Updated on July 15th 2011
I created this BLOG in hopes that my journey with my mother and her Alzheimer’s can help others. I list my daily posts below. I wanted to explain a little about my mother Alzheimer’s. She has helped me all my life with my journey of cerebral palsy. She is 88 years old and has had Alzheimer’s for at least 14 years now. I first noticed her memory problems back in the fall of 1997. She was able to keep driving and handling her check book until the winter of 2003/2004. She could still go on 2 mile hikes with me into 2005 and ½ mile walks thru 2008, now she mostly can only walk a few yards before her hip starts to hurt her. I moved back into her home in 2005 to help her stay in her house although I have kept my own place thru March 2011. One of the things I feel that has helped her go 14 years and still going is I’ve had people (mostly me) around her quit a bit. This helped her stay engaged with people. In 2003 she averaged people with her @90hrs/wk out of 168 hrs in a week, in 2004/2005/2006 @110hrs/wk, 2007 @125hrs/wk, 2008 @135hrs/wk. Then starting in January 2009 she has had someone with her 24/7. I started using care givers in 2005 to help and to give mom other women to talk to and get use to. Right now she can still dress and undress herself but is starting to struggle with it and needs to be told what to do most of the time. In December 2009 she started to refuse to wash herself now one of the care givers I use sponge bathes her 3 times a week. Right now mentally she is like a 4 to 6 year old girl with just a few seconds of memory. She has started to get confused with the getting undressed and dressed part but can still do it herself. She has also sometimes thought the person she sees in the bathroom mirror is someone else this started in 2010. I started using a diaper pad on mom’s bed in July 2011. She can still walk on her own with no help. Here is a list of the drugs and supplements she takes for her Alzheimer’s
•Razadyne started in 2000 then in 2011 changed to generic Galantamine
•Namenda started March 2005
•Folic Acid started in 2001
•Turmeric started in 2001
Monday October 31st 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea had mom feed and fully dressed by the
time I got up. Mom was in a good mood
today with both the caregivers and was up most of the day. I was so tired and needing to get sleep that
I went to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area just to take a nap in the minivan. I still have to bed setup in the back of the
minivan from my traveling/climbing days.
It was a mostly sunny day but I just slept instead of hiking. I got home at 3:30pm and mom was up watching
TV. We took a drive to Sioux Passage
Park before dinner. We talked about the
trees and houses as we drove along.
During dinner we talked about the flowers and how nice it looked
outside. The last time mom had anything
to eat or drink was at 5:30pm and I put her to bed at 10:30pm since she was up
all day. I will get her up again around
3am so she can go to the bathroom then Andrea will be here at 8:30am. Mom was sweet all day but did fuss more than
normal with the changing into her nightgown and taking the pants off.
Saturday and Sunday October 29th and 30th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents over the
past 2 days. I’m combining these 2 days
together because I wasn’t feeling real good yesterday and was very tired. Mom and I slept in Saturday until 10am after
getting mom up early in the morning. I’m
getting mom up about every 4 or 5 hours so she doesn’t have any accidents. On Saturday we just drove over the Columbia Bottom
Conservation Area and napped some in the afternoon. On Saturday mom took her pills with no
problem. We watched TV Saturday night
until we went to bed around midnight then I got mom up around 5am on Sunday for
a bathroom trip. I did have some fussing when it came to mom changing. I had my friend Patti over on Sunday while I
went to church. I meet up with some
friends and ate at the church like I normally do. Mom didn’t take her pills today with Andrea
so I had mom take them at lunch after I got back. It was kind of a cloudy day with light rain
so mom and I just drove over to Sioux Passage Park this afternoon. We talked about the colors in the trees and
flowers. We both napped some before
dinner when we got back. We finished
dinner at 5:30pm but I did give mom a cookie around 6:30pm. We watched TV and some of the parade for the
World champion St Louis Cardinals. We
both have been quiet today. I’m still
not back to my normal self. I plan on
sleeping a lot tomorrow while I have people here to watch mom and hopefully
kick this bug in the butt. Mom went to
bed at 1:30am and I received about my normal amout of static when it came to
mom changing.
