I created this BLOG in hopes that my journey with my mother and her Alzheimer’s can help others. 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 13 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 2010. One of the things I feel that has helped her go 13 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. About a year ago 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 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 has started just a few months ago. 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 • Namenda started March 2005 • Folic Acid started in 2001 • Turmeric started in 2001
Monday February 28th 2011
Mom did have a small number 1 bowel accident overnight. Andrea was only able to get moms front side washed today. Mom was very fussy and not letting Andrea wash the backside which made Andrea a little mad at me for saying Friday that mom no longer had the fight in her. I also got a dose of the fight last night when it came to getting her changed into her nightgown. I was also correct though when I said mom would sleep most of the time I was gone today. She was in bed when I left this morning and did sleep most of the day. I knew she would be tired after no naps this weekend and all the drives we went on. Mom was sleeping when I got back at 3:30pm and didn’t get up until 4:30pm. We took a short drive to Sioux Passage Park after she got up and before dinner. During the drive mom did talk some and was responsive when I talked to her. It was a sunny afternoon with temps in the 40’s. Mom enjoyed most of the drive except when the sun was in her eyes. Mom continued to talk during dinner about the squirrels but not as talkative as this weekend. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 10pm. We watched TV and joked around some but mom was quiet tonight only talking when I said something. I had no problems tonight getting mom to brush her teeth or change into her nightgown. Overall mom was tired and fussy in the morning but happier in the afternoon and evening.
Sunday February 27th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. I got mom up at 9am in between my church services on TV. I watch 2 on Sunday mornings if I don’t go to the church. I feed mom breakfast and got her pills down before the second church service mom even watched it with me. I did not have any problems getting mom to put on her cloths I just had to explain what she needed to do. By the end of the second church program mom had been to the bathroom 3 times so we got ready for our main drive to Pere Marquette State Park along the river road. It was cloudy but warm today the temps got up to the 60’s. I even saw a sailboat out on the river today. We stopped for bathroom breaks at the Grafton, IL visitor’s center as normal. Mom was talkative at times and always responsive during our drive. She would start talking whenever she sees something that catches her eye. We are still seeing bald eagles along the river road but not as many as earlier in the winter. The bald eagles come in last week of December but most are gone by the end of March. After our drive we ate lunch at home and mom talked about what see saw out the window during lunch. We watched a little TV after lunch in which mom was quiet. Mom did not take a nap today either so I would imagine she will sleep a lot tomorrow during the day. Mom has been up since 9am and went to bed at 11pm. We took another short drive to Sioux Passage Park before dinner. During this drive mom was quiet and not always responsive when I talked to her. Sometimes she was like off in her own little world. During dinner she talked a little more but not as much as yesterday. She was quiet this evening as we watched TV but responsive whenever I talked to her and even a little playful with my brother Larry when we where talking to him over SKYPE. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 6:30pm and like I said she went to bed at 11pm. I did get some fussing when it came time for her to change into her nightgown. She even fussed on taking off her top to put the nightgown on and really fussed when I had her take off the pants. Overall mom was good but more quiet than yesterday I think she was more tired today since she didn’t nap yesterday or today.
Saturday February 26th 2011
Mom did have a small bowel accident overnight but not during the day. We both slept in today I got mom up at 10:30am for breakfast. I had no problems getting mom to take off her nightgown and put her top and pants on. I just had to lay out the cloths. She took off her pants after she had her bowel accident overnight. During breakfast she talked about how cloudy it was outside and the squirrels plus the flower plants I got her. She also reads the Valentine’s Day card I got her during meals she gets a kick out of it and each time she looks at the card it is like her first time seeing it. So I just leave the card on the table since she gets a kick out of it. I also had no problem getting her to take her pills I just have to lay them out for her and put them in front of her. After breakfast I did my usual have mom go to the bathroom 3 times before our long drive. We took a drive along the river road up to Grafton, IL. I noticed today all the ice had melted on the river and the river was a little higher. It was a cloudy day with temps in the 40’s. Mom commented on the cloudy skies several times not really complaining she has always been interested in the sky. She was talkative at times during the drive and responsive when I talked to her. We stopped at the visitor’s center there in Grafton for a bathroom break like we always do. I sure thank god she can still go to the bathroom by herself I will surely miss these drives with her when she is gone. I like going to this stop because mom is so use to it that hopefully she recognizes it more when she is there. We had lunch when we got back in which mom talked about the squirrels and birds giving me a play by play. We watched a little TV in which mom was quiet but responsive when I talked to her. Mom did not take a nap today so we then took another short drive to Sioux Passage Park before dinner. During dinner mom was talkative and getting a kick out of reading my card to me over and over every few seconds. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 6:30pm and she went to bed around 11pm. We watched TV this evening where mom was quiet but responded when I talked to her. I did get a little fussing when I had her brush her teeth even after getting her laughing. Tonight I had no problem getting her to change into her nightgown she even took her pants off without me saying anything. I wasn’t even going to try and get her to take the pants off she just did it on her own. Overall mom has been in pretty good spirits.
Friday February 25th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom was still sleeping when I left and slept most of the morning. Andrea did get all of mom washed except for her face and other parts lightly done. Andrea had to do more explaining to mom today on how to put her cloths on and take her pills. Mom didn’t fuss about it she just didn’t understand how. Mom was up and had just finished lunch when I got back at 1:30pm. She didn’t stay up very long before going back to bed. Mom ended up sleeping most of the morning and afternoon. Since mom was napping I decided to take one as well since I was up until 2am last night. We got up around 3pm watched a little TV and talking before taking a short drive to Sioux Passage Park. During the afternoon and drive mom was quiet but did start the talking a few times and was responsive when I talked to her. During dinner mom was a little more talkative but nowhere as much as last night. She was quiet but responsive when talked to during the evening as we watched TV. I did my normal being silly at times making mom laugh. The last time she eat or drank anything was at 6pm and she went to bed at 11pm. I had no problem tonight getting her to brush or change into her nightgown. I did not even try and get her to take the pants off. Overall mom has been in a happy mood but more confused on how to do things this morning.
Thursday February 24th 2011
Mom did have a number 2 bowel accident early this morning. This has been her first bowel accident in a longtime. Mom was asleep this morning when I left and I was gone until 3:30pm. Mom didn’t get up to eat breakfast today until noon then had a snack around 2pm. She ended up sleeping most of the day but got up when I got home and heard my voice. She was up the rest of the afternoon. I left again today for a business dinner so I had my friend Patti come over at 5pm. Mom went back for a nap shortly after dinner and was up and down until she heard my voice around 9pm when I got back. We watched TV together and talked until almost 11pm. Mom was in a very happy mood this afternoon and evening with me and wanting lots of hugs which I was happy to give her. Tonight was one of few nights that I didn’t have any fussing when I had mom take off her pants. I just had to explain what to do and the order in which to do it. Mom ended up sleeping most of the time I was gone but it was a rainy and snowy night so a good day to sleep and she was up a lot yesterday. Mom was in a very happy and responsive mood with me. Overall it was a good day.
Wednesday February 23rd 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea did get all of mom washed except for her face. Mom was not to fussy today when getting washed. Mom was asleep when I left but Andrea told me she was up most of the time after that and she was up when I got back home. She was also more alert and talkative with Andrea. Mom took a short nap after I got back before we took a drive. During our drive mom was more talkative than normal and alert. We watched the news after our drive before dinner. I must say mom was talking up a storm during dinner about anything going on outside the window and the flowers. After dinner we watched TV and mom was more quiet but responsive whenever I talked to her. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and she was up late until 11:30pm. Mom gave me no fussing when it came to brushing her teeth or changing. I did not have to explain what she needed to do to change tonight but I also didn’t have take the pants off either. Overall mom had a good day it was the most talkative she has been in awhile as well as more alert. Mom was in good spirits today as well.
Tuesday February 22nd 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom was up when I left today eating breakfast. Mom was up half the time Andrea was here but slept most of the time Schatcie was here. Mom was up when I got back home at 3:30pm. I know mom was talkative during breakfast talking about squirrels and stuff happening outside the window. She seemed relatively alert for mom at breakfast. Mom took a short nap after I got back before we went on an hour drive. It was a sunny drive but the temps where much cooler today only in the 30’s. Mom was quiet for most of the drive but did respond to me when I talked to her or at least most of the time. During dinner she was pretty quiet as well but more talkative while we watched TV this evening. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and I had her going to bed shortly after 10pm. When changing into her nightgown I didn’t have to explain what to do until it came to having her take the pants off. I had to explain what I meant when I said pants then she fussed and cussed but did take them off. I of course did my routine of getting her to laugh before trying to get her to change. I do thank god that I can still get her to laugh which I do throughout the day. After all I feel laughter is good medicine for the body and soul. Overall mom was in pretty good spirits today except for the taking off her pants LOL.
Monday February 21st 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea got mom washed today and mom was eating breakfast when I left. I’m not sure how much mom did sleep today but she was up when I got back at 3:30pm. We ended up taking a short drive then watched some news before dinner. During the drive mom was quiet but responded whenever I talked to her. I also noticed that mom was a little more wobble when she was walking this afternoon and evening than her normal. During dinner mom was talkative and responsive. This evening we watched TV and talked. I did notice mom talking to herself, in the bathroom mirror like it was someone else. She has done this a few times in the past but not on a regular basis. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and she went to bed a little after 10pm. I had some problems with mom fussing on brushing her teeth. She did not fuss at all on changing into her nightgown I didn’t even have to tell her what to do to change. Overall mom has been in good spirits today.
Sunday February 20th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. I got mom up this morning at 8am so I could get her breakfast and pills down her before I left for church. I had my friend Patti come over to watch mom while I went to church. Mom went back to bed shortly after I left and slept most of the time I was gone. When I got back mom and I had lunch. During lunch mom was more talkative than she was at breakfast talking about the squirrels and flowers. I had mom go to the bathroom 3 times before our drive like I normally do. We drove the river road to Grafton, Il on our first drive of the day. It was cloudy but the temps where in the 70’s again today. There was still a lot of ice chunks on the river but fewer than yesterday. Mom was quiet for most of the drive until something catches her eye then she starts the talking. She was responsive whenever I talked to her and in a happy mood most of the time. We watched a little TV when we got back mom did not take a nap so we went for a second shorter drive before eating supper. Mom started out talkative on the drive but then got quiet. During supper mom talked about the squirrels and birds outside the window. I do like seeing her interested in the squirrels and giving me a play by play of the squirrels running up and down the tree. I learned along time ago to enjoy the moment with mom and not think about what she no longer can do or understand. That would get to depressing and do neither one of us any good. After supper we watched some TV and talked. Mom was quiet this evening but responsive whenever I talked to her. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 10:30pm. She did fuss and cussed when I had her take of her pants after she put on her nightgown. Overall mom has been responsive and talkative at times today as well as in a good mood.
Saturday February 19th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. I got mom up around 10am for breakfast. She did fuss a little on taking off her nightgown to put on her shirt. During breakfast she talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree and the birds on the birdfeeder. Another thing she talks about during her meals that I’ve not mentioned before is the flowery plants I got her for Valentines Day. She just loves bright color flowers. After breakfast I had mom do the normal 3 bathroom trips before our drive. Today was a little cooler temp wise than the past couple days but still in the 50’s about 10 degrees above normal. It was cloudy and party sunny on our drive up the river road through Grafton IL to Pere Marquette State Park. We saw there was still some ice floating down the river a lot more than I thought there would be after all the warm temps lately. Mom was quiet but did start the talking when she saw something that catches her eye like birds or barges on the river. There are still several bald eagles along the river road on the cliffs swooping down to catch fish in the river. I fixed mom and I lunch when we got back from our drive where she talked up a storm about the squirrels and flowers. I guess the drive and all the talking at breakfast and lunch wore mom out and she took a 1 ½ hour nap shortly after lunch. Then we took a shorter drive to Sioux Passage Park. On this drive the temps where in the 50’s still but very cloudy and mom was quiet but responsive whenever I talked to her. After our second drive we watched some news before supper. During supper mom talked about the flowers but not as talkative as breakfast or lunch. We watched some TV during the evening until she went to bed around 10:30pm. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 7pm. Tonight I had no problems getting mom to brush her teeth or change into her nightgown. I also did not even try and get her to also take the pants off since tomorrow is not a bathe day. Overall mom has been in pretty good spirits and a little more talkative today than her normal.
Friday February 18th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea got all but the top part of moms back washed this morning. Mom was asleep when I left this morning as I went out for a very short hike. It was another beautiful day sunny with temps in the 60’s. I did notice that the river was a little higher today than yesterday. Andrea told me that mom slept a lot of the time I was gone. I got back at 1:30pm and mom was sleeping but did get up around 2:30pm and we went for a drive. It was still a sunny and warm outside but I did have mom wear her light jacket. Since it was such a beautiful day I took mom for a longer drive. We drove over to Columbia Bottoms Conservation Center. Mom was quiet on the drive and most of the time not real responsive when I talked to her. She was just busy watching the scenery in her own little world. When we stopped at the Visitors center mom was more responsive as we walked in to go to the bathroom. When we got back we watched some news before dinner. During dinner mom was more talkative and talking about the squirrels running up and down the tree. She was quiet this evening as we watched TV but was responsive whenever I talked to her. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and she went to bed around 10:30pm. I had no problems getting mom to brush her teeth or change. I didn’t even have to tell her what to do to put her nightgown on. Overall mom was quiet but responsive this evening and during dinner.
