Updated on July 15th 2011
I created this BLOG in hopes that my journey with my mother and her Alzheimer’s can help others. I list my daily posts below. I wanted to explain a little about my mother Alzheimer’s. She has helped me all my life with my journey of cerebral palsy. She is 88 years old and has had Alzheimer’s for at least 14 years now. I first noticed her memory problems back in the fall of 1997. She was able to keep driving and handling her check book until the winter of 2003/2004. She could still go on 2 mile hikes with me into 2005 and ½ mile walks thru 2008, now she mostly can only walk a few yards before her hip starts to hurt her. I moved back into her home in 2005 to help her stay in her house although I have kept my own place thru March 2011. One of the things I feel that has helped her go 14 years and still going is I’ve had people (mostly me) around her quit a bit. This helped her stay engaged with people. In 2003 she averaged people with her @90hrs/wk out of 168 hrs in a week, in 2004/2005/2006 @110hrs/wk, 2007 @125hrs/wk, 2008 @135hrs/wk. Then starting in January 2009 she has had someone with her 24/7. I started using care givers in 2005 to help and to give mom other women to talk to and get use to. Right now she can still dress and undress herself but is starting to struggle with it and needs to be told what to do most of the time. In December 2009 she started to refuse to wash herself now one of the care givers I use sponge bathes her 3 times a week. Right now mentally she is like a 4 to 6 year old girl with just a few seconds of memory. She has started to get confused with the getting undressed and dressed part but can still do it herself. She has also sometimes thought the person she sees in the bathroom mirror is someone else this started in 2010. I started using a diaper pad on mom’s bed in July 2011. She can still walk on her own with no help. Here is a list of the drugs and supplements she takes for her Alzheimer’s
•Razadyne started in 2000 then in 2011 changed to generic Galantamine
•Namenda started March 2005
•Folic Acid started in 2001
•Turmeric started in 2001
Wednesday November 30th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said the word of the day
was indifferent. She was able to get mom
washed, struggled some but got the pills down.
I had to get mom to put her shirt on when I got back but I didn’t have
any problems. It was a sunny and warmer
day with temps getting up to 50 but I spent my time running errands. I got back home at 1:30pm and did some work
before mom and I could go out for a drive.
Mom was up most of the time Andrea was here and with me. We went for a drive around 3pm to Sioux
Passage Park. Mom talked a little more
than her normal on our drive. We talked
about the houses and cars in parking lots.
We had dinner shortly after we got back home so the last time mom had anything
to eat or drink was at 5:30pm. We talked
about the lights on the tree as we ate. After
dinner and a couple bathroom trips we took a second drive to look at the Xmas
lights on the houses. Mom seemed to
enjoy it more tonight mostly because we saw more lights up. I tried a different route tonight. We then watched TV until mom went to bed at
12:30am. Mom tried starting more
conversations tonight than normal but was having a hard time putting her
thoughts into words. I didn’t get much
static tonight having mom brush her teeth or even in changing into her
nightgown. Overall today with me mom has
been in good spirits and a little more talkative than her normal.
Tuesday November 29th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea took the day off so I had
Schatcie over for a few hours instead. I
helped get mom up and to the breakfast table before I left to deal with cars
and my broke phone. Schatcie said mom
took all her pills except for the multi vitamin and turmeric but she did take
all of her prescription drugs. Schatcie
said mom dressed herself without any instruction. Schatcie said she had a hard time getting mom
to take pills and when she tried getting mom up for breakfast because mom was
being difficult but then was pleasant and sleepy this afternoon. Mom was in the living room napping when I got
back home at 2pm. I still had some
things to do when I got back so mom napped some before we went for a
drive. It was partly sunny but temps
were in the mid 40’s on our drive. We
drove over to Sioux Passage Park. Mom
talked about how many cars were in the parking lots and we talked about the
houses. I fixed dinner after our drive
and the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm and she went
to bed at 10:45pm. Mom talked some about
the lights on the tree during dinner.
After dinner we watched TV the rest of the evening and laughed a few
times. Mom was being sweet this
afternoon and tonight. Mom did struggle
some tonight on getting changed into her nightgown.
Monday November 28th 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said mom fussed some on washing,
getting dress and take pills but after that was all done mom was
affectionate. Shannon said mom was pleasant the 2 hours she
was here. I slept in today since I went
to bed late. It was a cloudy and then
rainy day. I spent the day running
errands getting estimates to fix my van.
Also I had my cell phone quit working this afternoon so now I’m looking
into replacing my phone and will be out of a cell phone for awhile, how
did we
live without cell phones in the past lol.