Friday October 28th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea was able to get mom washed
and moms pills down but only was able to get mom to put on her pants under her
nightgown. Andrea was not able to get
mom to put on her shirt and take off the nightgown. Andrea said the word of the day was very
restless. Mom did settle down and nap
some the 3 hours Patti was here. It was
a partly sunny day with cool temps and I was able to get in a short hike before
going to the grocery store. Since it is
so close to me I went over to the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and hiked
along the river. The trail I hiked on is
close enough to the river you can hear the water hitting the shoreline and see
the current going down river. It is so
peaceful and every so often you can hear the birds in the trees and brush along
the river. Today I heard some fish
jumping up then back in the river. I got
back home at 4:30pm and got mom to put her shirt on so we could go for a
drive. Mom was up and in the bathroom
when I got home. I took mom for a drive
over to Sioux Passage Park and we talked about the colors in the trees
mostly. I fixed dinner when we got back
and we were done by 5:30pm. I gave mom a
cookie shortly after dinner so the last time mom had anything to eat or drink
was at 6:30pm. We then sat and watched
the St Louis Cardinals win the World Series.
Mom tried several times to carry on conversations a lot more than her
normal. The problem is she has a hard
time trying to say what she wants. It is
hard to understand her. I think she
knows what she wants to say just has a hard time remembering how to say
it. Mom did nap some in her chair after
about 10pm and I then put her to bed at 1am.
Overall tonight mom was chatter than normal and in good spirits.
Thursday October 27th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said mom was non
responsive when she tried to talk to mom.
Mom did do whatever Andrea told mom to do. Mom just did not want to talk. Mom napped a lot of the morning in her
chair. Mom was napping when I got home
at 1:30pm. Since I’m not getting a lot
of sleep at night until Andrea gets here I slept in as normal and mom was up
dressed and feed by the time I got up and going out the door. I just had enough time to run some errands
before I needed to be home. I let her
nap some more when I got home before we went for a drive to Sioux Passage
Park. It was a mostly sunny afternoon
with temps in the 50’s for our drive.
Mom talked about the flowers and trees on our drive. We ate dinner shortly after our drive so the
last time mom ate anything was at 5:15pm and she went to bed around
1:30am. We watched one of the best World
Series games ever played tonight and was made even better when the St Louis
Cardinals came out ahead. The game went
into extra innings with the lead going back and forth. Texas had the St Louis Cardinals down to the
last strike twice when the Cardinals came back to tie. Going into the bottom of the 9th
inning Texas had a 2 run lead and the Cardinals where down to their last strike
when they tied the game. Then Texas
scored 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning and again had the
Cardinals down to their last strike when the Cardinals tied the score
again. Then the Cardinals won with a
home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. When I had mom get ready for bed I got my
normal amount of fussing when it came to mom changing and taking off the
pants.
Wednesday October 26th 2011
Mom did have a bowel accident tonight after dinner. She messed up her panties but not the pants
but I threw them in the wash anyway.
After moms accident I just had her change into her nightgown and take
off her pants so she sat watching TV in her nightgown. Andrea said mom was sweet today and had no
problem getting mom washed, taking her pills or getting dressed mom was easy
breezy. I did get mom up around 4:30am
to go to the bathroom. It has been a
cloudy rainy day all day they even canceled the 6th game of the
World Series and will play it tomorrow night instead. I slept in real late today my body must have
needed to sleep so I didn’t get much time to myself before I needed to be
home. So I just ran some errands no
hiking. I did take mom for a drive to
Sioux Passage Park this afternoon before dinner. Mom did nap in her chair some this afternoon
and this evening. Mom was about her
normal talkativeness. We talked about
the colors in the trees and the houses.