Thursday February 17th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom was just getting up when I left today. Andrea said she had problems getting mom to get dressed and take her pills. Mom had eaten her breakfast and lunch and was back to taking a nap when I got home at 1:45pm. Mom got back up around 2:30pm and we went for a drive to Sioux Passage Park. It was another beautiful day the temp was 76% and sunny just 1 degree from tie the record. It sure is great getting these nice days this time of year although by the weekend the highs will be in the 50’s and 40’s next week. It is all better than the first part of the month especially since I’m taking care of mom and can’t go ice climbing on all the ice we had. Almost all the snow has melted now just a few places where it was pilled up and in the shade. I did notice today that the rivers are starting to run a little higher over just the last 2 days from all the snow melting. I decided since it was such a great day outside to take mom out for dinner. We went to a Mexican restaurant that I like and had 2 taco salads for dinner. Mom was ok with going out but didn’t enjoy some of it. With her advance state she can be happy one minute and not the next and then back to happy the next minute. We watched some TV and talked when I started the talking for the rest of the night. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 7pm and she went to bed at 10:30pm. Tonight I really didn’t have much trouble getting mom to change. I just laid the nightgown out on her bed and told her it was time to get ready for bed. Tonight I didn’t have to tell her what to do and she even started taking off her pants without me telling her. Overall with me at least mom was in a pretty good mood and even a little sharper than her normal.
Wednesday February 16th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea was able to get all of mom washed today faster than normal. Mom had also been up eaten breakfast took her pills and was back napping by the time I got up. She got back up before I left and was up most of the day and was up by the time I got back home at 3:30pm. Today mom didn’t know who I was at first when she saw me this afternoon. I’m not sure if it was because she saw me from a distance so she couldn’t see me clearly. She did recognize me as soon as I got closer. This was about the 5th time she didn’t know who I was over the past 6 months. We ended up taking a short drive up to Sioux Passage Park this afternoon before supper. It was a beautiful sunny warm day the temps got up to 74%. I didn’t even have mom put on a jacket it was just so warm which is funny when a little over a week ago the highs where in the 20’s and 30’s. I will take a sunny 70 degree day everyday. I feel that might be part of the reason mom was up most of the day. I look forward to tomorrow which is suppose to be more of the same. Mom was pretty quiet on our drive but was happy to be out of the house for awhile. After supper we watched TV and talked a little or at least when I started the talking. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 7pm and tonight I had her going to bed at 9:30pm. I wanted to let her mind and body get some rest I plan on doing some longer drives tomorrow with her to enjoy these warm days while we have them after all it is still winter here. I had no problems getting mom to brush her teeth or to change into her nightgown. Since tomorrow is not a bathe day for her I did not even try to get her to also take the pants off.
Tuesday February 15th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom had gotten up by the time I left today and was eating breakfast. Andrea said she had some problems getting mom to take her pills but not in getting changed. Mom was up most of the time I was gone but was sleeping when I got home. Andrea said mom was pretty good except for the pills. I let mom sleep after I got back until she got up around 3pm. We took a short drive before supper. It was a beautiful day temp wise and partly cloudy the temps where in the 50’s which felt great since a little over a week ago the highs where in the 20’s. Mom was quiet on the drive but responsive when I talked to her. During dinner mom was talking about the squirrels running up and down the tree and the beautiful sunset. The clouds had that orange tint to them and mom was enjoying watching it and talking about it. She was very talkative during dinner which was great to see. With moms memory being so bad to her it is like she is seeing the sunset for the first time which makes it feel like I too am seeing it for the first time. Mom was quiet tonight while we watched TV but would respond if I talked to her. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 7pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. Overall mom had a good day and was in pretty good spirits. That is until it came time to change into her nightgown and take the pants off. She argued with me on taking the pants off and at first would not do it. I had no problems with getting her to take her top off and put the nightgown on the tough part came in getting her to take the pants off. She just doesn’t understand the whole need to change and gets a little mad because she doesn’t understand just how to do it. I have to explain what she needs to do then let her do it.
Monday February 14th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea got all of mom washed accept for one arm. I left a little later today and mom had just got up and was eating breakfast when I left. I think mom was up most of the time I was gone although she was in bed when I got home at 3:30pm. Mom got up shortly after I got home and we went for a drive to Sioux Passage Park before dinner. Mom was quiet during our drive but was enjoying being out. After dinner we watched TV and talked to one of my brothers over SKYPE. Mom was also quiet this evening and not as responsive. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 7pm and she went to bed around 10:30pm. Tonight I had no problems with getting her to brush her teeth or change into the nightgown. Like normal I explained what to do. Since tomorrow is not a wash day I didn’t even try to get her to take the pants off after she put the nightgown on.
Sunday February 13th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. I had Schatcie come over this morning while I went to church. I’m still checking out churches to see which one I will go with. Mom was asleep when I left and slept most of the 3 hours I was gone although she did get dress without anybodies help. Schatcie did get mom to eat some breakfast but not taking her pills. I got mom up when I got back and we had lunch and she took her pills then. After lunch we went for a long drive along the river road. It was a beautiful day sun was shining blue sky and temps around 60. There was still some ice on the river and wet spots on the road from the snow melting. We saw some bald eagles flying off the cliffs down to the river trying to catch some fish. Today we just drove up to Grafton, IL stopping at the visitor center for a bathroom break. Mom was talkative on parts of the drive and quiet the rest of the time. She was responsive whenever I talked to her. We watched a little TV when we got back before I took her out for dinner. Because of the weather this was the first time we ate out in a month or so. After dinner mom and I watched TV and talked to a couple of my brothers over SKYPE. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 7:45pm and she went to bed around 11pm. Mom did fuss when it came to changing her pants and getting into her nightgown. She was upset on taking the pants off after she put on her nightgown.
Saturday February 12th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom and I got up late today around 10am. I had no problem getting mom to take off her nightgown and put her cloths on. I did have to explain what to do. During breakfast mom was talking up a storm about the squirrels running up and down the tree and the birds on the birdfeeder. She does get a kick out of the squirrels and birds. Mom also took her pills without any problems. After breakfast I had mom go to the bathroom 3 times before our drive to make sure she wouldn’t have to go for awhile. This took about 1 hour for all the bathroom trips. We took our normal long drive along the river road. It was a warm and sunny day but because of all the cold and snowy weather there was still a lot of ice on the river and snow alongside the road. The roads where find but wet in some places from the snow melting. There wasn’t much barge traffic on the river but we did see a bunch of bald eagles. Mom was talkative at times during our drive even starting some of the talks whenever she saw something that catches her eye. Today we stopped at the Visitors center in Grafton, IL which is our normal stop for a bathroom break. Our drive lasted about 2 hours. After our drive we had lunch. During lunch mom was again talking up a storm about the squirrels. We even had a squirrel on the window ledge outside standing up looking in the house at us for 5 to 10 minutes before leaving. Mom was getting a good laugh watching the squirrel watch us. With her advance state of Alzheimer’s she is like a kid and gets a kick out of stuff that a kid would. In a way for me it’s like seeing things through a kid’s eye which can be fun. After lunch mom took about a 2 hour nap she was tired. We took a short drive after moms nap to Sioux Passage Park. The park still had some snow on the hills and I was somewhat surprise I didn’t see kids sliding down the hills. Mom was quiet on this drive not starting any talks but did respond when I said something to her. It was getting darker when we got back and ate supper, so mom couldn’t see the squirrels outside and was quieter during supper. Although she did read my Valentines card I got her several times during supper. She also talked about the flowers I got her during supper. We watched TV and talked after supper until she went to bed. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 6:30 and she went to bed around 10:30pm. I had no problem getting mom to brush her teeth or change into her nightgown. Again tonight I didn’t try and get her to take off the pants.
Friday February 11th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea did have problems getting mom washed this morning it took her about 10 times and she did not get washed above the stomach. Mom slept most of the time Andrea was here today. Andrea also had a tough time getting mom to get up to eat and get dressed. Mom just wanted to sleep but Andrea did get her breakfast and lunch down mom by the time I returned at 2:30pm. Andrea did say mom was enjoying watching the birds at the birdfeeder outside the dinning room window during both breakfast and lunch. Mom was sleeping when I got home and didn’t get up until 4pm. I guess she was tired from being up so late the past few nights. Since it was much warmer today mom and I went for a short drive before supper. I bought mom some flowers for Valentines Day and she loved them. After supper we watched TV laughed and talked. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 10:30pm a little earlier tonight. I always wait until mom has to go to the bathroom the first time after about 10pm to get her ready for bed. It’s just sometimes the first bathroom break after 10pm doesn’t come until midnight. I have found that it is much easier to wait until she comes out of the bathroom to get her ready for bed. When I try to get her up out of the chair to get ready for bed she gets upset. I also feel it’s not bad having her up later since she sleeps so much during the day when I’m not here. Tonight it was no problem getting mom to brush her teeth or change into her nightgown. I also didn’t have to explain what to do on changing tonight. I did not even try to get her to also take her pants off since tomorrow is not a wash day. Overall mom was in good spirits with me tonight and responsive when I talked to her.
Thursday February 10th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. I left a little later today to sleep in and get ready to meet a friend for lunch. Mom was dressed had eating breakfast and went back to bed by the time I left at 10:30am. Mom was asleep when I got back at 3:30pm. She got up around 4:30 and we watched a little TV before supper. During supper mom was being a bit more talkative and even starting some of the conversations. After dinner we talked and watched TV. Mom was quiet but responsive when I started the talks. Keep in mind that the conversations only last a few seconds at a time normally because of her memory. She has been in good spirits most of the day with me at least. The last time mom had something to eat or drink was at 6:30pm and she went to bed around midnight. Tonight mom did fuss some on changing out of her pants after she put her nightgown on. Like I’ve mentioned before mom just doesn’t understand to whole idea about changing her cloths and like normal I had to explain how to do it. I’m thankful to god that she can still change and brush her teeth herself.
Wednesday February 9th 2011
I got mom up around 7:30am to get her ready for the doctor’s office visit. So this morning I didn’t have Andrea bath her it would have taken to long. I had Andrea drive us over since the temps where in the teens. This way she could just drop us off at the door and mom wouldn’t be outside very long. It turned out that the date the doctor’s office put down was for tomorrow but gave me today’s date when I setup the appointment. That pissed me off we waited in the little room for 35 minutes with mom saying every 2 seconds lets go and it really was every 2 seconds. She does not like the doctor’s office and waiting. The doctor was taking so long that we finally just left mom was getting very unruly the nurse couldn’t even get her blood pressure. The device they use to get the blood pressure hurts moms arm as they pump it full. Mom even walked out the rooms door and would not come back in for awhile. It was a tough time for both of us. I think I need to check into the group visiting doctors where they come to the house. Going to the doctors is getting harder each time. Mom was getting so upset she even started swinging her fists not really trying to hit me more just trying to show her anger at being there. Mom started to cool down on our drive back home partly I think because of her memory being so bad she forgot about the doctor’s office. I left shortly after we got back mom was eating breakfast when I left. I too needed to relax and spend sometime to myself it was a hard start to the day. I’m glad I had Patti come over for a couple hours after Andrea left it gave me more time to relax. Mom was asleep when I got back and I think she slept most of the time I was gone I will check with Andrea on that tomorrow. She slept about half the time Patti was here. Mom got up as soon as she heard me come in at 3:30pm. We watched TV a little before supper we both where in good moods by then. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. Mom was in good spirits the rest of the day after this morning at the doctors and so was I. Mom didn’t give me any fuss when brushing her teeth or changing. I just had to explain what to do.
Tuesday February 8th 2011
Mom did have a small number 2 bowel accident this morning. Mom was just getting up when I left but slept a lot of the time Andrea was here. Mom had even gotten completely dressed without Andrea or I saying anything she just came out with her nightgown off and cloths on. We pretty much watched TV after mom got up. We again stayed in no driving. Mom was her normal quiet unless I talk to her then she was responsive. After dinner we just watched TV and talked as well as laughed mom was in pretty good spirits all day. The last time she had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and she went to bed around midnight. I had no problem getting her to brush her teeth or change. I just had to explain what to do.
