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.