Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
A Shower to cool the air........and make lots of humidity!
Well, we received a welcome shower last night but the counter part is lots of humidity. When the nights are 80 what do you expect during the day?
Yesterday was not a good day for Jack. He had chest pains and his legs were so painful as well. The nurses finally told him that he could expect the pain as part of the disease and they would help as much as they could with medication. The chest pains seemed to be indigestion and when I alerted the nurses they took care of that. Jack doesn't want to be a complainer so he won't say anything when he is in discomfort. He lets me do that! LOL In fact he felt so bad he ate very little lunch but in the evening they brought him his evening meal and he was looking forward to it when he gave me the 5 o'clock call.
Days are difficult. I find that sometimes it is just hard to go to the nursing home. I know I will find problems, discomforts, and in general life breaking down. I understand why many don't go, although the visits are so looked forward to by the patients. The smells, the pain, the constant reminders that life is so out of their control. Some of us who are there everyday become hardened to the obvious and just look into the eyes and try to make smiles. I do lots of back rubs. One lady said, "She always rubs my back when she goes by and it feels good." I also give a prayer in that touch that the day will go well for that lady. Jack wants lots of smooches.......to keep him reassured that I love him. Sometimes their situations are not very lovable but the patients stay as lovable as ever.
I do a bible study every week,sometimes I forget to sign in.......like this week. I must do that! We have been trying to do a little craft project with the bible study. We made pots of flowers when we studied about the potter and the clay. This past week we decorated flyswatters when we talked about swatting the "flies" that annoy our daily walks with the Lord and with others. I found some bibles at a thrift shop.......many come to the facility straight from the hospital with few or no possessions.
The bibles are already finding homes. It helps to really know these people, and find ways to reach out to them. If I can inspire them for a few minutes every week, that is great. We average from 12 to 14 and that will grow I hope.
I have been going to an exercise class. Yesterday, I gave up early after 45 minutes of constant movement in a hot room, I decided I had reached my limit. We have a fan but it is just not enough to keep the air moving and do any cooling. I went right to the grocery store which I knew would be cold, and soon felt better. The heat and humidity are really wearing us down and summer has just begun! lol
Blessings on all of you........caregiving is a big responsibility. Mine has shifted somewhat but I still am constantly involved with my husband everyday.......usually twice or more depending on the activities of the day. The facility is 10 miles away but sometimes I just have to go back again! smiles No one knows the weight on the shoulders until they carry the load!
Yesterday was not a good day for Jack. He had chest pains and his legs were so painful as well. The nurses finally told him that he could expect the pain as part of the disease and they would help as much as they could with medication. The chest pains seemed to be indigestion and when I alerted the nurses they took care of that. Jack doesn't want to be a complainer so he won't say anything when he is in discomfort. He lets me do that! LOL In fact he felt so bad he ate very little lunch but in the evening they brought him his evening meal and he was looking forward to it when he gave me the 5 o'clock call.
Days are difficult. I find that sometimes it is just hard to go to the nursing home. I know I will find problems, discomforts, and in general life breaking down. I understand why many don't go, although the visits are so looked forward to by the patients. The smells, the pain, the constant reminders that life is so out of their control. Some of us who are there everyday become hardened to the obvious and just look into the eyes and try to make smiles. I do lots of back rubs. One lady said, "She always rubs my back when she goes by and it feels good." I also give a prayer in that touch that the day will go well for that lady. Jack wants lots of smooches.......to keep him reassured that I love him. Sometimes their situations are not very lovable but the patients stay as lovable as ever.
I do a bible study every week,sometimes I forget to sign in.......like this week. I must do that! We have been trying to do a little craft project with the bible study. We made pots of flowers when we studied about the potter and the clay. This past week we decorated flyswatters when we talked about swatting the "flies" that annoy our daily walks with the Lord and with others. I found some bibles at a thrift shop.......many come to the facility straight from the hospital with few or no possessions.
The bibles are already finding homes. It helps to really know these people, and find ways to reach out to them. If I can inspire them for a few minutes every week, that is great. We average from 12 to 14 and that will grow I hope.