Monday February 7th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea did get mom completely washed except for the face. Mom had just gotten up when I was leaving this morning to run some errands and spend some time for me. I got back around 3:30pm and mom was sleeping. Andrea had told me mom was perky today with her she even got dressed on her own with Andrea just laying out her cloths but not telling her what to do. Mom got up around 4pm and we watched a little TV before supper. I still did not feel like taking mom outside for a drive. Mom was somewhat talkative during supper but during the evening she was quiet unless I started the talking then she was responsive. The last time mom had anything to drink was at 6:30pm and I gave her a piece of cheese at 7:30pm. Mom and I watched TV talked and laughed this evening until she went to bed at 10pm. I had no problem getting her to brush her teeth after I gave her the toothbrush and paste. I’m glad she still knows how to brush them. I I gave her some hugs after and before she brushed her teeth. I also had no problem getting her to take off her top and put the nightgown on. I had to explain that she needs to take the top off first then put the nightgown on but I’m glad she can still do that by herself. Tonight I did not even try and get her to take the pants off. Overall mom has been perky and in a good mood all day. Even though she has the mentality of a kid and I have to explain how to do things I will miss her when she is gone so I try and enjoy as much time with her as I can.
Sunday February 6th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. I got mom up at 8:30am this morning so I could get her breakfast and pills down before Patti came over so I could go to church. I’m checking out some churches to see what one I might want to go to and for mom. Mom got dressed without any fussing I just had to explain what to do. She talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree out the window during breakfast. She was somewhat talkative during breakfast but went back to bed shortly after breakfast and slept most of the time Patti was here. I arrived back home at 1pm from church and mom was asleep. I woke her up at 1:30 for lunch and she was up the rest of the day until 10pm. We sat around a little after lunch still talking and watching the squirrels outside the window. We eventually went back to the TV room to watch a little TV before dinner. Since there was still snow and slushy lots mom and I did not go for a drive today either. It’s been about a week since mom has been outside the house I even canceled getting her blood work done last week because of the snow and cold. At dinner mom talked more about the squirrels outside on the tree. Then we watched the football game after dinner. The last time mom had anything to drink was 6pm and I gave her a piece of cheese at 6:30pm. Mom has been in a good mood today quiet when we watched TV but more talkative when we ate talking about the squirrels. She was pretty responsive when I talked to her as well today. She even didn’t fuss much when changing into her nightgown and taking off her pants. What fussing there was came when taking off her pants. I still had to explain what to do.
Saturday February 5th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. I let mom sleep in today and got her up around 10:30am for breakfast. I got her to change into her cloths without much trouble this morning. She is still sometimes confused when I say I’m in a certain room. I had no problem getting her to take her pills as we talked about all the snow outside and the birds. Mom was somewhat talkative at breakfast and then went in to take a nap shortly after breakfast. Since there was lots of snow and even snowing early today I decided not to take mom on a drive. So we stayed in all day. Mom got back up around 2pm and we ate lunch and talked some more about the snow and birds. She was up the rest of the day in good spirits and cheerful. We watched some TV before and after supper. She was quiet most of the time but responsive when I talked to her. We did a lot of laughing at my silly nest. At dinner we talked a little on the snow. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6pm and she went to bed a little before 11pm. I was glad to see she did not have any bowel accidents this evening. I had no problem getting mom to brush her teeth. I still have to hand her, the toothbrush and paste but she still remembers what to do after that. I also had no problem getting her to take off her top and put on her nightgown. There too I have to explain what to do and tonight I did not even try to get her to take off her pants since tomorrow is not a bathe day. Overall mom was quiet but responsive and in good spirits all day. I don’t think she got mad once today which is unusual which was nice to see her happy all day. I do thank god for putting me in her life.
Friday February 4th 2011
Mom did have a number 2 bowel accident this evening but none overnight last night. Tonight she had the bowel accident right after finishing dinner. Mom hard some bowel accident on the bathroom floor. This was the second day in a row having number 2, bowel accident but will keep an eye on this I know this is about the same time mom had bowel infections the past 2 years. Andrea told me mom has been a lot more alert over the past 2 days even trying to crack jokes. Mom has been up more as well but sometimes wonders around the house. Mom was up when I left this morning eating breakfast. I ran some errands and got out a little before tucking down for the weekend. With more snow coming this weekend and the snow we already have I don’t think mom will get out this weekend. Mom was sleeping when I got back at 2:30pm. She got up shortly after I came home and we watched a little TV before dinner. After dinner we watched TV, talked and laughed until she went to bed at 10:30pm. Mom was more quiet this evening than during the day but she was responsive when I talked to her. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 5:30pm. Again tonight mom didn’t put up much fuss when she changed into her nightgown. Tonight I even had her take off her pants again so I could check to make sure she did not have any brown stains in the pants from her bowel accident. When I checked there was no stains which was good. Overall mom has been in pretty good spirits all day.
Thursday February 3rd 2011
Mom did have a number 2 bowel accident this evening but none overnight last night. Mom was up this morning and had just finished eating breakfast when I left. Mom seemed with it and even joking around a little this morning before I left. I was told she was up most of the 5 hours Andrea was here but slept the 2 hours Shannon was here. I got back at 3:30pm mom was sleeping but got up when she heard my voice. Because of the cold and snow mom and I did not go for a drive. We just talked laugh and watched TV before and after dinner tonight. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 5:30pm and she went to bed shortly after 10pm. Mom was quiet this evening but was responsive when I talked to her and I got her laughing. Keep in mind moms conversations are only a few seconds at a time. Tonight was the first night in a longtime mom did not fuss that much about taking off her pants.
Wednesday February 2nd 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. She did have very little number 2, bowel in her underpants from standing up and having a little drip down. Andrea did make it over today at her normal time. Since I didn’t have mom take off her pants last night Andrea only got her feet and upper body washed. Mom was asleep when I left and was eating lunch when I got back at 1:30pm. Mom did sleep most of the time Andrea was here but did watch TV most of the afternoon with me before supper. Since there was so much snow outside and very cold temps mom and I did not go for a drive. I might even have to reschedule her doctors appointment next week because of cold. I will need to reschedule getting her blood work this week. Mom and I watched TV and talked after supper until she went to bed at 11:00pm. The last time mom had anything to drink was 6:30pm and I gave her a piece of cheese at 7pm. Mom was in good spirits today and responded to me when I talked to her plus I got her laughing a lot tonight like normal. It was even pretty easy getting mom to change into her nightgown tonight although she didn’t like doing it. Tonight I didn’t try and get her to take off her pants after putting on the nightgown. The nights I don’t try and get her to change out of her pants is always easier than the nights I do.
Tuesday February 1st 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom and I both slept in until 10:30am. Since the storm is going strong with freezing rain and snow Andrea did not come over today so it will be just me and mom today. I just had to get mom to take off her nightgown and put her top on since her pants where still on. She did this without fussing I just had to explain what to do. During breakfast she was quit but did talk about how dark it looked. She also took her pills with no problems. Mom stayed up after breakfast and watched some TV with me until 2pm when she took a 2 hour nap. We ate dinner shortly after she got up then she took another short nap for an hour. She has been quiet today but responsive when I talked to her. Overall mom has been in a good mood today. The last time mom had anything to drink was at 5:30pm and I gave her a piece of cheese around 8pm. Mom went to bed at 10:30pm so she had 5 hours to have all the fluid work through. I had no problems getting mom to brush her teeth but she fussed when it came to changing. She gets so confused when it comes to changing. I just had her take off her top and let her keep the pants on since Andrea most likely will not be here tomorrow to bathe her.
My journey with my mother through her Alzheimer's
January 2011 posts
I created this BLOG in hopes that my journey with my mother and her Alzheimer’s can help others. 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 13 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 2010. One of the things I feel that has helped her go 13 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. About a year ago 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 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 has started just a few months ago. 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 • Namenda started March 2005 • Folic Acid started in 2001 • Turmeric started in 2001
Monday January 31st 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea was able to get all of mom washed today except for the face. I was glad to see god held the storm off enough so Andrea could at least come over for a few hours and wash mom and fix dinner for the next few days. This might be the last time she is over for a couple days. Mom was sleeping when I left. I ended up getting some groceries and stuff to make sure mom and I can stay locked up in the house for several days while the worst storm in decades bares down on use. Since the storm had not hit yet it started to storm around 10:30am at the house. I actually came back early to relieve Andrea so she could get home before the roads got icy. Mom was asleep when I got back but was up long enough earlier to eat breakfast and take her pills. Andrea told me she had no problem with getting mom to take the pills today. Mom put her top on today over her nightgown which is one of the things people do in stage 6 of Alzheimer’s. Andrea and I saw any reason to fight her on changing to take the nightgown off since mom will not be going anywhere for a few days because of the storm. Mom has started doing things listed in stage 6 over the few months. Mom got up around 12:30 to go to the bathroom so I took the opportunity to get her lunch. We then watched a little TV together before she went in to take a nap. After about a 2 hour nap mom and I watched a little news before supper. Then we watched more TV until bedtime. The last time mom had anything to drink was 6pm and I gave her a piece of cheese at 7:30pm. Mom went to bed at 11:30pm tonight. I just had her take her top off since she had the nightgown already on underneath her top. She didn’t fuss at all tonight I just had to explain what to do. Mom has been up most of the afternoon and evening and in good spirits all day. She would engage in talking I started most of the talks which is normal.
Sunday January 30th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. I woke mom up around 11am after my church programs. Mom still had her pants on so all I had to do was get her to take off the nightgown and put her top on. She did this without fussing but I did have to explain how to do it then she did it herself. While we ate breakfast mom talked about the squirrels and birds outside the dinning room window. I have noticed over the past couple of months mom sometimes can’t remember where some of the rooms in the house are like the dinning room or the TV room. I had no problems with mom taking her pills. I had mom go to the bathroom 3 times before our afternoon drive. Mom was about her normal talkative during our drive along the river road. She also would be responsive when I talked to her. After our drive we ate some lunch where we talked about the birds some more. Then shortly after lunch we went on a shorter drive before stopping at a mini mart to pick up a couple of things before the big snow/ice storm hits starting on Monday. This is, suppose to be a 3 day storm starting off with at least a half inch of ice then 6 to 10 inches of snow. I pray the electricity doesn’t go out here. So it doesn’t look like mom and I will be going on any drives soon. We watched some news after our second drive before eating dinner. So the last time mom had anything to drink was at 6:30pm and I gave her a piece of cheese at 7:30pm. We did our usual watch TV and talk after dinner until mom went to bed around 11:15pm so hopefully everything ran through her system before bed. Mom was in good spirits all day I’m glad I can get her to laugh easily. That is until it came to her changing then her mood changed. She fussed quit a bit when it came to taking off her pants after putting the nightgown on. I feel for her she just doesn’t understand the whole changing thing.
Saturday January 29th 2011
I don’t think mom had a bowel accident overnight. She did leave her pants and underwear in the bathroom but neither had any yellowish or brownish stain. I woke mom up at 10am after I took my shower. I had to lay out moms cloths but she was able to get dress without me explaining how to do it she even hung up her nightgown. During breakfast mom talked about the birds, squirrels and the blue sky. She would engage and even start the talking sometimes. She may mention something but can’t carry on a conversation for more than a few seconds to a minute or 2. I had no problem getting her to take her pills this morning either. Overall mom was having a good morning a little more alert than normal. After breakfast I waited about an hour to make sure mom went to the bathroom 3 times before taking our normal Saturday drive. Mom was happy during our drive as we talked about the ice on the river and the houses on the edge of the cliffs. Of course as always I tell her several times that I love her through out the day. It was a sunny day which a lot of times puts mom in a better mood as it does for just about anybody. After we got back from our drive we had lunch in which mom talked about the birds and blue sky. Mom did lay down for about an hour nap shortly after lunch. I took mom on another drive but short one this time after her nap and before supper. We talked and watched TV after supper until she went to bed at 10:30pm. The last time mom had anything to drink tonight was at 6:30pm and I gave her a piece of cheese around 8pm. So I hope that she had everything run through her system. Mom did not fuss at all about brushing her teeth or with getting her nightgown on. I did have to explain first she needs to take off her top then put on her nightgown but she hung up her top without me saying anything. Overall tonight as well as all day mom has been in good spirits.
Friday January 28th 2011
Mom did have a number 2 bowel accident overnight. Andrea was able to get mom washed today. Andrea had a hard time getting mom to get dressed and take her pills. It wasn’t because mom was fussing but mom was disengaged which she gets sometimes. Mom was asleep when I left and when I got back at 1:30. Andrea said mom was sort of disengaged all day with her. Mom and I took a short drive around 3pm in which I did get her to engage a little during our drive. We watched some TV after our drive until supper. Mom was a little disengaged when I tried to get her to come out for supper. She would just sit there for awhile until I repeated come on out for supper a few times. Mom has been in a pretty good mood this afternoon and tonight. We did our normal TV watching and getting mom to laugh. Mom was able to engage more tonight after supper. I did notice tonight and a few times in the past that mom sometimes thinks the person she sees in the bathroom mirror is somebody else. This doesn’t bother her right now she just asks the person in the mirror if she wants her to leave the bathroom light on as she is walking out the bathroom door. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was 6:30pm and she went to bed around 11:45pm, so hopefully everything ran through her system tonight. I did not have any problems with getting mom to brush her teeth or get changed into her nightgown. Since tomorrow is not a bathe day I didn’t even try and get mom to take her pants off tonight.