I was still dealing with my phone issue after I got back home so mom
went in and took a nap until dinner. We
talked about the lights on the tree during dinner as we listened to Xmas
music. The last time mom had anything to drink was
at 5:30pm but I did give her a small dish of peppermint ice cream at
7:30pm. After dinner we took a short
drive around looking for Houses with Xmas lights mom does get a kick out
of
Xmas decorations. I gave her the ice
cream after we got back and then we watched TV the rest of the night.
Mom went to bed at 10pm. Mom was fairly easy to get to change
tonight. Tonight was the first time she
took off her pants first even though I told her to take off her shirt
first. Since the pants are the hardest
thing to get her to take off I didn’t try to stop her when she started
taking
them off first. Overall today mom has
been affectionate even with the caregivers and in good spirits.
Sunday November 27th 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I finally got up around 11am and
we ate brunch. Mom took her pills today
right away with no problem. She also got dressed without to much trouble
I just
had to explain what to do like normal. After brunch and a few bathroom
trips we
took a drive along the river road to the Grafton visitor center. It was
a cloudy and even started to rain a
little as we pulled into the visitor center.
The temp was around 40. Today the
only boats we saw were the barges and all the ones we saw were docked or
anchored. We did see one guy riding his
bike on the trail but no one walking.
All the trees have lost their leafs now so you can see the cliffs
better. We did talk about how some of
the houses were right on the edge of the cliffs. Mom did fuss a lot
when I wanted her to go to
the bathroom at the visitor center. This
was the first time she has fussed this bad.
As I knew would happen as soon as she sat down on the toilet she started
to pee. Overall both mom and I were
quieter on this drive than our normal. I
fixed us a snack when we got back and mom then napped in her chair most
of the
afternoon. I turned on Xmas music for
our dinner and mom talked about the tree lights. The last time mom had
anything to eat or
drink was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. We did take a
second drive this evening to
see if we could find some houses lit up with Xmas lights. Not too many
homes were lit up yet. I was able to find a Xmas music special on
the PBS station so mom and I watched that this evening. Mom did nap a
little this evening as
well. It was fairly easy getting mom to
change tonight into her nightgown. Overall
today mom has been sleepy and quiet and in pretty good spirits except in
the
restroom at the visitor center.
Saturday November 26th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up at 4:30am so she could go to
bathroom then mom got up on her own around 9am.
Since it was a rainy day all day I didn’t get mom up for the day until
11am. Mom gave me about her normal
amount of static with taking her pills and changing into her cloths. We ended up taking a drive around 1pm to
Sioux Passage Park and it started raining again on our drive. Mom was quiet on our drive but in good
spirits. Not much else to report on the
day mom slept a lot of the afternoon and evening. She napped in her chair as we watched TV even
I dosed off a few times. I played Xmas
music during dinner and we talked about the lights on the tree. The last time mom had anything to eat or
drink was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. I didn’t get static tonight when it came to
changing I just need to explain what to do.
I did get static when it came to mom brushing her teeth. Overall mom has been sleepy but in good spirits
today.
Friday November 25th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said mom was difficult to
do everything like wash, take pills, and get dressed. I got mom to take her pills when I got up and
ate my breakfast. I didn’t have much
time after I got up and I needed to get back so I wasn’t able to get in any
hiking just ran some errands. I had to
have Andrea stay an extra half hour because I got rear ended in my van this
afternoon. My neck was hurting some but
Andrea wouldn’t stay any longer so I couldn’t go to the ER but luckily it isn’t
really hurting anymore thank god. I may
need to replace her. After awhile I did
take mom for a short drive to Sioux Passage Park since god was helping my neck
and I wanted a soda. It was a sunny and
warm afternoon with temps in the 60’s but it is suppose to rain all day
tomorrow. Mom was quiet on our drive
today. I fixed dinner when we got
back. Mom did talk about the tree lights
Mom and I watched TV until mom went to bed at 12:30am. Mom did nap off and on in her chair
tonight. Both of us were quiet tonight. I got my normal amount of static when it came
to her changing.
Thursday November 24th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had my friend Patti over for a
couple hours this morning and I took off to spend time to myself. Mom was up eating breakfast when I got back
at 11am. I got mom to dress herself
after she took her pills. Taking the
pills went fairly easy today. I had to
explain to her what to do when she was getting dressed. It was a beautiful sunny day with temps in
the 60’s great weather for November in St Louis. I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage
Park. Mom was talking more than her
normal on our drive. We talked about the
houses and number of cars at certain places.
We also took an early dinner today.
