends a lot of time napping. But they say he's up more than he used to be. I love it that I asked for his Ativan to be decreased. He seems much more alert on wake times, and less groggy. Thank God for the opportunity to be his advocate! He's not communicating much anymore, as the Alzheimer's takes its toll, but he's still able to smile once in awhile. Watching the decline is difficult, nonetheless. Fading into the sunset...
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I'm sorry about your dad, SS. That must be so difficult to deal with. I think about my dad and I just can't imagine. You're a good daughter. :)
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ow SS. hard. good thing that you're there for him. Angel Award.

Today I took mom a variety of colorful cloth table napkins to fiddle with. She wants to pick at and fold tissues so I thought what about some pretty cloth napkins. Just the right size and she got right into them. Just kept arranging and straightening them. I got a speech therapist to go see her and she recommended some things and then I went to the Alzstore online and got a baby doll and a lap activity doohickey.
lap activity.
man, if we weren't on the Caregivers site that would be a whole different way to go....

They have some fine looking baby dolls and I got the one that looked like it was about to laugh.
Hope they're not creepy looking.
Hey mom! Meet Chucky!

You guys are amazing and BOAT!

lovbob
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LOL bobbie. You're so funny!! :)
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Miz, I think you won the 1000 prize.

Thanks for your kind words, ladies. I don't think of me as an angel at all. But, I won't discount that my presence there means something. I'm so glad I'm not cold, uncaring and unconcerned. Hardly angel material, but he's my dad. And the God-given human compassion is so strong. It hurts to see our loved ones fail. Wow.

Looking at those pitiful people makes me so sad and depressed for them. I watch people literally decline before my eyes. Dad's been there for about 16 months. I see him, and others decline. It's not a pretty picture. I kind of fear/dread seeing my dad's final days. What a torturous way to go! How sad to lose abilities. I watch those people folding napkins, and throwing things. I watch them cry, wince, get angry, or just give up. It's very moving. I sometimes wonder what it will be like for me (but don't dwell on it). None of them chose to end their days like that. We really aren't in control of how we end our days. We can only control our right now moments. Best to make some good choices. Sorry. Don't mean to sound so morose; or depressing. Looking at Alzheimer's and being in the nursing home can kind of be a downer. Though, it's not all bad. Sometimes we can bring a smile to another.

While sitting with my dad during dinner, two CNAs were very busy feeding three of four at the table. One gal asked me to feed the lady next to me. What an experience. She ate readily and heartily. She kept whispering, "I love you." I sang Amazing Grace to her, because I know it's her favorite song. As I was walking my dad back to his room, after a declined offer to cut his hair, she caught me by the arm. She said, "I love you. What's your name?" O, my. I can't articulate how that felt. My heart cries to see these poor, pitiful, dying people. I mean, they are alive, but in various stages of fading. Death is literally at the door for some. You can see it in their faces. Not a pretty picture. And I watch the kindness of the CNAs, and their patience, and am awed and humbled. Not all, but some, are truly ministering angels. These people are needy and broken. They need love and tenderness and compassion. Sorry for the ramble tonight. Just filled with emotion.

Mom's a whole other strain of thought. It struck me that these same CNAs may be ministering to my mom some day, and that is a quite the idea. I can't go much further with that tonight.
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SS, what a beautiful post. Those wonderful CNA's are a God send. That lady that you fed was an angel also, IMO. Nursing homes are so hard to visit. I go there sometimes for my work, but more often to assisted living places. I have a very dear and old friend in a nursing home here. I go and visit her some but not as often as I should. You post has inspired me, dear one. :)
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Hi ladies,

I'm feeling very frustrated today. Rough weekend with mom and then this morning her sitter for the day called to say she couldn't come to work. The agency is trying to find someone so I can get into work, but so far no luck. I know I need to be at work today since I have a group leaving tomorrow yet I need to be home to care for mom. This tug-of-war has me so stressed out. I just needed to vent.

I hope you all have a good day!
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Dtflex, Hope it resolves for you quickly.
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SS, that was a beautiful post and I feel you in your appreciation for the CNAs that are so patient. Very sweet.

Dtflex, that sux and hope you can get rid of that awful stress.

I brought mom home with me yesterday to have a few days at home so I can get her back up to speed after the UTI, etc. She was stressed out and I have had enough of a break that I can do it for a few days. she goes back Tues or Wed but in the meantime she's getting lots of water and organic vegetable juice and she's sleeping and drinking good stuff, and peeing, peeing peeing... which is GOOD! Her ankles were swollen and edema is a very big deal with mom because of her heart and we've run so much water and juice through her, her ankles and feet are almost back to normal.