Thursday January 27th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom was asleep when I left this morning which doesn’t surprise me since she was up until 1am. Mom actually slept most of the day until I got back home around 3:30pm which is when she had lunch. She was talking about the water melting off the icicles off the roof during lunch. She was pretty easy to get to engage during lunch and all evening for that matter. We took a short drive up to Sioux Passage Park before watching the news and then supper. We ate supper around 6:15 since mom had a late lunch. So the last time mom drank or ate anything was about 6:30pm. We watched TV, talked and laughed after supper. Tonight I had mom go to bed around 9:45pm since that’s when she went to the bathroom last. Tonight I didn’t want to take a chance on her not needing to go to the bathroom for 3 hours like last night. Tonight it was quit easy to get her to change and get out of her pants. She did fuss a little but not much.
Wednesday January 26th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea did have problems getting mom washed today but did get all of her washed. Mom would ask why are you doing this and tell her things like I hate you and cuss which she says to me sometimes it’s just apart of the Alzheimer’s. Andrea said mom was up and down a lot yesterday. Mom was asleep when I left but got up shortly after I left. I had to call the plumber this morning before leaving and came back early. Andrea did say she has had problems getting mom to dress the past couple of days and had problems yesterday getting mom to take her pills. Mom was asleep when I got back and got up just before the plumber left. So I feed mom her lunch and she ate it right down and talked about the birds on the feeder. Mom has been up most of the afternoon since 2pm. We ended up taking a short drive this afternoon. She was more willing to engage with me during this drive and has been in a pretty good mood both today and night. We ate supper at 6pm since mom had a late lunch. The last time she had anything to drink was at 6:30pm and I gave her a piece of cheese at 8:00pm. I finally got her to head for bed around 1am. This was the first time that I’ve seen her go 3 plus hours without having to go to the bathroom. I have found that it is easier to get her to head for bed when she is up and coming out of the bathroom. It is much harder to get her to get up out of her seat and get ready for bed without making her mad so I wait until after one of her bathroom trips. Tonight she went to the bathroom last at 9:30pm and still had not gone back at 12:30. I started trying to mention how late it was getting at midnight and that it was time for bed but she just sat there not really comprehending what I was saying. I finally had to tell her several times to get up and go to bed which did make her mad but she finally did get up and go to the bathroom first. The thing about the stage mom is in she forgets real fast that she was mad. I gave her a hug after and got her laughing before getting her to brush her teeth. It was hard to get her to brush her teeth she got mad and started acting like a little girl but finally she did it. Again though by the time she got done brushing her teeth she had forgotten she was mad. So I gave her another hug and got her laughing before having change into her nightgown. Tonight she took off her top and put the nightgown on without me explaining what to do and without fussing. She even hung up her top without me saying anything.
Tuesday January 25th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom was asleep when I left this morning and got up right after I walked in. Apparently mom was talking during lunch about the birds. We ended up taking a short drive this afternoon before supper. During supper and the early evening mom was being a bit disengaged even when talked to. I did get her to engage some later in the evening. We watched TV until she went to bed around midnight. The last time she had anything to drink was 6:30pm. She was a handful tonight getting her to change into her nightgown. I did my normal getting her to laugh before trying to get her into the nightgown. She didn’t have any problems getting her to take her top off and putting the nightgown on. The problem came when I had her take off the pants. She kept refusing to take them off acting like a little girl even sticking her tough out at me. I actually had to laugh at least on the inside. I did get them off after a few minutes. One thing I’m glad to say even after all these years of daily watching and helping her go through this I can still remember very clearly the women and mother she use to be.
Monday January 24th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom was up and in the bathroom when Andrea got here so Andrea had a tough time getting mom bathe but did get all of her washed. Mom was asleep when I left today but she ended up sleeping most of the day today. She got up shortly after I got back at 3:30pm. We didn’t go for a drive today. Mom was a little disengaged this after noon even at supper. When I talked to her a lot of the time during dinner and this afternoon she just sat there not saying anything in return. After supper I did get her to engage more as we watched TV. The last time she had anything to drink was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. Mom put up no fuss on brushing her teeth or changing into her nightgown. I did not even try and get her to take off her pants since tomorrow is not a wash day.
Sunday January 23rd 2011
Mom did leave some washed underpants hanging on the door overnight. Now there were no yellowish or brownish stains so I’m not real sure if she had a bowel accident or not. Since it was snowing today mom and I did not go on any drives. Mom slept most of the day just getting up to eat breakfast and lunch. She did talk about the snowing outside during breakfast and lunch. She did get up around 4pm and was up the rest of the night until about midnight. She was quiet most of the night but in a good mood overall. We watched some TV after supper until midnight. Since she slept most of the day it was good she was up late. She took off her top and put her nightgown on tonight without me having to explain how, when it came to her taking off her pants that was a different story. She refused to take them off at first even getting mad at me so I used a calm but assertive tone and she finally took them off.
Saturday January 22nd 2011
I don’t think mom had any bowel accidents during the night. I did see her underpants hanging on the light switch right over the heat register but they were dry and clean without any wash out yellow or brown color. So since I went in the bathroom shortly after she left there wasn’t enough time for the underpants to dry plus they would have had a yellow or brown stain. Mom was up after I took my shower but not dressed which was about 10am. So I had her get dressed while I fixed our breakfast. I laid her cloths out on her bed and she didn’t need much instruction to get dressed. Mom did talk about the birds and the white snow during breakfast. I put her pills on a napkin and normally like today she takes them without any fuss. After breakfast I had mom go to the bathroom 3 times before we went on a short drive. Today I kept our drives short because of all the snow on the ground. I want mom to only have to get in and out of the car when we are on the carport. Our drive was out to Sioux Passage Park near the house. Then we watched a little TV before lunch. Mom talked about the birds again during lunch on the bird feeder right outside her dinning room window. Then we took another short drive out to Sioux Passage Park where there were lots of kids sledding. After the second drive mom took a short nap for about 30 minutes then we went for a third drive to Sioux Passage Park before supper. During the drives mom was a little more talkative than normal but it was sunny. After supper we watch TV until she went to bed at 11pm. The last time she had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm. Since I’m having her go so long at night without any drink I give her more fluids during the day. Mom did give some fuss when I had her brush her teeth but not with getting into her nightgown. I did have to explain what she needed to do for both brushing her teeth and changing. Now tonight I didn’t even try and get her to take off her pants.
Friday January 21st 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea was able to get all of mom washed. Mom and I had breakfast together but today she was quiet. I left shortly after breakfast and mom had gone back to bed. Andrea said mom slept about half the time she was here and was kind of unsettled getting up and down. She was not very talkative with Andrea today. Mom was asleep when I got back at 2pm and didn’t get up until about 4pm but then was up the rest of the night. We took a short drive after she got up before supper. Mom was pretty quiet sometimes when I say something to her she doesn’t respond almost like she is in her own little world. I did get her talking towards the end of the drive. She has sometimes over the past few months gotten confused when I’ve told her the supper was on the table. She at first didn’t get that it means she needs to go into the dinning room and sit down and eat. Mom has been in a good mood with me most of the day and night. Over the past few months she a lot of times doesn’t say much unless I say something first. She will start the conversation at meal time when she sees the squirrels or birds. Most of the time when mom starts a conversation it is because she sees something that catches her eye. After supper mom and I watched TV and I got her laughing a lot. The last time tonight that mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 10:30pm, so 4 hours to have everything run through her system. Mom didn’t get me much fuss when I had her brush her teeth. Like always I give her hugs get her to laugh but I do have to hand her the toothbrush and paste. She didn’t put up a fuss getting into her nightgown she was just confused on what to do. I had to tell her a couple of times before she understood.
Thursday January 20th 2011
Andrea was snowed in and didn’t come over today at all. Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. So it’s been just me and mom all day. Mom has slept most of the day just getting up for breakfast and lunch. She did talk about the squirrels and birds outside during both breakfast and lunch. After lunch she did watch a little TV with me but didn’t stay up very long. She got up around 4pm and was up until bedtime. As we ate supper mom talked about the birds some more and was respondent to me talking to her all day and night. After supper mom and I watched TV but she was quiet unless I was talking to her. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 11:00pm. She has gone to the bathroom several times tonight so hopefully everything has ran through her system. Mom did fuss a little tonight on putting her gown on and taking off her pants.
Wednesday January 19th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or all day. Andrea got her washed without to much struggle. Mom was sleeping when I left for a few hours. After breakfast mom and Andrea did watch a game show on TV for a little while before mom went back to bed. She was up when I got back and just finished lunch. She had slept at least half the time Andrea was here and slept a little after I got back. Mom and I took a short drive before supper with all the snow they are predicting it may be a few days before she gets out. Mom was talkative during parts of our drive and quiet on the rest. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 6:45pm and she was up until 11:30pm. We watched TV and talked. I think I mentioned this before but tonight mom thought the person she saw in the bathroom mirror was another person. This is another thing that comes with Alzheimer’s. Mom didn’t give me any trouble brushing her teeth tonight but was being a little confused with taking her top off and putting her nightgown on. I didn’t even try and get her to take off her pants.
Tuesday January 18th 2011
Mom was asleep when I left this morning and I’m not sure how much she slept today. She was up when I got back at 3:30pm. We took a short drive before supper. She was a little more talkative during our drive and dinner. After dinner we watched TV until midnight. The last time she had anything to drink or eat was before 7pm and she went to bed at midnight. It was tough again to get her to take off her pants after she put on the nightgown. She kept saying no and I just kept repeating what I needed her to do she got mad but finally did it. Of course with the Alzheimer’s she forgot she was mad at me a few seconds later.
Monday January 17th 2011
Mom may have had a bowel accident last night. Not real sure this time and even some of the past several times moms underpants are clean just wet. Normally they are not clean they have either a yellowish or brownish stain even after she rinses them out. Mom was not as complacent with Andrea today but Andrea did get all but moms shoulders and upper back clean. Mom was still asleep when I left this morning and ended up sleeping most of the day getting up basically just for breakfast and lunch. After I got back at 3:30pm mom was still asleep but got up shortly after I got back. We took a short drive before supper. Mom and I watched TV and talked after supper until she went to bed at 11:30pm. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was 7:30pm so 4 hours before she went to bed. Mom was a little more talkative with me tonight but quiet on our short drive. I had no problems tonight getting mom to brush her teeth and not much fussing when I had her get into her nightgown. Of course I gave her lots of hugs and also didn’t try to get her to take off her pants.
Sunday January 16th 2011
Mom did have 2 bowel accidents this morning and last night although both where small ones. Mom got up around 10:30 and watched Joel Osteen with me and gave me no problem changing into her top. We ate breakfast after Joel and mom talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree. Like I say she does get a kick out of the squirrels. I had mom go to the bathroom 3 times again before we went on our longer Sunday drive along the river road. We are starting to see several bald eagles now that it’s winter. The bald eagles like the cliffs and the rivers for fishing. The river still has lots of ice covering it. Mom was talkative at times during our drive and seemed to enjoy the whole drive. I like getting her out of the house and see different scenery instead spending all her time in the house. I feel this helps with extending moms quality of life by sparking the mind with different sceneries. After our drive we had lunch then mom took a nap and I watched some football. We took a short drive after moms nap before supper. After supper we watched TV and talked a little. I also act a little silly which makes mom laugh she was in a good mood tonight. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was around 7:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. So hopefully 4 hours is enough to make sure everything has ran through her system. Mom was confused when I had her change into her nightgown and take off her pants. She did fuss about taking off the pants but it was more out of confusion than anything else. I do love her and will help her get through this by her side.
Saturday January 15th 2011
I got mom up today at 10am after I took my shower. She did not have any bowel accidents last night. She did fuss a little this morning on putting her top on. She talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree as we ate breakfast and took her pills with no problem. After breakfast I had her go to the bathroom 3 times before we took a drive to make sure all the fluid is washed through. At first on the drive she talked about how cloudy it was but then started to get quieter as we drove. It seems she is sometimes she is talkative somewhat but then needs to rest her mind and just watch the scenery. We did our river road drive today up to Grafton, IL and saw that the river has a lot of ice because of all the cold temps lately. Mom was in a good mood during our drive I do enjoy our drives and will miss them when she is gone. We ate lunch when we got back from our drive. Mom talked some more about the squirrels up and down the tree. After lunch mom took a nap and I watched some football. After moms nap we took a short drive before supper. Mom was pretty quiet on the drive and at supper but in good spirits. After supper we watched TV. She was quiet this evening but I got her laughing by doing my usual acting silly. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 7:30pm and she went to bed at 10:30pm. She did go to the bathroom several times this evening which is her normal. She did fuss and at first was saying she didn’t need to brush her teeth. I just kept saying we need to brush her teeth and she finally did but gave me a mad look. Then I hugged her after and before she brushed her teeth and got her laughing. She can still go from laughing to mad very fast when you tell her to do something. After she brushed her teeth I had her change into her nightgown. She said at first she wasn’t going to but after I waited and then repeated it she did it with no problem. She even hung her top up in the closet without me saying anything.