Mom was quiet during dinner and the last time she had anything to eat or
drink was at 5:30pm. We watched TV this
evening until mom went to bed at 1am and I will get her back up around
5am. Overall today mom has been her
normal amount of confusion but very sweet and happy.
Tuesday October 25th 2011
Mom
did have a bladder accident this morning after Andrea
got her up. Mom did not wet the bed but
had the accident in the bathroom when she wet her panties. Mom was
pretty sleepy the hours Andrea and
Schatzie were here. Andrea had a hard
time getting mom to take her pills and mom ended up drinking lots of
milk of
course the good thing is mom got lots of calcium and vitamin D. Neither
Andrea nor Schatzie were able to get
mom to take off her nightgown and put her shirt on. So I did it when I
got back home. I took off this morning to meet up with a
friend for lunch. It is always nice to
meet up with friends and talk to people I can carry on a conversation
with
without being about mom. After I got
back and a bathroom trip I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park
before
dinner. Mom was fairly talkative for her
talking about the flowers trees and planes in the sky. During dinner
mom talked about the wind
blowing outside and the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was
at
5:30pm and she went to bed at 11:45pm. I
will get her up around 3:30am. We settled
in for the evening watching TV and I got mom laughing a few times by
acting
silly. Mom was in happy and good spirits
tonight although I did get a bit more static than normal when it came to
changing and mom taking off her pants.
Monday October 24th 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents
overnight or today. Mom woke up on her
own around 6:30am but did not wet either herself or her bed so she got
up on
her own in time to make it to the bathroom thank god. Andrea was able
to wash mom with no problem
she said the word for mom today was pleasant.
Mom did sleep in her chair most of the time Shannon was here. I was
able to get in a short hike for
myself. It was a beautiful sunny day
with temps in the 70’s. I went over to
my normal hiking area at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area along the
river. I got back home at 3:30pm and mom
was napping off and on. I had mom go to
the bathroom then we went for a drive to Sioux Passage Park. Mom and I
talked about the trees and houses. We had dinner after our drive so the
last
time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm. We talked about
the flowers during
dinner. After a bathroom trip we then
headed out for another drive to Sioux Passage Park. There were just a
few clouds in the sky that
helped to make a pretty sunset. Mom
noticed it and mentioned it to me. She
does notice things in the sky. After our
drive we settled in for a night of watching the St Louis Cardinals play
in the
World Series. Mom did nap off and on
during this evening especially late. Mom
also started getting restless around 10pm for about an hour. One cute
thing with mom’s naps she sometimes
moves her hands up as she sleeps as she must be dreaming about
something. Mom went to bed at 2:50am so hopefully she
can sleep until Andrea gets here at 8:30am.
Mom was confused and it was a little hard getting her to change and take
her pants off. As always I give her hugs
and kisses and get her to laugh before I have her change and this does
help. Sunday October 23rd 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up at 7:30am for the
day. I feed mom breakfast and she took
her pills with no problem although sometimes she has trouble swallowing
the big
multi vitamin pill. I had my friend
Patti come over to watch mom while I went to church. I meet up with the
friends I normally do and
we ate there at the church café. I got
back home around noontime and had Patti fix some lunch for mom. Mom was
quiet at lunch. I had mom get dress then we went for a short
drive to Sioux Passage Park. It was a
sunny day with temps around 70. We
talked about the flowers, trees and the number of cars in the parking
lots on
our drive. Mom was fairly talkative for
her at least. Mom did nap after we got
back. We had our dinner after moms nap
so the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm. Mom
was quiet during dinner. After dinner and a bathroom trip we took
another drive to Sioux Passage Park. It
was starting to get dark and a few clouds moved in making for a pretty
sunset. Mom talked about the sunset she
still likes things in the sky. After our
drive we watched the Cardinals play game 4 of the World Series. Mom was
her normal self which now seems to
include her getting restless for about an hour in the evening. Right
now I can get her un-restless in about
an hour or so by giving her hugs, kisses and telling her I love her.