I have been going to an exercise class. Yesterday, I gave up early after 45 minutes of constant movement in a hot room, I decided I had reached my limit. We have a fan but it is just not enough to keep the air moving and do any cooling. I went right to the grocery store which I knew would be cold, and soon felt better. The heat and humidity are really wearing us down and summer has just begun! lol
Blessings on all of you........caregiving is a big responsibility. Mine has shifted somewhat but I still am constantly involved with my husband everyday.......usually twice or more depending on the activities of the day. The facility is 10 miles away but sometimes I just have to go back again! smiles No one knows the weight on the shoulders until they carry the load!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Father's Day
Holidays are sometimes traumatic. I purchased a rather expensive men's Cologne for Jack for Father's Day. Well, we have had some things "walk", usually small things like room spray,etc. Sometimes his glasses disappear but seem to reappear with a little searching in nearby rooms or "walkers" pockets.
This time all the searching and questioning seem to turn up nothing. I happened to have the receipt because the store told me to return it if the scent was not agreeable to Jack. He is very sensitive to odors.
After an investigation they said they would give me a check for the item. I told them to forget it, things like this could happen with lots of visitors, etc. But they insist that is Jack's home and to take things from his home is definitely wrong.
I think they have some suspicions about the disappearance.
But otherwise the day was fairly nice........roast pork which neither of us like.........but I had a salad for Jack and we shared the vegetables on his plate....and I had made a cheese cake for him. We faired very well!
The symptoms are becoming more pronounced. Jack is very agitated, easily brought to tears. He has threatened the staff because they are not being good to him. His threats are to turn them in....to whom? Or into frogs? lol Anyway they seem to understand this is the disease.
His eating habits are really getting messy and he gets really upset about the food being wrong for his diet. Which is heart healthy. There are some mistakes but for the most part quite acceptable. Just not to him!
He keeps commenting "he is afraid". He can't tell what he is afraid of or afraid of what.......but I think he is feeling the loss of control of his life. Yes, that is very frightening!
Blessings for the day to all!
This time all the searching and questioning seem to turn up nothing. I happened to have the receipt because the store told me to return it if the scent was not agreeable to Jack. He is very sensitive to odors.
After an investigation they said they would give me a check for the item. I told them to forget it, things like this could happen with lots of visitors, etc. But they insist that is Jack's home and to take things from his home is definitely wrong.
I think they have some suspicions about the disappearance.
But otherwise the day was fairly nice........roast pork which neither of us like.........but I had a salad for Jack and we shared the vegetables on his plate....and I had made a cheese cake for him. We faired very well!
The symptoms are becoming more pronounced. Jack is very agitated, easily brought to tears. He has threatened the staff because they are not being good to him. His threats are to turn them in....to whom? Or into frogs? lol Anyway they seem to understand this is the disease.
His eating habits are really getting messy and he gets really upset about the food being wrong for his diet. Which is heart healthy. There are some mistakes but for the most part quite acceptable. Just not to him!
He keeps commenting "he is afraid". He can't tell what he is afraid of or afraid of what.......but I think he is feeling the loss of control of his life. Yes, that is very frightening!
Blessings for the day to all!
Friday, June 18, 2010
I Wish I Knew When the Storms...........
I finally had a chance to talk to the nurses that were with the doctor when Jack said that the doctor said he could go home...............well, actually Jack asked if he could go home and the doctor gave him the standard I will talk to the family but at this time you need to be right where you are!
One nurse said that is a typical male.........only heard what he wanted to hear! But even though it might be funny to think about it after the fact it caused some loss of sleep and real worry. The head nurse said he wants to go home so badly that he heard just that. Yes, Jack wants to go home but I am not able to take care of him 24/7 like they can at the nursing facility. Actually I could not take care of him for an hour probably because he does need a lot of attention which he doesn't realize that he gets. Nurses are always patroling the hallways looking in rooms and checking on patients. He doesn't always see them and doesn't realize that they are there.