I took mom over to the Cracker Barrel restaurant for our Thanksgiving
dinner. It was one of few restaurants
open today. They had a Thanksgiving meal
type special with turkey, ham, sweet potatoes and the rest of the fixings as
well as pumpkin pie for dessert. It was
a good and filling meal. The place was
fairly crowded and after 5 minutes mom wanted to leave until the food got
there. Lucky the food only took 10 minutes
to get there. It took mom a while eating
the food there was a lot of food and mom eats slower. Mom really liked the sweet potatoes so I gave
her mine. She didn’t take long eating
the sweet potatoes. So the last time mom
had anything to eat or drink was at 5pm and she went to bed at 11pm. We spent the evening watching TV and
laughing. Mom even tried to start up
conversations but was having problems putting her thoughts together. I got my normal amount of static when it came
to mom changing tonight.
Wednesday November 23rd 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea was able to get mom washed
and pills down before I left. Andrea
said mom was hard to get to do things today and never got mom to put on her
shirt she said the word for the day was stubborn. Andrea did say mom was trying to put her shirt
on over her nightgown and Andrea tried to get mom to take the nightgown off
first. I didn’t have any trouble today
getting mom to take the nightgown off and shirt on. Mom was up watching TV when I got home at
1:30pm after doing some shopping. It was
a cloudy day and temps around 50. I took
mom for a drive after I got back and before dinner. We drove over to Columbia Bottom Conservation
Area stopping at the visitor center for a bathroom break before heading to
Sioux Passage Park. It is so flat at the
conservation area mom kept mentioning she could see a long way. We saw a deer run across the road in front of
us as well. I think I have mentioned
this before but mom’s depth perception is off.
We also talked about the houses and how big some of them are. Mom talked about her normal amount and was in
good spirits. We had dinner shortly
after our drive so the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at
5:30pm. We watched TV after our drive
until mom went to bed at 2am. Mom was
about her normal self this evening. I
had my normal amount of static in getting mom to change.
Tuesday November 22nd 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said it was a struggle
getting mom to dress and take her pills.
Andrea said mom was very confused today and sleepy. When Schatcie was here mom was up the whole
time and quiet but also pleasant. I was
up until 5am so I slept in and didn’t have much time to myself. I got back home at 2pm because I had the
pastor coming over at 2:15pm. The pastor
was here for about 45 minutes today.
Schatcie was here as well so I went back out and ran some errands after
the pastor left. It was a rainy day and
mom and I did not go for a drive today.
I got back home shortly before dinner.
Tonight at dinner I turned on the stereo to listen to Xmas music during
dinner. We talked about the lights on
the tree during dinner and the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was
at 5:30pm and she went to bed at 10:30pm.
We talked and laughed several times tonight as we watched TV. Mom was quiet this evening but responsive
whenever I talked to her. I did get some
static tonight when it came to brushing her teeth and changing into her
nightgown. I just give her several hugs
and get her to laugh then retry. Mostly
the static comes from her confusion.
Monday November 21st 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said she was able to get
mom washed real good today which is good since the pastor is coming by
tomorrow. Andrea also said mom was
sleepy today while she was here but mom was up the whole 2 hours Shannon
was
here. Mom was up and dressed by the time
I left to spend the day running errands.
It was a cloudy rainy kind of day today.
Mom was up listening to Xmas music when I got home at 3:30pm. I took
mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park
before dinner. We talked about the
houses and cars in the parking lots on our drive. During dinner we
talked about the tree lights
and the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm. We
took a second drive after dinner to Sioux
Passage Park. Since it was dark I was
hoping to see Xmas lights on the homes but not many are up yet. Mom was
fairly quiet on this drive. We then watched TV and laughed a few times
until mom went to bed at 12:45am. I plan
on getting her up at 5am for a bathroom trip.
Mom was up most of her time with me and was sweet and talked about her
normal amount. I did get some static
when it came to having mom brush her teeth and change. It does help to
give her hugs and get her to
laugh then retry.
Sunday November 20th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today. I got mom up at 5am for a bathroom trip. Mom is normally in the bathroom for at least 30 minutes. Mom went back to bed at 5:45am when she came out of the bathroom. I had my friend Patti, over so I could go to church. I met up with my friend and we ate brunch after church like we normally do. It was a rainy day today and mom slept most of the time Patti was here. Mom did eat breakfast while Patti was here but wouldn’t take her pills until I had her take them at lunch. I even had a hard time getting mom to start taking her pills but once she started she was much better. I had mom get dress after I got home that is a trick to do so I did it instead of having Patti do it. Mom did nap this afternoon but we did get in a drive to Sioux Passage Park. It did rain on us but on this drive mom doesn’t need to get in and out of the car except at home. So mom didn’t get wet by going for a drive. Mom talked about her normal amount on our drive. We talked about the houses, birds and number of cars in parking lots. I fixed dinner after our drive and a bathroom trip. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm and went to bed at 10:30pm. We watched TV tonight and mom napped some this evening as well. It has been a napping kind of day. I did get some static when it came to mom brushing her teeth and changing into her nightgown. Mom was just confused and didn’t understand. Overall today mom has been happy but sleepy.