Friday January 14th 2011
Mom was up in the bathroom when Andrea got here. So Andrea said it was a bit of a problem to get mom back into the bed but once she did mom was fairly easy to wash. Mom stayed in bed after getting clean and was in bed when I left this morning. Mom did not have any bowel accidents last night. Since I was up so late last night I slept in this morning then ate breakfast and left the house around 10am. I just ran some errands before coming back at 1:30pm. Mom was up eating lunch when I got home so I joined her. She went back to bed shortly after lunch and since she was up so late last night I let her sleep for a couple hours. After mom got up we went for a short drive before eating supper. Mom was quiet on the drive but overall happy. We watched TV and talked or should I say I acted a little silly and got mom to laugh. The last time mom had any drink or food was around 7:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. She did fuss tonight about brushing her teeth. I had to keep telling her several times to brush her teeth giving her the toothbrush and paste. She got mad at me but did it. Of course by the time she was done brushing her teeth she had forgotten she was mad at me. So I gave her some more hugs and got her laughing before having her change into her nightgown. She fussed a little in changing and when she went to hang up her top she started to get confused and wanted to put it back on. She just gets so confused on the whole changing of cloths.
Thursday January 13th 2011
Andrea called in not able to get her car started so I had another caregiver I use Shannon come over instead. Mom did not have any bowel accidents last night. After I got up and took a shower mom was up by 9am when I got out of my shower. So I fixed both of us breakfast mom was in pretty good spirits but still had her nightgown on with her pants. She gave me no problems when putting on her top and taking the nightgown off. She also had no problems taking her pills and talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree. Mom ended up sleeping about 2.5 hours of the 4 hours Shannon was here and was sleeping when I got back at 3pm. Mom got up shortly after I got back and we took a short drive before supper. During supper mom was talking about the pretty sunset describing the colors of the clouds as the sun was setting. She enjoys sunsets and sunrises. We watched TV after supper and talked. Mom was pretty much in a happy mood tonight and I was acting a little silly at times. She laughs when I act silly. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was about 7:45pm. Mom didn’t go to bed tonight until after midnight. So hopefully everything has ran through her system. Mom would have stayed up later but I kept saying it was getting late after 11:30pm so she got up and went to the bathroom. I gave her a big hug and got her laughing after she got out of the bathroom. She didn’t really fuss on putting her nightgown on. I had to explain a few times she first needs to take her top off then put on the nightgown. She didn’t fuss on this part she was just confused on what to do. Then she did fuss some on taking off her pants I just used a calm voice and had to explain several times I need her to take off the pants so I can wash them.
Wednesday January 12th 2011
Mom did have a very small bowel accident this morning when she got up after Andrea bathe her. Andrea said mom was complacent when she washed her. She did get all of mom washed. This morning mom got up and dressed on her own without anybody saying anything. It’s the first time she did that in awhile. Mom took her pills today without any problems as she normally does. Mom and Andrea did watch some game shows but mom did sleep most of the time Andrea was here. Mom was sleeping when I got back at 1:30pm and slept most of the afternoon. She did get up once but didn’t stay up very long. Since it was so cold outside with snow I decided not to take mom for a drive and woke her up around 6pm for supper. She and I watched TV and talked all night. Mom didn’t go to bed until almost 1am. I had real problem getting mom to brush her teeth or put her nightgown on although I didn’t try and get her to take off her pants. I had to explain what to do in getting undressed but not in brushing her teeth. I just give her the toothbrush and paste.
Tuesday January 11th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents last night. Andrea said mom slept most of the time she was here except for getting up for breakfast and lunch. Mom was in bed when I got back home at 1:30pm. I had to take my car over this morning to the dealer because they had a recall on my van for the rear axel. So I got a free rental for a couple of days until they fix the van. I also had lunch with a recruiter today on a possible contract job. Mom got up shortly after I got home but didn’t stay up more than an hour before going back to sleep. Since it was snow on the ground and cold mom and I did not go for a drive today. We ate supper at 5pm then watched TV and talked. The last time mom had something to drink was at 7:30 and she went to bed at 11:30pm tonight. So I’m hoping everything ran through her system. Mom seemed to be in a good mood tonight but quiet. She did fuss tonight when it came to changing into her nightgown. She would say at first she wasn’t going to do it, so I would wait a few seconds then repeat what she needed to do. I had a tough time getting her to take off her pants so Andrea could clean her tomorrow. I kept telling her I needed her to take them off so I can wash them I had to repeat this several times. She kept saying no and got mad at me but finally took them off. Well it’s getting late and I want to get to sleep.
Monday January 10th 2011
Andrea said mom had a number 2 bowel accident last night. I guess her going to bed so early and only getting up twice before I went to bed did not let her flush her system out. Andrea did get mom completely bathe and even said mom was a little dossal. Mom was asleep when I left but Andrea said she was up about 3 hours this morning and they watched some TV game shows. Mom seems to like the price is right game. Although mom did go back to bed shortly after Shannon got here and was sleeping when I got back at 3:30pm. Mom did get up around 4pm but since it started to snow we just stayed in today and watched a little TV before supper. Tonight the last time mom had anything to drink was at 7:30 and she went to bed at 10:30pm. She wanted to stay up tonight so she must have just been very tired last night. I hope she got everything ran through her system tonight. Mom was in good spirits tonight and a little more with it than normal. She didn’t fuss tonight when I had her brush her teeth or when I had her change into her nightgown. Now tonight I didn’t even try and get her to take off the pants since tomorrow is not a bathe day for her.
Sunday January 9th 2011
Mom did have a bowel accident this morning around 2am it was a number 1 not 2. She was in the bathroom for about an hour so I knew something was up. She tried to wash her underpants and pants out in the sink. This was her first accident this year and the first one since December 28th 2010. I got mom up after I finished watching my church programs. She got up around 11am and we ate breakfast. During breakfast mom talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree. She does get a kick out of watching the squirrels. She got changed without any real fussing I just had to explain what she needed to do. Since moms pants from yesterday where wet I gave her a new pair of pants so she had to put on pants and her top. Like I said she didn’t fuss about it I just had to explain what she needed to do. After breakfast we waited about an hour so I could get mom to go to the bathroom 3 times before we went for a longer drive. I like to make sure she has had the milk run through her system before a longer drive. We took our normal river road drive to Grafton then to the park. I decided to take the longer drive since her foot wasn’t hurting her today. During the drive moms spirits where up and down but I did get her more talkative towards the end of the drive. After our drive we ate lunch in which mom started talking about the squirrels again. Then she went in to take a nap. After her nap we went on a short drive to look at Xmas lights before supper. There sure aren’t many lights left anymore fewer and fewer each day. During supper mom was quit but seem to be in good spirits. Tonight for the first time with me mom went to bed shortly after supper she wasn’t interested in watching TV or staying up. I had a very hard time getting her to take off her pants tonight even after giving her hugs and telling her I love her. She just wasn’t having anything to do with it so we argued for sometime until I wore her down and then she took them off. I needed her to take them off since tomorrow is a bathe day. This was the hardest time that I’ve had with her in a long time. She was in bed by 7:30pm the earliest in awhile. She has gotten up now 2 times by 11:30pm when I’m writing this to go to the bathroom. No bowel accidents this evening so far. I’ll say goodnight now it’s getting late and I’m tired.
Saturday January 8th 2011
Mom was up today just before I got up. During breakfast mom kept talking about the squirrels running up and down the tree. She was in good spirits and took her pills on her own. She was dressed when she got up since I didn’t wake her last night to put her nightgown on. After our breakfast I waited awhile so mom would go to the bathroom 3 times before going for a drive. I like to make sure she has all the milk run through her system first. We took a longer drive today along the river road to Grafton Il. Sh was pleasant enough but not real talkative on the drive. We stopped at the visitors, center there in Grafton like we normally do. When mom got out of the car she said her right foot was hurting. I took a brief look at it and it wasn’t swollen. So we just went to the bathroom then home. She was a little more talkative on the drive back and in good spirits. After we got home I looked at the foot more closely and there were no bruises and no swollen so I just gave mom some aspirin. We then had some lunch before mom laid down for a nap. We then watched a little TV before taking a short drive to see if there were, any Xmas lights still up and there were a few but not many anymore. Mom was in good spirits on this drive but not very talkative. After our drive I fixed our supper then we sat around and watched TV and talked. Mom was in pretty good spirits today until it came time to brush her teeth. The last time mom had anything to drink was 7:30pm and she went to bed around 10:30pm tonight. She did not have any bowel accidents last night either. Now when I tried to get mom to brush her teeth tonight it was like trying to pull teeth. For whatever reason she did not want to brush her teeth we argued this for awhile before I finally got her to do it boy was she mad at me. She really didn’t say a whole lot just stubbornly would not do it until she got so mad at me that she did it. The thing about her memory being so bad by the time she got done brushing her teeth she forgot she was mad at me. I gave her a hug told her I love her then told her that I got her pretty nightgown out for her and for her to put it on. She did it without to much fuss but then I also didn’t make her take her pants off. Well it’s getting late and I’m getting tired so I’ll end now.
Friday January 7th 2011
Andrea did not get moms shoulders washed today but did get all the other areas. I slept in today but still left before mom got up. I ran some errands and was back by 1:30PM and mom had already had her lunch and was napping. Mom got up around 3pm not to long before I left to go see Joel Osteen at the Scottrade center. I had my friend Patti come by around 5pm to watch mom. When I got back at 11:30pm mom was asleep and went to bed with her cloths on. Since the next day wasn’t a wash day I just let her sleep instead of waking her to make her change. Patti told me mom was in a pretty good mood and somewhat talkative with Patti as they watched TV. I also had Patti eat and fix supper for mom. So I do not have much to write today with mom since I wasn’t around most of the time mom was up.
Thursday January 6th 2011
Mom was sleeping when I left this morning. I had to take my van over to the shop then went to get a haircut and colored. Mom got up shortly after I left and was up most of the morning with Andrea but was in bed when I got back around 1:30pm. I let her sleep for awhile since I was busy with talking to job recruiters who where calling me. Mom was in a good mood with Andrea this morning. Mom and I took a short drive before supper. There aren’t as many Xmas lights up anymore. Mom and I watched TV and laugh a lot tonight after supper she was in a positive attitude tonight. She went to bed tonight around 11pm and her last drink was around 8pm. She did not have any bowel accidents last night either. She did fuss when it came to changing into her nightgown the poor thing just doesn’t understand the concept of changing. I had to re-approach the taking of her pants off several times but she did it. Well I’m about to fall asleep so I’ll end this tonight now.
Wednesday January 5th 2011
Andrea did get mom completely washed but not real well on some parts. Mom was being a lot fussier this morning she was getting very mad at Andrea. Since I got up so early yesterday and up late last night I slept in this morning. So I didn’t leave until 10am today and mom was still sleeping. I just ran some errands and stopped by my apartment before heading back to moms. Mom did get up shortly after I left and ate breakfast. She was up more this morning and was eating lunch when I got back around 1:10pm so I joined her for lunch. She then went in to take a nap shortly after lunch I even took a short nap myself. After we both got up we watched a little TV before taking a short drive. Mom was in a good mood except she did complain about no street lights when it started getting dark. Other than that she was quit on the drive. We watched some news after our drive before eating supper. Mom still eats everything we put in front of her which I thank god for. Actually I thank god for giving me mom. She was in good spirits at dinner but not real talkative tonight. We watched TV until 11:30pm her last drink was at 7:30pm. So far not giving her anything to drink for a few hours before she goes to bed seems to be helping her not to have bowel accidents at night. It has been a few days since she has had any accidents. I didn’t have any problems getting mom to brush her teeth tonight although I do have to give her the tooth brush and paste but then she knows what to do from there. She did fuss a little on changing into her nightgown but tonight I didn’t try and get her to take off her pants. Well I think I’ll head for bed now myself.
Tuesday January 4th 2011
I got up early and was out way before mom got up. I was gone until 5:30 because I was being paid to be in a focus group. As I write this I’m not sure how much mom slept today or how she was. Mom was up eating supper when I got back home so I joined her. She was in a good mood when she saw me but slept most of the 4 hours Schatcie (one of the care givers I use) was here. I’m not sure how mom was when Andrea was here. Mom and I watched TV after supper she was quit but in a good mood. We were up until midnight before she went to bed. I didn’t have much problem with her getting her nightgown on accept for me telling her what to do. Now getting her pants off so Andrea could bathe her tomorrow was another story. She fussed and didn’t understand why she needed to take the pants off even after I told her so I can wash them. After a few minutes she gave in and took them off but was mad at me but only for a minute or two then she forgot she was mad. Well it is late and I’m ready for bed so I’ll end for the night.