He has not mentioned the idea again so guess somewhere down in his heart he knows that this isn't a possibility. At least I don't have to address this problem today! The home moved Jack out of his room for about 4 hours, painted, stripped the floors and put on 6 coats of wax, did the windows,etc. They also wanted to shampoo his chair and came to the house and moved another twin chair up to the facility so there will always be two chairs for him to use. Also, there will be a place for me to stay if I need to, or can rest during the time I am there. Jack does not use a bed, but an electric lift chair that flattens out into a sleeping position. Because of his lack of mobility since hip surgery he is not able to lift his legs on to a bed and when he gets into bed he can not move himself about. He found out just how difficult that was again when he was in the hospital in August if 2oo9. With the lift chair he can sit up, stand up, then sit down again and lay back to rest.
The day they came after the chair he had a real meltdown.........said he was 80 years old and all he had was a room and two chairs to his name!
He had been "hearing about women who took everything their husbands had", and they were bragging about it! Another event with the brain playing tricks...this is happening more frequently. He hears, see, knows, dreams, or thinks about things until they become reality. The man across the hall has been saying his wife has all his money,etc. It doesn't take much to influence another patient or give them ideas. We have already been through the "another man" stage. The only other men in my life or the "gay (fixed) cats" that live at this house! lol
The stages of Parkinson's Disease vary with every patient. I am glad the nurses at the nursing facility are familiar with those stages. I sometimes forget to recognize something as just one of the things with go with the disease. This isn't an easy life.
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!
One nurse said that is a typical male.........only heard what he wanted to hear! But even though it might be funny to think about it after the fact it caused some loss of sleep and real worry. The head nurse said he wants to go home so badly that he heard just that. Yes, Jack wants to go home but I am not able to take care of him 24/7 like they can at the nursing facility. Actually I could not take care of him for an hour probably because he does need a lot of attention which he doesn't realize that he gets. Nurses are always patroling the hallways looking in rooms and checking on patients. He doesn't always see them and doesn't realize that they are there.
He has not mentioned the idea again so guess somewhere down in his heart he knows that this isn't a possibility. At least I don't have to address this problem today! The home moved Jack out of his room for about 4 hours, painted, stripped the floors and put on 6 coats of wax, did the windows,etc. They also wanted to shampoo his chair and came to the house and moved another twin chair up to the facility so there will always be two chairs for him to use. Also, there will be a place for me to stay if I need to, or can rest during the time I am there. Jack does not use a bed, but an electric lift chair that flattens out into a sleeping position. Because of his lack of mobility since hip surgery he is not able to lift his legs on to a bed and when he gets into bed he can not move himself about. He found out just how difficult that was again when he was in the hospital in August if 2oo9. With the lift chair he can sit up, stand up, then sit down again and lay back to rest.
The day they came after the chair he had a real meltdown.........said he was 80 years old and all he had was a room and two chairs to his name!
He had been "hearing about women who took everything their husbands had", and they were bragging about it! Another event with the brain playing tricks...this is happening more frequently. He hears, see, knows, dreams, or thinks about things until they become reality. The man across the hall has been saying his wife has all his money,etc. It doesn't take much to influence another patient or give them ideas. We have already been through the "another man" stage. The only other men in my life or the "gay (fixed) cats" that live at this house! lol
The stages of Parkinson's Disease vary with every patient. I am glad the nurses at the nursing facility are familiar with those stages. I sometimes forget to recognize something as just one of the things with go with the disease. This isn't an easy life.
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!
Friday, June 11, 2010
new developmrnents
It did shower last night.........but the biggest storm came by way of a phone call...........Jack said the doctor said he was able to go home???????????? There is a mistake somewhere! After a year and four months in a facility........he is able to be cared for a non professional? No, I am not able to lift this 300 pound man, cope with the sometimes violent reactions to anger, and professionally monitor his on going physical condition.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Those six orphans!
One evening a young man came to my door and asked for help. He had found six kittens and a mother that had died not too recently. He lives in our town but isn't home much and he said he just could not let them starve and die. WHAT SHOULD HE DO? I suggested several options but not seemed to be available so you know what I said.......go get them. He brought them in a big box and they ended up in my bathroom. I got them to drink a little warm milk then took them to the garage and put them in my van.......still in the box. I planned to sleep not listen to kittens mewing. I carried those kittens around a couple of days because I was not sure what my old cat that lives in the garage would do..........I had often seen him hostile toward other cats.