Saturday November 19th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today. I put mom to bed last night at 11pm but I
over slept my alarm so I didn’t get mom up until 6:20am and thank god she did
not have a bladder accident. That was
over 7 hours between known bathroom trips.
I’m not sure but she may have gotten up some time between 11 and 6:20
without waking me up. I then got us up
for the day at 10:30am for breakfast. I
did get some trouble with the pill taking but not too bad. Mom and I talked about the wind blowing
outside during breakfast. I had mom go
to the bathroom as usual both before and after breakfast. Something that happens in later stages of
Alzheimer’s is they close the bathroom door and leave the light on like there
is someone else still in the bathroom like the person they see in the mirror. I did have much trouble with getting mom
dressed to either. We went for a drive
along the river road to Grafton visitor center.
It was a cloudy day and we didn’t see very many motorcycles and only one
boat on the river. We did see some
barges going up and down the river. We
did see more birds than we have seen in awhile.
I had to help mom so she would go into the bathroom at the visitor
center. Today we were the only ones
there. Mom did talk about her normal
amount on our drive. We talked about the
birds and cliffs mostly. On this drive
you have the river on the one side and cliffs on the other side. After our drive and a bathroom trip I fixed
lunch and mom talked about the wind and the lights on the tree. We took a second drive shortly after lunch
and nap and before dinner to Sioux Passage Park. On this drive mom was quiet. During dinner we
talked about the lights on the tree. The
last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at
1am. We just watched TV and laughed this
evening. Mom talked about her normal
amount tonight and didn’t nap. I did get
some static tonight on changing.
Friday November 18th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said mom was hard to get
fully dressed and taking her pills but was easier to wash. Mom was up and still had her nightgown on
when I left today. I slept in since I
didn’t go to bed until 4:30am. It was a
partly sunny day with temps around 60. I
spent the little time I had running errands today. Mom had slept the whole 2 hours Shannon was
here and was asleep when I got home at 3:30pm.
I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park before dinner. Mom was very quiet on the second part of the
drive but was talking some about the houses on the first part of the
drive. During dinner the pretty sunset
caught moms eye and she talked about it.
The clouds were lit up with bright colors as the sun went down. The last time mom had anything to eat or
drink was at 5:45pm and she went to bed at 11pm. We watched TV and laughed several times this
evening. I can still get mom laughing by
acting silly. Mom also did nap some this
evening. I thank god for another day
with mom and making mom change fairly easy tonight.
Thursday November 17th 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom actually got up twice this
morning before I got her up and went to the bathroom. Thank god she
didn’t go in her panties. This morning her own system got her up in
time. Mom was up feed and partly dressed when I left this morning.
Andrea said mom was restless this morning but
Patti said mom was fine the 2 hours she was here. It was a partly sunny
day with temps around
50. I went over to Columbia Bottom
Conservation Area and hiked along the river.
I noticed after I hiked the trail that it was closed because of managed
deer hunting I’m glad god was looking out for me making sure no one shot
at
me. I also didn’t see any deer I think
this time of year they may head out of the area. I also did some
shopping after my
hiking. I got back home at 4pm and mom
was up in the bathroom. I took mom for a
drive to Sioux Passage Park but mom was quiet on most of the drive. I
did get her laughing a few times on our
drive. We had dinner when we got back so
the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:45pm. We talked
about the lights on the tree again
during dinner. We settled in to watch TV
after dinner but mom started to get restless around 7pm for about 45
minutes
then I got her settled down. I did this
by giving her several hugs and told her several times that I love her.
Mom talked about her normal amount after that
until she went to bed at 11pm. So I will
get her up around 3:30am for a bathroom trip which will be the time I go
to
bed. I’ve spent some time relaxing and
working on the computer after mom went to bed.
I like to spend some time just relaxing after mom goes to bed. I had a
fairly easy time getting mom to
change of course I give her several hugs and get her laughing first.
That does make it easier to at least some
degree.