Mom has started to get more confused about
going to the bathroom she doesn’t always know what I mean when I tell
her to
take a pee. Sometimes I need to explain
what to do and several times before she gets it. Mom did nap for a few
minutes at a time this
evening as we watched TV and then went to bed at 2am.
Saturday October 22nd 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up first at 6am then
again at 11am for the day. I had a
little static on mom taking her pills but not too bad and I got her to
change
into her cloths with no trouble I just had to explain what to do. After
breakfast and a couple bathroom trips
we went for a drive. It was a sunny day
with temps around 70. Since we were
getting a later start and the Grafton visitor center is busy this time
of year
that late we did not go there. Today we
drove over to the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area stopped at the
visitor
center there. Wouldn’t you know it they
had a class going on there so it was busy there today but at least there
they
have several single bathrooms. After we
left the visitor center we drove over to Sioux Passage Park before going
home. We talked about the blue sky,
birds and the color in the trees as we drove.
Mom was fairly talkative well for her on this drive. We saw several
things that caught her eye. I fixed lunch after our drive then mom took
a
little nap in her chair. At lunch mom talked
about the flowers. After her nap we had
dinner so the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:20pm.
Mom talked more about the flowers at
dinner. We took a second drive after
dinner and a bathroom trip. Mom was
quiet on this drive and the second half she wasn’t real responsive when I
talked to her. After our drive we
settled in and watched the Cardinals win the World Series game. Mom did
start to get a little restless during
part of the evening then she settled down.
She was restless for about 1 hour then settled back. Mom does get
confused sometimes when she goes
to the bathroom and doesn’t always understand what I mean when I tell
her to
pee. I got some static when I had mom
change into her nightgown and take off her pants. Mom went to bed at
1:45am and I will get her
up around 7am for a bathroom trip.
Friday October 21st 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea said she didn’t have any
real problem getting mom washed or getting mom to take her pills.
Andrea did have problems getting mom to
change. Mom put her pants on but then
put her shirt on over her nightgown.
Andrea had devil of a time getting mom to take the shirt off and ended
up leaving mom in her nightgown and pants after she finally got the
shirt
off. Mom was up most of the time Andrea
was here and was up when I left. Then
mom slept about half 2 hours Shannon was here.
As normal I slept in since I don’t get much sleep until Andrea gets
here. I did get in a short hike over at
the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.
It was a partly sunny day with temps getting into the 60’s not bad temps
for hiking. I ended up getting back home
at 3:30pm and mom was in bed sleeping. I
got mom up had her change out of her nightgown and put her shirt on then
we
took a drive after of course a bathroom trip.
We drove over to Sioux Passage Park talking about the color in the trees
and how big some of the houses are. Mom talked
about her normal amount on the drive. I
was even tired and mom sensed that and started talking some to lift my
spirits
it was rather sweet. We ate dinner when
we got back so the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at
5:30pm and
she went to bed at 12:45am. Mom talked
about the flowers some during dinner.
After dinner I had mom go to the bathroom then we took a second drive to
Sioux Passage Park. It started to get
dark on the drive back since it is fall now the sun sets a lot earlier.
We then watched TV until bedtime. Mom was quiet tonight but responsive
whenever
I talked to her. Mom also started
getting a little restless just before she went to bed. I didn’t have
much trouble getting mom to
change tonight or take off her pants after she put on her nightgown.
Thursday October 20th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I over slept this morning and
didn’t get mom up until late so mom went 6 hours between bathroom trips but
still didn’t have any accidents. Mom was
difficult getting up and to the bathroom and she ended up getting there just in
time. Andrea said she also had trouble
getting mom up. Andrea said mom took
lots of milk before her pills were down.