I finallly gave up..........got another box about the same size and cut connecting openings and taped them together with grey tape. Covered the top with window screens that I seemed to have from somewhere, put them in the middle of the garage and covered them on cool nights. When it got hot the ceiling fans blew overhead. Well I lost two not because they were cared for but they were just too small and had gone too long without food. I was feeding one with an eyedropper. The absolutely amazing thing was they all except the little one went to canned cat food like crazy! I was thankful for that. Finally after about 5 or 6 weeks they were outgrowing the boxes and I had to made a decision.
They went to the barn and I fixed a new box with screens and a big pedestal fan right over the top. So far they are doing great. The box is just for security if some other cat comes to bother or another creature. It has a little opening cut in the side and watching them someout into the world for the first time was a neat experience. I found three other orphans and two of those survived making 6 furry creatures. They have the whole barn. They have discovered the automatic feeders with meow mix already there, pans of water and 9 litter boxes. This is what you call a deluxe hotel for cats!!!! They seem to think I am their mother and want to play when I go out to feed them. So far they are quite tame and will make someone a great playmate. I gave them a flea treatment. We seem to have a lot of tiny flea like things that are really bothering the cats and me after I have been to the barn. Is theysomething called grass fleas! Cable people are here........must sign off.
I finallly gave up..........got another box about the same size and cut connecting openings and taped them together with grey tape. Covered the top with window screens that I seemed to have from somewhere, put them in the middle of the garage and covered them on cool nights. When it got hot the ceiling fans blew overhead. Well I lost two not because they were cared for but they were just too small and had gone too long without food. I was feeding one with an eyedropper. The absolutely amazing thing was they all except the little one went to canned cat food like crazy! I was thankful for that. Finally after about 5 or 6 weeks they were outgrowing the boxes and I had to made a decision.
They went to the barn and I fixed a new box with screens and a big pedestal fan right over the top. So far they are doing great. The box is just for security if some other cat comes to bother or another creature. It has a little opening cut in the side and watching them someout into the world for the first time was a neat experience. I found three other orphans and two of those survived making 6 furry creatures. They have the whole barn. They have discovered the automatic feeders with meow mix already there, pans of water and 9 litter boxes. This is what you call a deluxe hotel for cats!!!! They seem to think I am their mother and want to play when I go out to feed them. So far they are quite tame and will make someone a great playmate. I gave them a flea treatment. We seem to have a lot of tiny flea like things that are really bothering the cats and me after I have been to the barn. Is theysomething called grass fleas! Cable people are here........must sign off.
Hee hee when you make a mistake.....go big time!
I have made so many mistakes this week that I am probable the queen of error!
Couldn't sign into this blog..........then when I did I found two and didn't know which was which........one of those days when it was easier to create a new blog that argue with a computer! Well I hope I have the right entry!
I am off the continue to build a wider life........hopefully not physically. A neighbor asked me to go to an exercise type of class and I said that would be great........it really is a line dancing class........I have taught line dancing to elementary students but that was YEARS ago! I am calling it an exercise class because that is what it will be for me. Finding things to do to broaden the outlook on my exisitance in this small town is what I am trying to do.
I think I have mentioned somewhere and maybe I need to update my profile.....but I have been in LAY TRAINING and currently fill the position of lay leader in my small town church. My position was important since we have had no minister and Sunday we will again have someone in the pulpit. We have had ministers and lay speakers for the last 4 months and I have not enjoyed the added responsibility as a church leader. But I have learned so much........much I didn't want to know but it was part of the ballgame!
I have started the summer bible study at the nursing home and enjoy it so much because the people are so loving, supportive, and responsive. I guess last year my most talked about study was "What does the Bible say about Cowboys?" That one really had them going. Next Tuesday we are talking about CLAY POTS! I have been approached to take a Sunday afternoon service at least once a month because the present minister wants to branch into additional outreach. Eventhough I have been certified ??? as a lay speaker I am not sure this is something I want to do.
Time and the Spirit will tell me I hope........anyway Jack is about the same....he will see a doctor today and will get an update on his medication,etc. Yesterday I went to a restaurant and ordered two big taco salads for our lunch, we do take out often. Well was I glad I had made that decision because turkey casserole and squash with barely done rolls was on the menu. Jack told me that he had made up his mind to not complain but just eat whatever they put in front of him or just not eat. But when I mentioned the salad he was delighted. We both ate every scrap and enjoy the mutual company! Most of the residents had gone on a field trip to a local museum and we were mostly alone and it was a fun time.