Wednesday November 16th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said mom was harder to wash today but
got her pills down and mom was dressed by the time I left. Andrea did say after mom was up that mom was
sweet and giving hugs. I got back by
12:30pm because I had a friend come over to help clean out the gutters. Mom ended up sleeping most of the 2 hours my
friend was here. Mom ended up sleeping
most of the afternoon. I took mom for a
drive just before dinner. We drove over
to Sioux Passage Park. It was getting
dark before we got home and it was much cooler today more like November. Mom was fairly quiet on our drive but
responsive when I talked to her. During
dinner we talked about the lights on the tree and the last time mom had
anything to eat or drink was at 5:45pm.
We watched TV this evening we watched a singing talent show for a couple
hours. Mom was up this evening and very
sweet. She was more talkative this
evening than she was this afternoon. Mom
went to bed at 11pm and was a little difficult when it came to her changing. I will get her up around 3:30am so hopefully
she will not pee in bed.
Tuesday November 15th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom was up dressed and feed by the time I got out of the shower. Andrea said mom was fairly pleasant this morning. I’m not sure when Andrea was here but mom was up most of the time Schatcie was here and mom was up watching TV when I got home at 3:30pm. Today was a cloudy day but nice warm temps for this time of year. I met up with a friend downtown for lunch. It was good getting out with friends. We went to a restaurant that had a pizza buffet and I filled up so much on pizza that I was still a little full at dinner time. I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park shortly after I got back home. Mom talked about her normal amount on our drive. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm. We talked about the lights on the tree during dinner. After dinner we watched TV and laughed a few times before mom went to bed at 10:30pm. I had my normal amount of static when it came to mom changing.
Monday November 14th 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said she had no problem
with washing mom, getting her dressed or taking her pills. Mom was
sleepy the 6 hours Andrea was here
but up most of the 2 hours Shannon was here.
Both Andrea and Shannon had problems getting mom to go to the
bathroom. Mom is having a harder time
understanding the need to go to the bathroom unless she really needs to
go
bad. Since I didn’t get to bed until
3am I slept in until 10am. I was able to
get in a short hike before going grocery shopping. I went over to
Columbia Bottom Conservation
Area and hiked along the river. It was a
cloudy day but temps were in the mid 70’s very warm for November. I had
to get in a hike with these temps. Mom was up watching TV with Shannon
when I
got home at 3:30pm. Shannon wasn’t able
to get mom to go to the bathroom so I gave mom several hugs and told her
I love
her several times then was able to get her in the bathroom. We went for
a drive before dinner. I drove mom over to Sioux Passage Park. Today
mom was quiet on most of the drive. It was still warm on our drive and
was
starting to get dark towards the end of the drive. Mom did talk about
the tree lights during
dinner and the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at
5:45pm. We spent the evening watching TV and
laughing. Mom did not nap at all from
the time I got home until she went to bed at 1am. Also tonight mom
didn’t get restless like she
has been the past few weeks in the evening.
I did not get a lot of fussing when it came to mom brushing her teeth or
changing into her nightgown. I do give
mom her toothbrush and put the paste on it then she brushes them
herself. I also have to repeat several times for her
to take her pants off after she puts the nightgown on sometimes giving
her hugs
to keep her from getting upset then tell her to take them off again. I
sometimes have to repeat this several times
before she does it.
Sunday November 13th 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up for the day at 7:30am. It took 2 hours to get mom
dressed, feed,
pills down and a couple bathroom trips.
Mom talked about the wind blowing outside during breakfast. We left at
9:30am for a drive. Today we drove along the river road to the Grafton
visitor center. It was a partly sunny
day with temps getting into the 70’s. We
only saw one boat today and a couple of barges on the river. Also there
wasn’t much motorcycle traffic
this morning. Of course we were getting
an earlier start than normal. Mom did
sing to some of the Xmas songs as we drove she was enjoying the drive. A
lot of the trees have now lost their,
leafs. I fixed lunch after we got back
and mom talked about the tree lights and birds out on the feeder as we
ate. Mom ended up napping in her chair
most of the afternoon until about 3pm. I
had a friend come over with some of his friends at his church and they
raked up
leafs this afternoon. So it was just as
good mom slept most of the afternoon.
Mom and I took a drive to Sioux Passage Park after the, leafs were
raked. Mom talked about planes in the sky, cars in the parking lots and
sang to
some of the Xmas music on the radio. Mom
has been somewhat chatty for her on both of our drives today. I will
miss these drives when she is
gone. I fixed dinner after our second
drive. Mom talked about the lights again
on the tree at dinner. The last time mom
had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at
10:30pm, so I
will be getting her up around 2:30am then Andrea will get her up when
she gets
here in the morning. Mom napped some
more this evening after dinner in her chair as we watched TV. Mom must
have been tired today for she has
slept more than she normally does. I
didn’t much static tonight when I had mom change. Overall today mom has
been chatty when awake
and sleepy.