The caregivers at mom's place are also very very sweet and loving and patient and they were the ones to point out that mom's ankles were swollen. We all kept an eye on it over the last few days and i made the decision to take her home Sat night and went to get her Sunday morning. She was pretty happy and had a carrot juice and then right to bed to sleep like a box of rocks. I feel less stressed because I can keep a close eye on her.

I think that the people at the place are pretty cool because they know that it takes a team to take care of someone and the best caregiver, Jill, laughed when she saw mom get out of the wheelchair and get right into my car without any hesitation. Remember, mom is the same woman the idiot PT guy thought couldn't walk. Mom got out of the car in the garage of our building and took her stick and walked all the way to the elevator and then we went upstairs and she walked all the way from the elevator to the apt.... (All the way across the couryard)

Right now she's knocking back a bowl of veggie pasta and I bet she'll sleep again in about an hour. Healing. Good.

Love you guys and check in later.

lovbob
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Dtflex, I have had the exact same thing happen to me with the agency we use. It's so frustrating and upsetting. It's like you want to be understanding but it's hard. And, it's not like you're going shopping or something. It's for work. Right now I have a very reliable person coming to stay with Mom. It makes everything run so much smooother. I feel your pain, dear.

love,
miz
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Bobbie, your mom is so blessed to have you looking out for her best interests. Bravo, daughter!
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TY SS.

I'm printing out pix of the boat and mom has a giant grin on her face. showed her her room. She thinks that's hilarious, that I call it 'your room' as in ...'and here's your room...' harharhar.
What? har har.

Good to see her laughing.

HI MIZ DEMI!! love you girl.

BOAT!

lovbob
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Where are you going to post those pics, Bobbie?
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Bobbie glad to hear things are going well with your moms walking pooie on that pt guy, they don't know it all anyway.

DTFlex sorry about your delima, hope things work out.

Miz hope things are OK with you.

SS thx for the line you dropped on the boat.

Where's Maxine?

And hello to everyone else.

I'm working in moms back yard putting up fiberglass redoing one entire side of her gate and gardening. It rained last night so I get a break today but come tomorrow I'll be right back there working.
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Pam, that's nice of you to do your mom's gardening for her, since she no longer can!

Anybody seen Nutz? Seems as though it's been awhile... and how about PirateGal, and Rep???
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And KelleyBean!!

Yes SS and Pam and Miz

Where's the rest of the crew? Roll Call when you sailors get a minute! Catch us up!

Hope everybody is doing well and making progress.

SS, is it still winter up there and how is your son?

lovbob
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We actually had some snow on our forsythia last week, but it is officially Spring! We attended our first outdoor BBQ April 2. My little guy was out blading and sidewalk surfing on his ripstick today. The shrink wrap is coming off the boats. We've seen some fisherman out & about.

How goes your boat shopping, Bobbie?
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Hi guys Maxine here it is finally spring and have been outside a lot and trying to give my son support and trying not to sound like my own mother and also getting to doc appointments like a normal person now that I am not taking care of the husband-it has been 10 months I wonder how long for me to think of our happy times and not be so pissed at him for his behaivor I really need to forgive him.
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Maxine, give it some more time. Please don't be too hard on yourself.
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Was a gorgeous day here today. I love the Spring. Everything is new. :)
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Maxine, it's normal to be bitter and even resentful under those circumstances. It will pass in its own time. In the meantime, don't judge yourself, just acdept it as part of the whole process. Know that someday, you may be able to look back on all of it with a different perspective. Hang in there.

Bobbie, glad to hear you're bringing your mom home for a few days. She's probably happy as a peach about that. You truly do spoil her and that is awesome. She's so lucky!

Pam, if gardening truly is good stress relief...then you ought to be the most stressfree person we know right now! Hope that's the case. If so, I may have to try it myself. Happy gardening. It rained here today too, so mudpies it is!

Miz, glad you're having beautiful weather today. That always helps to lift the mood and spirits. It's very cold and dreary here today and is weighing heavy on me at the moment. But I'm entirely too broke to turn the heat back on at this point. Bottle some of that sunshine and send it my way.

Hope everyone else is hanging in there. Grandma seemed to be doing better cognitively yesterday during my visit at the rehab place, even if maybe a little weaker. This morning they called me and said that her blood counts are down and that she'll be going to the hospital for a tranfusion tomorrow. Gotta go along with her this afternoon to get all of her labwork done. Any thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated in the next few days. We just seem to be back into one of those ruts where "it's always something". We went through one of those last fall where we were always at some doc or another for something and then it slowed down. I think I got spoiled in the slow time. Now we're heading back into high gear again, it seems. Eeek! I don't know if I'm ready.......
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giles, you and your grandma are in my thoughts and prayers. And, if I could bottle up some sunshine and send it your way I would be so happy to. :)
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