After all that, mom ended up being pleasant but quiet the rest of the
time Andrea was here. Since I slept in I
only had a little time so I didn’t get in a hike hopefully I will
tomorrow. I got back home at 1:30pm and
found out mom had been up most of the time Andrea was here and was up when I
got home. Mom then napped a little in
her chair after I got home before we went for a drive. It was a mostly cloudy afternoon on our drive
to Sioux Passage Park. We talked about
the color in the trees and the clouds in the sky. We ended up talking our normal amount during
our drive. At dinner mom was quiet and
the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm. Tonight we didn’t take a drive but watched
the Cardinals play in the World Series then I found a musical on after the
game. Mom has always liked musicals and
she was enjoying this one. Mom for
awhile, tonight was getting restless and roaming around the house until I found
the musical. Mom was quiet tonight but
responsive when I talked to her. She did
give me some static when I had her brush her teeth. Mom ended up going to bed at 3am so I will
let her sleep until Andrea gets here and starts washing mom. I did get my normal amount of fussing tonight
when I had mom change into her nightgown.
Wednesday October 19th 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I did start to get mom up at
4:30am so that helped in her not having any accidents. Andrea said she
didn’t have any problems
getting mom washed or with getting her to take her pills. Mom did fuss
some when Andrea had mom get dressed. Mom was up, feed and dressed by
the time I
got up and showered. It was a rainy
morning and afternoon and I only had enough time to run some errands
before I
needed to be back. Andrea said mom was
quiet but pleasant today. I got back
about 30 minutes before I had the pastor coming by. The pastor got here
at 2pm and stayed about
30 minutes. Mom seemed happy to see him
and was happy the time he was here. So,
god heard me when I was asking to make it a good experience for mom.
Mom didn’t know who the pastor was but she
was smiling and I got her laughing a few times.
I took mom for a drive shortly after the pastor left. It was still
cloudy and a little rainy but we
drove to Sioux Passage Park. Mom and I
talked about the colors in the trees and number of cars in the parking
lots. I fixed dinner for us shortly after our drive
because I had to leave tonight for a class I signed up for. I had my
friend Patti stopped by while I was
gone. I took a class on how to tune up a
PC and speed it up. Also by taking this
class I was able to buy some software at more than 50% off. So the
savings more than paid for the
software it was still more than 50% off even after the cost of the
class. Mom and I sat up and watched TV after I got
back home until 1am. So I will get mom
up around 5am. Mom was quiet this
evening but responsive when I talked to her.
Mom was confused when I had her brush her teeth and she really fussed
when I had her change into her nightgown and take off her pants.
Tuesday October 18th 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up at 4am or at least
that’s when I started she didn’t get out of bed until 4:25am and was in
the
bathroom about 30 minutes. Then Andrea
got mom up shortly after she got here I think it was around 9am when mom
got
up. Andrea said mom was difficult for her
today. Andrea had a hard time getting
mom up, get her pills down and then getting mom dressed. Mom was up
most of the time Schatzie was here
and mom was pleasant. Mom was up and
feed by the time I left. I met up with a
friend downtown for lunch. It’s good to
get out and met up with friends to talk to someone that can carry on a
conversation. It has been a cloudy and
rainy morning and still cloudy this afternoon.
I got back home at 3:30pm and mom and I took a drive shortly after I got
home. We drove over to Sioux Passage
Park even though it was cloudy but at least it had stopped raining. We
talked about the colors in the trees and
the houses. I warmed up dinner after our
drive so the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm
and she
went to bed at 12:30am. Mom was quiet
during dinner and this evening. She was
responsive to me talking to her and making her laugh as we watched TV.
Mom was also pleasant with me. I did get my normal amount of fussing
when it
came to mom changing.
Monday October 17th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. So mom going from 2:30am until
7:30am when Andrea got here did not cause her to have an accident. Andrea said she didn’t have any trouble
washing mom or getting mom to her pills.