Saturday November 12th 2011
Mom did have a bladder accident this morning. She didn’t get the bed wet so it just she
didn’t get her panties down fast enough in the bathroom. I thank god she put on the clean pair of
panties in the bathroom herself so I didn’t have to fight her on changing. Mom and I got up for the day around
10am. Mom took her pills with no problem
and she talked about the wind blowing outside.
We had some strong winds today and tomorrow they will be even
stronger. Today was a cloudy day with
temps getting into the mid 60’s. I had to explain several times that mom needed
to take off her nightgown before putting on her shirt this morning. Mom did put her pants on with no
problem. After a couple bathroom trips
we went for a drive. Today we drove
along the river road to the Grafton visitor center. Today I just saw 2 boats out on the river 1
sailboat and 1 speedboat. The one radio
station here has started to play Xmas music and mom was singing along on some
of the songs as we drove. It was good
hearing here sing she was enjoying the drive and music. I fixed lunch for us when we got back
home. I also plugged in the lights on
the tree and mom talked about the tree and wind blowing outside during
lunch. Then after a couple of bathroom
breaks and a short nap we took a second drive to Sioux Passage Park. It was starting to get dark and we had a
beautiful sunset. Mom really enjoyed the
sunset and talked about it. She also
sang to some of the songs. I fixed
dinner after our drive and a bathroom trip. Mom talked about the tree lights as we ate and
the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:45pm and she went to
bed around 11pm. Mom did nap in her
chair tonight for a few minutes as we watched TV. I also did my normal telling mom several times
a day that I love her and give her countless hugs as well as act silly making
mom laugh. I was met with some confusion
when I had mom brush her teeth and change into her nightgown. Overall mom has been pleasant and
attentive.
Friday November 11th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said mom wasn’t too bad in getting her
washed, dressed and pills down but mom wasn’t as friendly as the past week. Andrea said mom was sleepy this morning but
Shannon said mom was up and pleasant most of the 2 hours she was here. It was a partly sunny day with temps getting
into the mid 60’s. I spent my time away
running errands and didn’t get in any hiking.
I got home at 3:30pm and mom was up watching TV with Shannon. After a bathroom trip I took mom for a drive
over to Sioux Passage Park before dinner.
It is getting dark these days right after dinner time. Mom doesn’t like driving when it is dark
outside. During dinner mom talked about
the lights on the tree. The last time
mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at
10pm. We watched TV this evening and laughed
a few times. Mom did start getting
restless around 9pm tonight. I will get mom up at 2:30am or so after I finish
this and do some work on the PC. I didn’t
have too much trouble tonight getting mom to change and take off her pants
after she puts on her nightgown.
Thursday November 10th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said it took awhile to
get mom to do things but that mom was pleasant about it. So mom was not being evil about doing things
today. Also both Andrea and I have
noticed that is harder at times to get mom to go to the bathroom. Andrea and I both have noticed overall mom
has seemed a bit more chatty than her normal over the past couple weeks. I got up and going shortly after Andrea
arrived. I had the mechanic pick me up
so I could go to the shop and get moms car.
I was able to get in a short hike even before running some errands. I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation
Area and hiked along the river. It was a
partly sunny day with temps only getting to 50.
I only had Andrea over today so I had to be back by 1:30pm. Mom napped some after I got home before we
took a drive. We drove over to Sioux
Passage Park. We saw a deer as it
crossed the street right in front of us when we were in the park. Around here we seem to see more deer this
time of year so you have to keep an eye out for them. During dinner mom mentioned the Xmas lights
on the tree several times. Like I’ve
said before she does enjoy the decorations.
The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:45pm and she
went to bed at 11pm so I will get her up around 2:30am or 3am then she will be
good to go until Andrea gets here at 7:30am.
We watched TV this evening and laughed and mom was chatty for her. I didn’t have any problem tonight getting mom
to change into her nightgown and then take off her pants.