Tomorrow I will tell about the latest orphans that I have taken in!
Couldn't sign into this blog..........then when I did I found two and didn't know which was which........one of those days when it was easier to create a new blog that argue with a computer! Well I hope I have the right entry!
I am off the continue to build a wider life........hopefully not physically. A neighbor asked me to go to an exercise type of class and I said that would be great........it really is a line dancing class........I have taught line dancing to elementary students but that was YEARS ago! I am calling it an exercise class because that is what it will be for me. Finding things to do to broaden the outlook on my exisitance in this small town is what I am trying to do.
I think I have mentioned somewhere and maybe I need to update my profile.....but I have been in LAY TRAINING and currently fill the position of lay leader in my small town church. My position was important since we have had no minister and Sunday we will again have someone in the pulpit. We have had ministers and lay speakers for the last 4 months and I have not enjoyed the added responsibility as a church leader. But I have learned so much........much I didn't want to know but it was part of the ballgame!
I have started the summer bible study at the nursing home and enjoy it so much because the people are so loving, supportive, and responsive. I guess last year my most talked about study was "What does the Bible say about Cowboys?" That one really had them going. Next Tuesday we are talking about CLAY POTS! I have been approached to take a Sunday afternoon service at least once a month because the present minister wants to branch into additional outreach. Eventhough I have been certified ??? as a lay speaker I am not sure this is something I want to do.
Time and the Spirit will tell me I hope........anyway Jack is about the same....he will see a doctor today and will get an update on his medication,etc. Yesterday I went to a restaurant and ordered two big taco salads for our lunch, we do take out often. Well was I glad I had made that decision because turkey casserole and squash with barely done rolls was on the menu. Jack told me that he had made up his mind to not complain but just eat whatever they put in front of him or just not eat. But when I mentioned the salad he was delighted. We both ate every scrap and enjoy the mutual company! Most of the residents had gone on a field trip to a local museum and we were mostly alone and it was a fun time.
Tomorrow I will tell about the latest orphans that I have taken in!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010DO YOU EVER WONDER...................?Do you ever wonder just what the future holds? Well, it is something we all do and yet we really don't want to know too much. If your family member is ill with a progressive disease like MS or Parkinson's Disease..........each day brings changes and more questions about the next stage of development. Jack is having some changes in his behavior and the changes come slowly and then wham they seem to explode! Right now he is very angry and upset with all the things that are happening. If he makes some small mistakes he seems to just react with strong emotion. Having a power chair sometimes isn't as good a thing as it has been for many years. The chair "all on its own will jump to a high speed"! Then Jack becomes angry and jams the chair into tables chairs or whatever is handy. If he backs into someone.....they ran into him.......(typical man? LOL) But dangerous if I were taking him out to a restaurant or entertainment. In the controlled environment of the care facility there isn't much he can damage expect other residents or me. I have had my feet run over and it's always isn't just a little thing. He has had a permanent cathater put in and it isn't working out as well as we had hoped. It is quite painful and something must be wrong. I hope the nurses and doctor can work out the problem for Jack's sake. His medication isn't always just on time and the results are muscles that won't work and a mouth that is so drawn aside that it is difficult to understand what Jack is saying........he also says he had difficulty breathing........some of this is the panic he feels when he is so out of control.I still go twice a day on most days..........it is getting so hot now I may cut that down because of the extreme danger to be out and about with the high humidity and heat index. Jack's daughter hasn't been here since last year and he would so like to see her. Her job and life style prevents her coming too often.For Christmas 2009 I made a wall hanging for Jack's room and it has all the things he has done in his life. Movies, plays, music, military, career, hobbies, volunteer activities and so many aspects of his life. It keeps him focused on how good life has been. Residents and visitors who drop in have something to start conversations and take away some good stories about Jack's life.This life alone is quite lonely to say the least for both Jack and I but we are making it day by day.............I looked forward to Spring now I am looking forward to Fall!
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