Neither Andrea nor Shannon could get mom to put on her shirt and take
off her nightgown. Since it was rainy
this afternoon and this evening I just let mom stay in her nightgown with her
pants on. Andrea and Shannon said the
word for the day on mom was sleepy. I
slept in this morning then meet up with my finance guy for a free lunch and to
change my medical plan. I got back home
at 3:30pm and mom was napping in her bed and I just let her nap until just
before dinner. Mom was quiet during
dinner and the last time she had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm. We watched TV tonight and laughed a few
times. Mom went to bed at 12:15am and I
got my normal amount of static when it came to mom taking off the pants since
she already had her nightgown on. I will
get mom up again before I go to bed.
Overall today mom has been sleepy, quiet but pleasant.
Sunday October 16th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I did get mom up at 4am when I
went to bed then she got up around 8:30am.
We got up for the day around 10am after I took my shower. Mom eats her breakfast down fast but it does
take awhile for her to take all her pills.
I normally like today have to coax her some to get her to focus on
taking the pills. Mom did talk about how
beautiful it was outside during breakfast.
We did take another drive along the river road to the Grafton visitor
center. It was a beautiful day with temps
in the 70’s on our drive. Today we left
a lot later than yesterday and saw more sailboats and motorcycles. Mom talked about the trees color during our
drive but mom was quieter today than yesterday.
I prepared lunch after our drive and mom talked about how windy it was
as she ate. After lunch mom took a short
nap in her chair and even I fell asleep as well. After our naps we ate dinner so the last time
mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm.
Mom talked about the flowers and wind blowing outside during
dinner. After dinner we took a second
drive this time to Sioux Passage Park.
Mom was fairly quiet and so was I on this drive. We then just settled in and watched TV and
laughed. Mom went to bed at almost 3am
and I will see if I can let her sleep until Andrea gets here at 7:30am. I’m hoping that there is not enough stuff in
her now that she can go 4 ½ hours. Mom
is getting confused and not always knowing what I mean when I tell her to take
a pee. I have to explain what to do
sometimes. Mom gave about her normal
amount of static when it came to changing and taking off her pants after she
has put the nightgown on. Overall today
mom has been very pleasant and in good spirits and about her normal amount of
confusion.
Saturday October 15th 2011
Mom did have a bladder accident this morning. I over slept and didn’t get mom up in
time. She even got it on her bed
sheets. Since mom was up around 8:30am
anyway I just had her change out of her wet nightgown into her cloths then I
fixed breakfast for us. It took some
time to get mom to take all her pills.
During breakfast mom was quiet.
It was a beautiful day with temps in the 70’s mostly. So after a couple trips to the bathroom we
went for a drive. We drove along the
river road to the Grafton visitor center.
We didn’t see very many boats or motorcycles out today not like last
weekend. Although we did get an earlier
start today and we were back by 12:30pm.
We talked mostly about the pretty colors in the trees. I fixed lunch for us when we got back and mom
talked about the wind blowing outside and the birds on the feeder. We took a second drive after lunch and a few
bathroom trips. On this drive mom was
fairly quiet but then so was I. Mom
napped a little after our drive before dinner.
The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm. Mom did talk about the wind outside during
dinner. This evening mom was restless
and confused. She would get up to go to
the bathroom then forget before she got to the bathroom. She did settle down some after awhile but was
still confused. She went to bed at
2:30am and I’m not sure if she actually took a pee when she went to the
bathroom. So I plan on getting her up
just to go to the bathroom around 4am before I go to bed. I did get static when it came to mom changing
she was just confused. Overall this
morning mom was her normal self but this evening she was restless and confused
but was in pretty good spirits most of the day.