Monday January 3rd 2011
Mom slept most of the day today just getting up the eat breakfast and lunch. Since mom was up a lot this weekend with me and up late it’s understandable her being tired today. Mom was also engaging with me a lot this past weekend as well. Andrea got all of mom bathed today and even got her toe nails clipped. Mom fussed a little with Andrea but let her cut the toe nails. Mom was asleep when I got back today at 3:30pm and didn’t get up until 4:30pm we watched a little TV then took a short drive before supper. Mom was in a good mom with me today. She is starting to get a little confused at night that we are pulling up to her house. It is hard for her to see it clearly at night. I can tell from our drive tonight people have really started to take down the Xmas lights but there are still a few up. Mom and I watched TV tonight until about 9:30 when I had her brush the teeth and get changed. Tonight mom didn’t fuss about brushing her teeth or on changing into her nightgown. Well I’m ending this early since I’m getting up very early tomorrow to go to a focus group all day at least they are paying me.
Sunday January 2nd 2011
I woke mom up today at 11am after I got done watching some church programs I like the positive messages. Mom got up a couple times while I was watching the programs but just to go to the bathroom then she went back to bed. She did not have any bowel accidents last night either and still had her pants on under her nightgown. So when she got up all I had to do was get her to change her top. She was in a good mood and didn’t give any fuss but I did have to explain what I wanted her to do. She hung up her nightgown in the closet without me saying anything. It was another sunny day today and mom talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree during breakfast. She does get a kick out of the squirrels running up and down the tree outside her dinning room window. She took her pills today without me saying anything about it. I just put the pills next to her breakfast. After breakfast mom and I took a longer drive along the river road since it was such a beautiful day. Mom was in good spirits on our drive and responsive when I talked to her. We ate lunch after we got back from our drive then mom took a short nap so I took one as well. Mom was talking about the squirrels running up and down the tree while we ate lunch. We went for a shorter drive after our naps. Mom was enjoying this drive as well accept when the sun was in her eyes. Then we took another drive to see the Xmas lights before eating supper. After dinner we watched the St Louis Rams loss a game they should have won. I gave mom her last drink at 7:30pm and she went to bed around 11:30pm. I give mom more drinks during the day and early evening so she doesn’t get dehydrated but give her system plenty of time to get everything worked through before she goes to bed. When I had her change into her nightgown she fussed a bit on taking off her top but most of her fussing came when I had her take off her pants. Tonight I made her take the pants off so Andrea can bathe her tomorrow. Well it’s time for me to hit the sack so goodnight everyone.
Saturday January 1st 2011 New Years Day
Mom and I got up around 10am since we where up so late last night. We then ate breakfast after mom got dressed. Today was no problem getting her to take the nightgown off and put her shirt on. She still had her pants on from last night. Also she did not have any bowel accidents last night or the night before. It looks like it might be working not giving mom anything to drink or eat for a few hours before going to bed. Of course this means that sometimes we are up late. Like tonight she went to the bathroom at 9pm which was to, early to go to bed but the next time she went was 11:30pm. So I had her get ready for bed after that. During breakfast mom was a little more talkative then her normal mostly talking about the squalls running up and down the tree. After our breakfast we went for a drive it was a bright sunny day although a bit cold. We watched a little TV when we got back and ate lunch. Then we went for another drive since it was so sunny outside. Mom didn’t take any naps today but was fairly talkative for her at least all day and night. Since it was New Years Day and a sunny one I decided to take mom out for pizza at the restaurant. Whenever we go to a restaurant I talk to mom and joke around with her or she will get uncomfortable. Then once the food gets there she is busy eating so doesn’t get upset. If we just sit there not talking or food to eat she gets a little upset. I also go early to the restaurants before they get to busy and loud. I’m so glad I can still take her out for drives and dinner. After dinner we took a short drive to look at Xmas lights but it looks like some people have started to take down the Xmas lights. Mom went to bed around 11:30 tonight and didn’t give me any fuss about getting changed. I still had to explain what to do and didn’t make her take the pants off. Mom has had a pretty good day being in good spirits. Well it’s time for me to go to bed now so Happy New Year to everybody.
Monday January 31st 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea was able to get all of mom washed today except for the face. I was glad to see god held the storm off enough so Andrea could at least come over for a few hours and wash mom and fix dinner for the next few days. This might be the last time she is over for a couple days. Mom was sleeping when I left. I ended up getting some groceries and stuff to make sure mom and I can stay locked up in the house for several days while the worst storm in decades bares down on use. Since the storm had not hit yet it started to storm around 10:30am at the house. I actually came back early to relieve Andrea so she could get home before the roads got icy. Mom was asleep when I got back but was up long enough earlier to eat breakfast and take her pills. Andrea told me she had no problem with getting mom to take the pills today. Mom put her top on today over her nightgown which is one of the things people do in stage 6 of Alzheimer’s. Andrea and I saw any reason to fight her on changing to take the nightgown off since mom will not be going anywhere for a few days because of the storm. Mom has started doing things listed in stage 6 over the few months. Mom got up around 12:30 to go to the bathroom so I took the opportunity to get her lunch. We then watched a little TV together before she went in to take a nap. After about a 2 hour nap mom and I watched a little news before supper. Then we watched more TV until bedtime. The last time mom had anything to drink was 6pm and I gave her a piece of cheese at 7:30pm. Mom went to bed at 11:30pm tonight. I just had her take her top off since she had the nightgown already on underneath her top. She didn’t fuss at all tonight I just had to explain what to do. Mom has been up most of the afternoon and evening and in good spirits all day. She would engage in talking I started most of the talks which is normal.
Sunday January 30th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. I woke mom up around 11am after my church programs. Mom still had her pants on so all I had to do was get her to take off the nightgown and put her top on. She did this without fussing but I did have to explain how to do it then she did it herself. While we ate breakfast mom talked about the squirrels and birds outside the dinning room window. I have noticed over the past couple of months mom sometimes can’t remember where some of the rooms in the house are like the dinning room or the TV room. I had no problems with mom taking her pills. I had mom go to the bathroom 3 times before our afternoon drive. Mom was about her normal talkative during our drive along the river road. She also would be responsive when I talked to her. After our drive we ate some lunch where we talked about the birds some more. Then shortly after lunch we went on a shorter drive before stopping at a mini mart to pick up a couple of things before the big snow/ice storm hits starting on Monday. This is, suppose to be a 3 day storm starting off with at least a half inch of ice then 6 to 10 inches of snow. I pray the electricity doesn’t go out here. So it doesn’t look like mom and I will be going on any drives soon. We watched some news after our second drive before eating dinner. So the last time mom had anything to drink was at 6:30pm and I gave her a piece of cheese at 7:30pm. We did our usual watch TV and talk after dinner until mom went to bed around 11:15pm so hopefully everything ran through her system before bed. Mom was in good spirits all day I’m glad I can get her to laugh easily. That is until it came to her changing then her mood changed. She fussed quit a bit when it came to taking off her pants after putting the nightgown on. I feel for her she just doesn’t understand the whole changing thing.
Saturday January 29th 2011
I don’t think mom had a bowel accident overnight. She did leave her pants and underwear in the bathroom but neither had any yellowish or brownish stain. I woke mom up at 10am after I took my shower. I had to lay out moms cloths but she was able to get dress without me explaining how to do it she even hung up her nightgown. During breakfast mom talked about the birds, squirrels and the blue sky. She would engage and even start the talking sometimes. She may mention something but can’t carry on a conversation for more than a few seconds to a minute or 2. I had no problem getting her to take her pills this morning either. Overall mom was having a good morning a little more alert than normal. After breakfast I waited about an hour to make sure mom went to the bathroom 3 times before taking our normal Saturday drive. Mom was happy during our drive as we talked about the ice on the river and the houses on the edge of the cliffs. Of course as always I tell her several times that I love her through out the day. It was a sunny day which a lot of times puts mom in a better mood as it does for just about anybody. After we got back from our drive we had lunch in which mom talked about the birds and blue sky. Mom did lay down for about an hour nap shortly after lunch. I took mom on another drive but short one this time after her nap and before supper. We talked and watched TV after supper until she went to bed at 10:30pm. The last time mom had anything to drink tonight was at 6:30pm and I gave her a piece of cheese around 8pm. So I hope that she had everything run through her system. Mom did not fuss at all about brushing her teeth or with getting her nightgown on. I did have to explain first she needs to take off her top then put on her nightgown but she hung up her top without me saying anything. Overall tonight as well as all day mom has been in good spirits.
Friday January 28th 2011
Mom did have a number 2 bowel accident overnight. Andrea was able to get mom washed today. Andrea had a hard time getting mom to get dressed and take her pills. It wasn’t because mom was fussing but mom was disengaged which she gets sometimes. Mom was asleep when I left and when I got back at 1:30. Andrea said mom was sort of disengaged all day with her. Mom and I took a short drive around 3pm in which I did get her to engage a little during our drive. We watched some TV after our drive until supper. Mom was a little disengaged when I tried to get her to come out for supper. She would just sit there for awhile until I repeated come on out for supper a few times. Mom has been in a pretty good mood this afternoon and tonight. We did our normal TV watching and getting mom to laugh. Mom was able to engage more tonight after supper. I did notice tonight and a few times in the past that mom sometimes thinks the person she sees in the bathroom mirror is somebody else. This doesn’t bother her right now she just asks the person in the mirror if she wants her to leave the bathroom light on as she is walking out the bathroom door. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was 6:30pm and she went to bed around 11:45pm, so hopefully everything ran through her system tonight. I did not have any problems with getting mom to brush her teeth or get changed into her nightgown. Since tomorrow is not a bathe day I didn’t even try and get mom to take her pants off tonight.
Thursday January 27th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom was asleep when I left this morning which doesn’t surprise me since she was up until 1am. Mom actually slept most of the day until I got back home around 3:30pm which is when she had lunch. She was talking about the water melting off the icicles off the roof during lunch. She was pretty easy to get to engage during lunch and all evening for that matter. We took a short drive up to Sioux Passage Park before watching the news and then supper. We ate supper around 6:15 since mom had a late lunch. So the last time mom drank or ate anything was about 6:30pm. We watched TV, talked and laughed after supper. Tonight I had mom go to bed around 9:45pm since that’s when she went to the bathroom last. Tonight I didn’t want to take a chance on her not needing to go to the bathroom for 3 hours like last night. Tonight it was quit easy to get her to change and get out of her pants. She did fuss a little but not much.
Wednesday January 26th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea did have problems getting mom washed today but did get all of her washed. Mom would ask why are you doing this and tell her things like I hate you and cuss which she says to me sometimes it’s just apart of the Alzheimer’s. Andrea said mom was up and down a lot yesterday. Mom was asleep when I left but got up shortly after I left. I had to call the plumber this morning before leaving and came back early. Andrea did say she has had problems getting mom to dress the past couple of days and had problems yesterday getting mom to take her pills. Mom was asleep when I got back and got up just before the plumber left. So I feed mom her lunch and she ate it right down and talked about the birds on the feeder. Mom has been up most of the afternoon since 2pm. We ended up taking a short drive this afternoon. She was more willing to engage with me during this drive and has been in a pretty good mood both today and night. We ate supper at 6pm since mom had a late lunch. The last time she had anything to drink was at 6:30pm and I gave her a piece of cheese at 8:00pm. I finally got her to head for bed around 1am. This was the first time that I’ve seen her go 3 plus hours without having to go to the bathroom. I have found that it is easier to get her to head for bed when she is up and coming out of the bathroom. It is much harder to get her to get up out of her seat and get ready for bed without making her mad so I wait until after one of her bathroom trips. Tonight she went to the bathroom last at 9:30pm and still had not gone back at 12:30. I started trying to mention how late it was getting at midnight and that it was time for bed but she just sat there not really comprehending what I was saying. I finally had to tell her several times to get up and go to bed which did make her mad but she finally did get up and go to the bathroom first. The thing about the stage mom is in she forgets real fast that she was mad. I gave her a hug after and got her laughing before getting her to brush her teeth. It was hard to get her to brush her teeth she got mad and started acting like a little girl but finally she did it. Again though by the time she got done brushing her teeth she had forgotten she was mad. So I gave her another hug and got her laughing before having change into her nightgown. Tonight she took off her top and put the nightgown on without me explaining what to do and without fussing. She even hung up her top without me saying anything.
Tuesday January 25th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom was asleep when I left this morning and got up right after I walked in. Apparently mom was talking during lunch about the birds. We ended up taking a short drive this afternoon before supper. During supper and the early evening mom was being a bit disengaged even when talked to. I did get her to engage some later in the evening. We watched TV until she went to bed around midnight. The last time she had anything to drink was 6:30pm. She was a handful tonight getting her to change into her nightgown. I did my normal getting her to laugh before trying to get her into the nightgown. She didn’t have any problems getting her to take her top off and putting the nightgown on. The problem came when I had her take off the pants. She kept refusing to take them off acting like a little girl even sticking her tough out at me. I actually had to laugh at least on the inside. I did get them off after a few minutes. One thing I’m glad to say even after all these years of daily watching and helping her go through this I can still remember very clearly the women and mother she use to be.
Monday January 24th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Mom was up and in the bathroom when Andrea got here so Andrea had a tough time getting mom bathe but did get all of her washed. Mom was asleep when I left today but she ended up sleeping most of the day today. She got up shortly after I got back at 3:30pm. We didn’t go for a drive today. Mom was a little disengaged this after noon even at supper. When I talked to her a lot of the time during dinner and this afternoon she just sat there not saying anything in return. After supper I did get her to engage more as we watched TV. The last time she had anything to drink was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. Mom put up no fuss on brushing her teeth or changing into her nightgown. I did not even try and get her to take off her pants since tomorrow is not a wash day.