Wednesday November 9th 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said mom was difficult
and restless until after she finally got her pills down. Then mom was
pleasant and mom was up most of
the 6 hours Andrea was here. Andrea
pretty much finished putting up the Xmas decorations today. Mom enjoys
the decorations so I had Andrea
put them up early. I spent my free time
taking moms car over to the shop then I ran some errands and grocery
shop. So I didn’t get in any hiking today. Mom was up watching TV when
I got back home
at 1:30pm. Mom did nap some after I got
home before I took her for a drive. We
drove over to Sioux Passage Park. It was
a mostly sunny afternoon with temps in the 50’s. A lot of the trees have
lost
their leafs so we mostly talked about the number of cars in the parking
lots as
we drove. During dinner mom talked about
the lights on the tree she gets a kick out of the decorations and it
gives her
something to talk about. The last time
mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:45pm and she went to bed at
10:30pm. Mom and I watched TV but
tonight mom didn’t nap during the evening.
Mom started to get restless and wanting to wonder around the house
around 9pm until she went to bed.
Tonight was an argument getting mom to change and take off her
pants.
Tuesday November 8th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea had mom feed by the time I
got up and they were in watching TV.
Since it was suppose to rain all day I decided to just let mom stay in
her nightgown all day. I spent the day
doing some writing on my business plan for my adventure therapy. Andrea and Schatcie both said the word of the
day for mom was calm. Mom was up
watching TV when I got home at 3:30pm.
Since it was raining mom and I just watched TV until dinner. During dinner mom talked about the flowers
and the last time she had anything to eat or drink was at 6pm and went to bed
at 12:30am. Mom did nap off and on
during the evening as we watched TV.
Overall tonight mom has been sleepy but pleasant. Mom did start getting a little restless a
couple hours before she went to bed.
Monday November 7th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said mom was sleepy today
but pleasant. Mom was up, washed and
took her pills by the time I left. It
was a rainy day I just went and hung out at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area but
didn’t do much hiking. Shannon was here
when I got back at 3:30pm and said mom was up about half the time she was here
and they talked and watched some TV. It
had stopped raining some when I got home so I took mom for a drive to Sioux
Passage Park. A lot of trees have now
lost their leafs. Mom talked about the
number of cars in the parking lots as we drove.
We ate dinner after our drive so the last time mom had anything to eat
or drink was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at 1:30am. Mom was quiet but responsive when I talked to
her both at dinner and during the evening.
Mom did nap off and on in her chair tonight as we watched TV. Mom was also fairly easy to get her to brush
and change. Overall today mom has been
sleepy but very pleasant.
Sunday November 6th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had my friend Patti over so I
could go to church. I had breakfast with
some friends at church. Patti said mom
got up around 9:30am but didn’t take her pills.
Patti also said mom was friendly, chatty and up about half the time she
was here. Mom was napping when I got
home so I had Patti fix mom lunch and get mom up. I took mom for a drive shortly after
lunch. We drove over to Columbia Bottom
Conservation Area then Sioux Passage Park all in one drive. We stopped at the visitor center at Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area. It was a
partly sunny day with temps around 60.
Mom was fairly chatty for her on our drive and in a good mood. We talked about some of the trees but now a
lot of trees have lost their, leafs. Mom
did nap a lot after our drive and I let her nap instead of going on a second
drive. I did wake mom up for dinner and
the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm. Mom was quiet during dinner and napped some
after dinner. We watched TV this evening
and mom was quiet but responsive whenever I talked to her or made her
laugh. One thing both Andrea and I have
noticed is mom is getting harder to get to the bathroom. I think we are making mom go to the bathroom
more than she really needs to but we are being safe. Sometimes I have to get her to the bathroom
she pees right away and then sometimes doesn’t go at all. Mom went to bed at 1am and it was fairly easy
getting her to change tonight.
Saturday November 5th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. When I went into moms bedroom
this morning I noticed she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her panties
down around her ankles combing her hair.
I think if I had gotten there later she would have pee on the bed
sitting there but I did get there in time and got her to the bathroom in
time. At least she was sitting on her
diaper pad. This is the first time I
have noticed this but Andrea said mom was doing something like this a couple
months ago. We got up for the day at
10am and had breakfast. It was a struggle
to get mom to take her pills today.
After a couple bathroom trips we took a drive. Today I decided to go back and take the river
road up to Grafton. It was a party sunny
day with temps getting near 60. I was
glad I took this trip the traffic into Grafton has now gone back to the normal
amount. So now I will add this drive
back to our weekend drives. I only saw
one sailboat today sailing up river. It
was fairly windy on the river good day to go sailing. I was surprise not to see any speed boats
out just the one sailboat and a couple barges.
Mom was in good spirits but fairly quiet on our drive. I fixed lunch when we got back and mom talked
about the flowers. After lunch mom
napped in her chair some before we took a second drive to Sioux Passage
Park. Mom was fairly quiet on this drive
as well. During dinner mom talked about
some of the tree colors outside the window.