Friday October 14th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accident overnight or
today. Mom was up, feed and washed by
the time I got up this morning. Mom was
still in her nightgown with her pants on for the day until I got back home and
had mom put the shirt on. Neither Andrea
nor Shannon could get mom to put on her shirt today. I think mom was up most of the time I was
gone. Today I had a massage that was
given to me as a birthday present. Then
just did some grocery shopping during the time I was away. I was so tired from being up late that I
didn’t get as much time away so I didn’t get in a hike. I got back home at 3:30pm and mom was up
watching TV. We left shortly after I got
back for a drive. On this drive to Sioux
Passage Park mom started a few more talks than she normally does. I’m the one who normally starts the
talk. Today she pointed out some of the
same things I do on almost every drive.
It was like when we went by the place mom recognized it from all the
times I pointed it out and this time she pointed it out. I then fixed dinner after we got back and the
last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 6pm and she went to bed at
12:30am. During dinner mom talked about
how much the trees were blowing outside the window. We then just watched TV the rest of the night
and laughed a few times. I did get some
fussing when it came to mom changing and taking off her pants.
Thursday October 13th 2011
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accident overnight or
today. Andrea had mom up feed and
dressed by the time I got up today. I received
some phone calls today on a job so I was late leaving this morning and
didn’t
have enough time to get in a hike. Andrea
said mom was talkative, sweet, and attentive today. Mom was up most of
the day Andrea was here
and didn’t really nap with me. Mom was
up when I got home at 1:30pm. I had mom
go to the bathroom a couple times before we went for a drive. Mom does
get confused on the bathroom thing
she doesn’t always know what I mean when I say take a pee. She also
only flushes the towel sometimes I
know I have mentioned that before but it has gotten worst but the past 2
days
has been better. Today was partly sunny
with temps a bit cooler and windy. We
talked about the flowers and changing trees as we drove. I prepared
dinner shortly after we got back
and the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5pm. Mom was
quiet during dinner. We took some bathroom trips after dinner then
went for a second drive to Sioux Passage Park.
It started getting darker and mom had some trouble seeing the deer near
the side of the road at least until they moved.
After our drive we settled in to a night of watching TV and
laughing. Good thing I like to act silly
for that does get mom laughing. Mom went
to bed tonight at 12:30am and I will wake her back up around 3:30am or
4:00am. Mom did fuss tonight when it came to changing
and taking off her pants. Overall today
mom has been sweet and a little more talkative than normal.
Wednesday October 12th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accident overnight or
today. Andrea said mom was easy to wash
and taking pills. Mom also got dressed
today by us just setting out her cloths and without us saying anything. Mom was up feed and dressed by the time I
left and went on a short hike. I went
over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and hiked along the river. It was a cloudy day with some rain and temps
were nice. Andrea said her word for the
day was sleepy. Mom was up a lot of the
time Schatzie was here and was up when I got back home at 3:30pm. Mom and I went for a drive shortly after I
got home. We drove to Sioux Passage Park
checking out the changing trees. We saw
several deer in the park. I fixed dinner
after we got back so the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at
5:30pm. Mom was quiet during
dinner. Shortly after dinner we went for
a second drive to Sioux Passage Park talking about the trees and flowers along
the way. Again we saw deer in the Park mom enjoys
watching the deer. We settled in for the
night watching TV when we got back home.
Mom went to bed at 1am then I got her up at 5am to go to the
bathroom. Mom got undressed with no
problem and even took off her pants without fussing.
Tuesday October 11th 2011
Mom did have a bladder accident overnight. Mom got up on her own at 8am and had it in the bathroom by not getting her panties off fast enough. She did not get the bed wet just her panties. Mom was up, dressed and had breakfast by the time I got up. Andrea said mom was not real talkative but pleasant. Andrea did have a little trouble getting mom to finish her pills. I started on Sunday replacing mom’s different vitamins with one multi vitamin so I replaced 5 pills with 1 fairly big pill. Mom was up most of the time I was gone and was up when I got back home at 1:30pm. Today was a fairly nice day but I didn’t get in any hiking I just had enough time to run some errands before I needed to be back. Mom and I went for a drive this afternoon. We drove to Sioux Passage Park talking about the color in the trees. Mom was enjoying this drive of course like always I tell her I love her countless times. Mom did nap in her chair a little after our drive and before dinner. At dinner mom did talk about the flowers and the trees outside the dinning, room window. The last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. We did take another drive after dinner before settling in for the evening. We drove back out to Sioux Passage Park but this drive mom was quiet. We watched TV and I acted silly a few times making mom laugh. I did get some fussing tonight when it came to changing at first mom wasn’t having anything to do with it. So I hugged her some and ask god for help then she changed.