Sunday January 23rd 2011
Mom did leave some washed underpants hanging on the door overnight. Now there were no yellowish or brownish stains so I’m not real sure if she had a bowel accident or not. Since it was snowing today mom and I did not go on any drives. Mom slept most of the day just getting up to eat breakfast and lunch. She did talk about the snowing outside during breakfast and lunch. She did get up around 4pm and was up the rest of the night until about midnight. She was quiet most of the night but in a good mood overall. We watched some TV after supper until midnight. Since she slept most of the day it was good she was up late. She took off her top and put her nightgown on tonight without me having to explain how, when it came to her taking off her pants that was a different story. She refused to take them off at first even getting mad at me so I used a calm but assertive tone and she finally took them off.
Saturday January 22nd 2011
I don’t think mom had any bowel accidents during the night. I did see her underpants hanging on the light switch right over the heat register but they were dry and clean without any wash out yellow or brown color. So since I went in the bathroom shortly after she left there wasn’t enough time for the underpants to dry plus they would have had a yellow or brown stain. Mom was up after I took my shower but not dressed which was about 10am. So I had her get dressed while I fixed our breakfast. I laid her cloths out on her bed and she didn’t need much instruction to get dressed. Mom did talk about the birds and the white snow during breakfast. I put her pills on a napkin and normally like today she takes them without any fuss. After breakfast I had mom go to the bathroom 3 times before we went on a short drive. Today I kept our drives short because of all the snow on the ground. I want mom to only have to get in and out of the car when we are on the carport. Our drive was out to Sioux Passage Park near the house. Then we watched a little TV before lunch. Mom talked about the birds again during lunch on the bird feeder right outside her dinning room window. Then we took another short drive out to Sioux Passage Park where there were lots of kids sledding. After the second drive mom took a short nap for about 30 minutes then we went for a third drive to Sioux Passage Park before supper. During the drives mom was a little more talkative than normal but it was sunny. After supper we watch TV until she went to bed at 11pm. The last time she had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm. Since I’m having her go so long at night without any drink I give her more fluids during the day. Mom did give some fuss when I had her brush her teeth but not with getting into her nightgown. I did have to explain what she needed to do for both brushing her teeth and changing. Now tonight I didn’t even try and get her to take off her pants.
Friday January 21st 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. Andrea was able to get all of mom washed. Mom and I had breakfast together but today she was quiet. I left shortly after breakfast and mom had gone back to bed. Andrea said mom slept about half the time she was here and was kind of unsettled getting up and down. She was not very talkative with Andrea today. Mom was asleep when I got back at 2pm and didn’t get up until about 4pm but then was up the rest of the night. We took a short drive after she got up before supper. Mom was pretty quiet sometimes when I say something to her she doesn’t respond almost like she is in her own little world. I did get her talking towards the end of the drive. She has sometimes over the past few months gotten confused when I’ve told her the supper was on the table. She at first didn’t get that it means she needs to go into the dinning room and sit down and eat. Mom has been in a good mood with me most of the day and night. Over the past few months she a lot of times doesn’t say much unless I say something first. She will start the conversation at meal time when she sees the squirrels or birds. Most of the time when mom starts a conversation it is because she sees something that catches her eye. After supper mom and I watched TV and I got her laughing a lot. The last time tonight that mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 10:30pm, so 4 hours to have everything run through her system. Mom didn’t get me much fuss when I had her brush her teeth. Like always I give her hugs get her to laugh but I do have to hand her the toothbrush and paste. She didn’t put up a fuss getting into her nightgown she was just confused on what to do. I had to tell her a couple of times before she understood.
Thursday January 20th 2011
Andrea was snowed in and didn’t come over today at all. Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or today. So it’s been just me and mom all day. Mom has slept most of the day just getting up for breakfast and lunch. She did talk about the squirrels and birds outside during both breakfast and lunch. After lunch she did watch a little TV with me but didn’t stay up very long. She got up around 4pm and was up until bedtime. As we ate supper mom talked about the birds some more and was respondent to me talking to her all day and night. After supper mom and I watched TV but she was quiet unless I was talking to her. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 11:00pm. She has gone to the bathroom several times tonight so hopefully everything has ran through her system. Mom did fuss a little tonight on putting her gown on and taking off her pants.
Wednesday January 19th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents overnight or all day. Andrea got her washed without to much struggle. Mom was sleeping when I left for a few hours. After breakfast mom and Andrea did watch a game show on TV for a little while before mom went back to bed. She was up when I got back and just finished lunch. She had slept at least half the time Andrea was here and slept a little after I got back. Mom and I took a short drive before supper with all the snow they are predicting it may be a few days before she gets out. Mom was talkative during parts of our drive and quiet on the rest. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 6:45pm and she was up until 11:30pm. We watched TV and talked. I think I mentioned this before but tonight mom thought the person she saw in the bathroom mirror was another person. This is another thing that comes with Alzheimer’s. Mom didn’t give me any trouble brushing her teeth tonight but was being a little confused with taking her top off and putting her nightgown on. I didn’t even try and get her to take off her pants.
Tuesday January 18th 2011
Mom was asleep when I left this morning and I’m not sure how much she slept today. She was up when I got back at 3:30pm. We took a short drive before supper. She was a little more talkative during our drive and dinner. After dinner we watched TV until midnight. The last time she had anything to drink or eat was before 7pm and she went to bed at midnight. It was tough again to get her to take off her pants after she put on the nightgown. She kept saying no and I just kept repeating what I needed her to do she got mad but finally did it. Of course with the Alzheimer’s she forgot she was mad at me a few seconds later.
Monday January 17th 2011
Mom may have had a bowel accident last night. Not real sure this time and even some of the past several times moms underpants are clean just wet. Normally they are not clean they have either a yellowish or brownish stain even after she rinses them out. Mom was not as complacent with Andrea today but Andrea did get all but moms shoulders and upper back clean. Mom was still asleep when I left this morning and ended up sleeping most of the day getting up basically just for breakfast and lunch. After I got back at 3:30pm mom was still asleep but got up shortly after I got back. We took a short drive before supper. Mom and I watched TV and talked after supper until she went to bed at 11:30pm. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was 7:30pm so 4 hours before she went to bed. Mom was a little more talkative with me tonight but quiet on our short drive. I had no problems tonight getting mom to brush her teeth and not much fussing when I had her get into her nightgown. Of course I gave her lots of hugs and also didn’t try to get her to take off her pants.
Sunday January 16th 2011
Mom did have 2 bowel accidents this morning and last night although both where small ones. Mom got up around 10:30 and watched Joel Osteen with me and gave me no problem changing into her top. We ate breakfast after Joel and mom talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree. Like I say she does get a kick out of the squirrels. I had mom go to the bathroom 3 times again before we went on our longer Sunday drive along the river road. We are starting to see several bald eagles now that it’s winter. The bald eagles like the cliffs and the rivers for fishing. The river still has lots of ice covering it. Mom was talkative at times during our drive and seemed to enjoy the whole drive. I like getting her out of the house and see different scenery instead spending all her time in the house. I feel this helps with extending moms quality of life by sparking the mind with different sceneries. After our drive we had lunch then mom took a nap and I watched some football. We took a short drive after moms nap before supper. After supper we watched TV and talked a little. I also act a little silly which makes mom laugh she was in a good mood tonight. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was around 7:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. So hopefully 4 hours is enough to make sure everything has ran through her system. Mom was confused when I had her change into her nightgown and take off her pants. She did fuss about taking off the pants but it was more out of confusion than anything else. I do love her and will help her get through this by her side.
Saturday January 15th 2011
I got mom up today at 10am after I took my shower. She did not have any bowel accidents last night. She did fuss a little this morning on putting her top on. She talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree as we ate breakfast and took her pills with no problem. After breakfast I had her go to the bathroom 3 times before we took a drive to make sure all the fluid is washed through. At first on the drive she talked about how cloudy it was but then started to get quieter as we drove. It seems she is sometimes she is talkative somewhat but then needs to rest her mind and just watch the scenery. We did our river road drive today up to Grafton, IL and saw that the river has a lot of ice because of all the cold temps lately. Mom was in a good mood during our drive I do enjoy our drives and will miss them when she is gone. We ate lunch when we got back from our drive. Mom talked some more about the squirrels up and down the tree. After lunch mom took a nap and I watched some football. After moms nap we took a short drive before supper. Mom was pretty quiet on the drive and at supper but in good spirits. After supper we watched TV. She was quiet this evening but I got her laughing by doing my usual acting silly. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was at 7:30pm and she went to bed at 10:30pm. She did go to the bathroom several times this evening which is her normal. She did fuss and at first was saying she didn’t need to brush her teeth. I just kept saying we need to brush her teeth and she finally did but gave me a mad look. Then I hugged her after and before she brushed her teeth and got her laughing. She can still go from laughing to mad very fast when you tell her to do something. After she brushed her teeth I had her change into her nightgown. She said at first she wasn’t going to but after I waited and then repeated it she did it with no problem. She even hung her top up in the closet without me saying anything.
Friday January 14th 2011
Mom was up in the bathroom when Andrea got here. So Andrea said it was a bit of a problem to get mom back into the bed but once she did mom was fairly easy to wash. Mom stayed in bed after getting clean and was in bed when I left this morning. Mom did not have any bowel accidents last night. Since I was up so late last night I slept in this morning then ate breakfast and left the house around 10am. I just ran some errands before coming back at 1:30pm. Mom was up eating lunch when I got home so I joined her. She went back to bed shortly after lunch and since she was up so late last night I let her sleep for a couple hours. After mom got up we went for a short drive before eating supper. Mom was quiet on the drive but overall happy. We watched TV and talked or should I say I acted a little silly and got mom to laugh. The last time mom had any drink or food was around 7:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. She did fuss tonight about brushing her teeth. I had to keep telling her several times to brush her teeth giving her the toothbrush and paste. She got mad at me but did it. Of course by the time she was done brushing her teeth she had forgotten she was mad at me. So I gave her some more hugs and got her laughing before having her change into her nightgown. She fussed a little in changing and when she went to hang up her top she started to get confused and wanted to put it back on. She just gets so confused on the whole changing of cloths.
Thursday January 13th 2011
Andrea called in not able to get her car started so I had another caregiver I use Shannon come over instead. Mom did not have any bowel accidents last night. After I got up and took a shower mom was up by 9am when I got out of my shower. So I fixed both of us breakfast mom was in pretty good spirits but still had her nightgown on with her pants. She gave me no problems when putting on her top and taking the nightgown off. She also had no problems taking her pills and talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree. Mom ended up sleeping about 2.5 hours of the 4 hours Shannon was here and was sleeping when I got back at 3pm. Mom got up shortly after I got back and we took a short drive before supper. During supper mom was talking about the pretty sunset describing the colors of the clouds as the sun was setting. She enjoys sunsets and sunrises. We watched TV after supper and talked. Mom was pretty much in a happy mood tonight and I was acting a little silly at times. She laughs when I act silly. The last time mom had anything to drink or eat was about 7:45pm. Mom didn’t go to bed tonight until after midnight. So hopefully everything has ran through her system. Mom would have stayed up later but I kept saying it was getting late after 11:30pm so she got up and went to the bathroom. I gave her a big hug and got her laughing after she got out of the bathroom. She didn’t really fuss on putting her nightgown on. I had to explain a few times she first needs to take her top off then put on the nightgown. She didn’t fuss on this part she was just confused on what to do. Then she did fuss some on taking off her pants I just used a calm voice and had to explain several times I need her to take off the pants so I can wash them.
Wednesday January 12th 2011
Mom did have a very small bowel accident this morning when she got up after Andrea bathe her. Andrea said mom was complacent when she washed her. She did get all of mom washed. This morning mom got up and dressed on her own without anybody saying anything. It’s the first time she did that in awhile. Mom took her pills today without any problems as she normally does. Mom and Andrea did watch some game shows but mom did sleep most of the time Andrea was here. Mom was sleeping when I got back at 1:30pm and slept most of the afternoon. She did get up once but didn’t stay up very long. Since it was so cold outside with snow I decided not to take mom for a drive and woke her up around 6pm for supper. She and I watched TV and talked all night. Mom didn’t go to bed until almost 1am. I had real problem getting mom to brush her teeth or put her nightgown on although I didn’t try and get her to take off her pants. I had to explain what to do in getting undressed but not in brushing her teeth. I just give her the toothbrush and paste.