The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:45pm. We just sat around watching TV and laughing a
few times. I just wanted to mention
again I have mom go to the bathroom both before and after meals that helps to
keep her from having bladder accidents.
I also tell her countless times a day that I love her and that helps to
keep her in good spirits as well as ask god to help. I had mom go to bed at 1:45am and got some
but not a lot of static when it came to her changing into her nightgown.
Friday November 4th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I over slept a little and didn’t
get mom up 5:45am but mom still didn’t have any problems that god. Andrea had mom up washed, dressed and feed by
the time I got up around 10am. Andrea and
Shannon both said mom was sweet today.
Mom did sleep off and on while Shannon was here. I did get in a short hike today after I did
some grocery shopping. I hiked along the
Missouri river in the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. It was a beautiful day with temps in the mid
50’s great day for a hike. Mom was up
when I got home at 3:30pm in watching TV with Shannon. I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park
shortly after I got home. Mom was fairly
chatty talking about the colors in the trees and number of cars in the parking
lots. You have to remember when she
talks it is only a few words at a time and not always complete sentences. I also tell her that I love her countless
times during the day and give her several hugs.
We ate dinner when we got back so the last time mom had anything to eat
or drink was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. Mom was quiet during dinner but very
pleasant. We watched TV this evening and
mom was responsive when I talked to her and very sweet. I did get some static when it came to mom
changing into her nightgown and taking off her pants.
Thursday November 3rd 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea had no problem with mom
taking pills today. Since it was rainy
all day I just let Andrea keep mom in her nightgown which also meant I
would
not have to get mom to change tonight.
Andrea said mom was pleasant and chatty.
Mom was up most of the time Andrea was here. I slept in and then took a
nap in my van over
at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area my body needed some sleep so I
ended up
getting about 6 hours sleep overnight and this morning. I got back at
1:30pm and mom was up. Mom did nap this afternoon after I got home
and we both napped a little after dinner.
I napped about 30 minutes after dinner.
During dinner mom talked about the flowers and the last time she had
anything to eat or drink was at 5:45pm.
We watched TV and laughed a few times this evening. Mom has been in
good spirits all day and a
little, more chatty than her normal. Mom
went to bed at 12:45am and I plan on waking her up around 4:30am so she
doesn’t
have any bladder or bowel accidents.
Wednesday November 2nd 2011
Mom
did have a bladder accident this morning in the
bathroom. I did not get up at 5:30am
just over slept so mom went close to 6 hours without a bathroom trip.
Andrea was able to wash mom ok but mom didn’t
want to take her pills and ended up drinking lots of milk but at least
she got
loads of calcium. Both Andrea and
Shannon said mom was sleepy today and was napping when I got home at
3:30pm. Today was a fairly nice day with
temps in the 70’s so I did get in a short hike.
I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and hiked along the
river. It was nice getting out in the
woods even for a short hike. I then had
to do some errands. I took mom for a
drive shortly after I got home. We drove
to Sioux Passage Park our normal drive.
Mom talked about the trees and houses along our drive. Now you need to
remember moms talks are just
a few words maybe a full sentence at a time.
I have also noticed that over the past few weeks mom will hear something
on TV and repeat the word she just heard on TV even if it doesn’t make
any
sense. Mom did try tonight to put some
thoughts together and tried to start conversations but had trouble
putting her
thoughts into words. We ate a late dinner
tonight so the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at
6:30pm. Mom was quiet during dinner. We watched TV and laughed a few
times this
evening until mom went to bed at 1:45am.
I will try and wake up this time at 6am to get mom up for a bathroom
trip. Mom was pretty happy this
afternoon and evening and was fairly easy tonight when it came to her
changing
into her nightgown and then taking off her pants.
Tuesday November 1st 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea said mom was restless at first this morning but then relaxed and watched TV with Andrea. Mom was up most of the time Andrea was here and was up when I got back at 1:30pm. I left late today as normal since I’m up late. I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park it was a beautiful sunny warm day with temps getting into the mid 70’s. Mom and I talked about the colors in the trees among other things. We took a second drive to Sioux Passage Park just before dinner. On this drive mom was quiet and not always responding when I talked to her. During dinner mom talked about the flowers and how sunny it was outside. The last time mom ate or drank anything was at 6pm and she went to bed at 1:30am. Since Andrea will be here on Wednesday at 7:30am I will need to get mom up around 5:30am because 6 hours is to long between bathroom trips. This evening we just watched TV and laughed a few times. I ended up getting about my normal amount of static when I had mom change into her nightgown and take off her pants.