Tuesday January 11th 2011
Mom did not have any bowel accidents last night. Andrea said mom slept most of the time she was here except for getting up for breakfast and lunch. Mom was in bed when I got back home at 1:30pm. I had to take my car over this morning to the dealer because they had a recall on my van for the rear axel. So I got a free rental for a couple of days until they fix the van. I also had lunch with a recruiter today on a possible contract job. Mom got up shortly after I got home but didn’t stay up more than an hour before going back to sleep. Since it was snow on the ground and cold mom and I did not go for a drive today. We ate supper at 5pm then watched TV and talked. The last time mom had something to drink was at 7:30 and she went to bed at 11:30pm tonight. So I’m hoping everything ran through her system. Mom seemed to be in a good mood tonight but quiet. She did fuss tonight when it came to changing into her nightgown. She would say at first she wasn’t going to do it, so I would wait a few seconds then repeat what she needed to do. I had a tough time getting her to take off her pants so Andrea could clean her tomorrow. I kept telling her I needed her to take them off so I can wash them I had to repeat this several times. She kept saying no and got mad at me but finally took them off. Well it’s getting late and I want to get to sleep.
Monday January 10th 2011
Andrea said mom had a number 2 bowel accident last night. I guess her going to bed so early and only getting up twice before I went to bed did not let her flush her system out. Andrea did get mom completely bathe and even said mom was a little dossal. Mom was asleep when I left but Andrea said she was up about 3 hours this morning and they watched some TV game shows. Mom seems to like the price is right game. Although mom did go back to bed shortly after Shannon got here and was sleeping when I got back at 3:30pm. Mom did get up around 4pm but since it started to snow we just stayed in today and watched a little TV before supper. Tonight the last time mom had anything to drink was at 7:30 and she went to bed at 10:30pm. She wanted to stay up tonight so she must have just been very tired last night. I hope she got everything ran through her system tonight. Mom was in good spirits tonight and a little more with it than normal. She didn’t fuss tonight when I had her brush her teeth or when I had her change into her nightgown. Now tonight I didn’t even try and get her to take off the pants since tomorrow is not a bathe day for her.
Sunday January 9th 2011
Mom did have a bowel accident this morning around 2am it was a number 1 not 2. She was in the bathroom for about an hour so I knew something was up. She tried to wash her underpants and pants out in the sink. This was her first accident this year and the first one since December 28th 2010. I got mom up after I finished watching my church programs. She got up around 11am and we ate breakfast. During breakfast mom talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree. She does get a kick out of watching the squirrels. She got changed without any real fussing I just had to explain what she needed to do. Since moms pants from yesterday where wet I gave her a new pair of pants so she had to put on pants and her top. Like I said she didn’t fuss about it I just had to explain what she needed to do. After breakfast we waited about an hour so I could get mom to go to the bathroom 3 times before we went for a longer drive. I like to make sure she has had the milk run through her system before a longer drive. We took our normal river road drive to Grafton then to the park. I decided to take the longer drive since her foot wasn’t hurting her today. During the drive moms spirits where up and down but I did get her more talkative towards the end of the drive. After our drive we ate lunch in which mom started talking about the squirrels again. Then she went in to take a nap. After her nap we went on a short drive to look at Xmas lights before supper. There sure aren’t many lights left anymore fewer and fewer each day. During supper mom was quit but seem to be in good spirits. Tonight for the first time with me mom went to bed shortly after supper she wasn’t interested in watching TV or staying up. I had a very hard time getting her to take off her pants tonight even after giving her hugs and telling her I love her. She just wasn’t having anything to do with it so we argued for sometime until I wore her down and then she took them off. I needed her to take them off since tomorrow is a bathe day. This was the hardest time that I’ve had with her in a long time. She was in bed by 7:30pm the earliest in awhile. She has gotten up now 2 times by 11:30pm when I’m writing this to go to the bathroom. No bowel accidents this evening so far. I’ll say goodnight now it’s getting late and I’m tired.
Saturday January 8th 2011
Mom was up today just before I got up. During breakfast mom kept talking about the squirrels running up and down the tree. She was in good spirits and took her pills on her own. She was dressed when she got up since I didn’t wake her last night to put her nightgown on. After our breakfast I waited awhile so mom would go to the bathroom 3 times before going for a drive. I like to make sure she has all the milk run through her system first. We took a longer drive today along the river road to Grafton Il. Sh was pleasant enough but not real talkative on the drive. We stopped at the visitors, center there in Grafton like we normally do. When mom got out of the car she said her right foot was hurting. I took a brief look at it and it wasn’t swollen. So we just went to the bathroom then home. She was a little more talkative on the drive back and in good spirits. After we got home I looked at the foot more closely and there were no bruises and no swollen so I just gave mom some aspirin. We then had some lunch before mom laid down for a nap. We then watched a little TV before taking a short drive to see if there were, any Xmas lights still up and there were a few but not many anymore. Mom was in good spirits on this drive but not very talkative. After our drive I fixed our supper then we sat around and watched TV and talked. Mom was in pretty good spirits today until it came time to brush her teeth. The last time mom had anything to drink was 7:30pm and she went to bed around 10:30pm tonight. She did not have any bowel accidents last night either. Now when I tried to get mom to brush her teeth tonight it was like trying to pull teeth. For whatever reason she did not want to brush her teeth we argued this for awhile before I finally got her to do it boy was she mad at me. She really didn’t say a whole lot just stubbornly would not do it until she got so mad at me that she did it. The thing about her memory being so bad by the time she got done brushing her teeth she forgot she was mad at me. I gave her a hug told her I love her then told her that I got her pretty nightgown out for her and for her to put it on. She did it without to much fuss but then I also didn’t make her take her pants off. Well it’s getting late and I’m getting tired so I’ll end now.
Friday January 7th 2011
Andrea did not get moms shoulders washed today but did get all the other areas. I slept in today but still left before mom got up. I ran some errands and was back by 1:30PM and mom had already had her lunch and was napping. Mom got up around 3pm not to long before I left to go see Joel Osteen at the Scottrade center. I had my friend Patti come by around 5pm to watch mom. When I got back at 11:30pm mom was asleep and went to bed with her cloths on. Since the next day wasn’t a wash day I just let her sleep instead of waking her to make her change. Patti told me mom was in a pretty good mood and somewhat talkative with Patti as they watched TV. I also had Patti eat and fix supper for mom. So I do not have much to write today with mom since I wasn’t around most of the time mom was up.
Thursday January 6th 2011
Mom was sleeping when I left this morning. I had to take my van over to the shop then went to get a haircut and colored. Mom got up shortly after I left and was up most of the morning with Andrea but was in bed when I got back around 1:30pm. I let her sleep for awhile since I was busy with talking to job recruiters who where calling me. Mom was in a good mood with Andrea this morning. Mom and I took a short drive before supper. There aren’t as many Xmas lights up anymore. Mom and I watched TV and laugh a lot tonight after supper she was in a positive attitude tonight. She went to bed tonight around 11pm and her last drink was around 8pm. She did not have any bowel accidents last night either. She did fuss when it came to changing into her nightgown the poor thing just doesn’t understand the concept of changing. I had to re-approach the taking of her pants off several times but she did it. Well I’m about to fall asleep so I’ll end this tonight now.
Wednesday January 5th 2011
Andrea did get mom completely washed but not real well on some parts. Mom was being a lot fussier this morning she was getting very mad at Andrea. Since I got up so early yesterday and up late last night I slept in this morning. So I didn’t leave until 10am today and mom was still sleeping. I just ran some errands and stopped by my apartment before heading back to moms. Mom did get up shortly after I left and ate breakfast. She was up more this morning and was eating lunch when I got back around 1:10pm so I joined her for lunch. She then went in to take a nap shortly after lunch I even took a short nap myself. After we both got up we watched a little TV before taking a short drive. Mom was in a good mood except she did complain about no street lights when it started getting dark. Other than that she was quit on the drive. We watched some news after our drive before eating supper. Mom still eats everything we put in front of her which I thank god for. Actually I thank god for giving me mom. She was in good spirits at dinner but not real talkative tonight. We watched TV until 11:30pm her last drink was at 7:30pm. So far not giving her anything to drink for a few hours before she goes to bed seems to be helping her not to have bowel accidents at night. It has been a few days since she has had any accidents. I didn’t have any problems getting mom to brush her teeth tonight although I do have to give her the tooth brush and paste but then she knows what to do from there. She did fuss a little on changing into her nightgown but tonight I didn’t try and get her to take off her pants. Well I think I’ll head for bed now myself.
Tuesday January 4th 2011
I got up early and was out way before mom got up. I was gone until 5:30 because I was being paid to be in a focus group. As I write this I’m not sure how much mom slept today or how she was. Mom was up eating supper when I got back home so I joined her. She was in a good mood when she saw me but slept most of the 4 hours Schatcie (one of the care givers I use) was here. I’m not sure how mom was when Andrea was here. Mom and I watched TV after supper she was quit but in a good mood. We were up until midnight before she went to bed. I didn’t have much problem with her getting her nightgown on accept for me telling her what to do. Now getting her pants off so Andrea could bathe her tomorrow was another story. She fussed and didn’t understand why she needed to take the pants off even after I told her so I can wash them. After a few minutes she gave in and took them off but was mad at me but only for a minute or two then she forgot she was mad. Well it is late and I’m ready for bed so I’ll end for the night.
Monday January 3rd 2011
Mom slept most of the day today just getting up the eat breakfast and lunch. Since mom was up a lot this weekend with me and up late it’s understandable her being tired today. Mom was also engaging with me a lot this past weekend as well. Andrea got all of mom bathed today and even got her toe nails clipped. Mom fussed a little with Andrea but let her cut the toe nails. Mom was asleep when I got back today at 3:30pm and didn’t get up until 4:30pm we watched a little TV then took a short drive before supper. Mom was in a good mom with me today. She is starting to get a little confused at night that we are pulling up to her house. It is hard for her to see it clearly at night. I can tell from our drive tonight people have really started to take down the Xmas lights but there are still a few up. Mom and I watched TV tonight until about 9:30 when I had her brush the teeth and get changed. Tonight mom didn’t fuss about brushing her teeth or on changing into her nightgown. Well I’m ending this early since I’m getting up very early tomorrow to go to a focus group all day at least they are paying me.
Sunday January 2nd 2011
I woke mom up today at 11am after I got done watching some church programs I like the positive messages. Mom got up a couple times while I was watching the programs but just to go to the bathroom then she went back to bed. She did not have any bowel accidents last night either and still had her pants on under her nightgown. So when she got up all I had to do was get her to change her top. She was in a good mood and didn’t give any fuss but I did have to explain what I wanted her to do. She hung up her nightgown in the closet without me saying anything. It was another sunny day today and mom talked about the squirrels running up and down the tree during breakfast. She does get a kick out of the squirrels running up and down the tree outside her dinning room window. She took her pills today without me saying anything about it. I just put the pills next to her breakfast. After breakfast mom and I took a longer drive along the river road since it was such a beautiful day. Mom was in good spirits on our drive and responsive when I talked to her. We ate lunch after we got back from our drive then mom took a short nap so I took one as well. Mom was talking about the squirrels running up and down the tree while we ate lunch. We went for a shorter drive after our naps. Mom was enjoying this drive as well accept when the sun was in her eyes. Then we took another drive to see the Xmas lights before eating supper. After dinner we watched the St Louis Rams loss a game they should have won. I gave mom her last drink at 7:30pm and she went to bed around 11:30pm. I give mom more drinks during the day and early evening so she doesn’t get dehydrated but give her system plenty of time to get everything worked through before she goes to bed. When I had her change into her nightgown she fussed a bit on taking off her top but most of her fussing came when I had her take off her pants. Tonight I made her take the pants off so Andrea can bathe her tomorrow. Well it’s time for me to hit the sack so goodnight everyone.
Saturday January 1st 2011 New Years Day
Mom and I got up around 10am since we where up so late last night. We then ate breakfast after mom got dressed. Today was no problem getting her to take the nightgown off and put her shirt on. She still had her pants on from last night. Also she did not have any bowel accidents last night or the night before. It looks like it might be working not giving mom anything to drink or eat for a few hours before going to bed. Of course this means that sometimes we are up late. Like tonight she went to the bathroom at 9pm which was to, early to go to bed but the next time she went was 11:30pm. So I had her get ready for bed after that. During breakfast mom was a little more talkative then her normal mostly talking about the squalls running up and down the tree. After our breakfast we went for a drive it was a bright sunny day although a bit cold. We watched a little TV when we got back and ate lunch. Then we went for another drive since it was so sunny outside. Mom didn’t take any naps today but was fairly talkative for her at least all day and night. Since it was New Years Day and a sunny one I decided to take mom out for pizza at the restaurant. Whenever we go to a restaurant I talk to mom and joke around with her or she will get uncomfortable. Then once the food gets there she is busy eating so doesn’t get upset. If we just sit there not talking or food to eat she gets a little upset. I also go early to the restaurants before they get to busy and loud. I’m so glad I can still take her out for drives and dinner. After dinner we took a short drive to look at Xmas lights but it looks like some people have started to take down the Xmas lights. Mom went to bed around 11:30 tonight and didn’t give me any fuss about getting changed. I still had to explain what to do and didn’t make her take the pants off. Mom has had a pretty good day being in good spirits. Well it’s time for me to go to bed now so Happy New Year to everybody.
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