Monday October 10th 2011
Sunday October 9th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had my friend Patti over by
this morning so I could go to church. I
got mom up at 3am when I went to bed then again at 8am just before I left for
church. I met up with some friends at
church and we ate breakfast after the services.
Patti fixed breakfast for mom but mom didn’t take her pills until I got
back and had Patti fix mom lunch. Patti
said mom was up all morning. After lunch
and some bathroom trips we went on a drive to Grafton, IL along the river
road. It was a beautiful day with temps
around 80. We saw several sailboats
again today and speed boats as well as motorcycles out enjoying the
weather. The trees are really starting
to get colorful and mom is noticing them.
She enjoys all the color and even talks more. Mom took a short nap after our drive and
before dinner. During dinner mom was
quiet and the last time she had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm and she
went to bed at 3am. After dinner and a
bathroom trip of course we went on another drive to Sioux Passage Park. On this drive we could see the full moon was
out. Mom still likes looking at things
in the sky. We then settle in for the
night and watched TV. Mom was quiet tonight
and even napped in her chair a couple times.
I also didn’t get any real static tonight on mom changing out of her
nightgown.
Saturday October 8th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder
or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up at 7am so she could
go to the bathroom. I then got her up at
10:30am for the day. Mom took all her
pills with no real problem it just took her awhile. Mom talked about
the wind blowing outside
during breakfast. We waited until mom
went to the bathroom 2 times after breakfast before going on our drive.
I also had to get mom to dress herself she is
very confused on why the need to change out of her nightgown. I know I
have mentioned this before but to
restate I give mom lots of hugs and kisses on the chick and tell her
several
times a day I love her. I’m convinced this along with gods help keep mom
in
better moods. It was a beautiful day
sunny with temps hitting low 80’s. Mom
and I drove along the river road to Grafton, IL stopping at the visitor
center. This drive is really starting to look
colorful with the trees starting to change colors. We saw lots of trees
with different colors
some yellow, red, orange and green just to list some of the colors. We
will take this drive again tomorrow. The color in the trees really
catches mom’s
eye. We saw several more sailboats today
than we normally see out on the river. After a short stop at home and a
snack
we took a second drive to Sioux Passage Park before dinner. We talked
today mostly about the trees on our
drives. During dinner mom was quiet and
the last time she ate or drank anything was at 6pm and she went to bed
at
11:30pm. After dinner we just settled in
for a night of watching TV. I was going
to take another drive after dinner but mom fell asleep in her chair so I
just
let her get a nap in. I got more static
tonight with changing than the past 2 nights but it was mom’s normal
amount.
Friday October 7th 2011
Mom did have a bladder accident this morning after Andrea
washed her. Mom had the accident in the
bathroom. Andrea had a easy time getting
mom washed and with mom taking her pills.
Although neither Andrea nor Shannon, were able to get mom to put on her
shirt. Mom was up, washed and had breakfast
by the time I left. I went to Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area to hike along the river. It was another sunny day with temps in the
70’s this morning. When I got back I got
mom to put her shirt on and then we took a drive. We drove to Sioux Passage Park just before
dinner. Mom was quiet and not real
responsive on the first part of the drive but was her normal talkativeness on
the second part. During dinner mom was
talking about the flowers and the last time she had anything to eat or drink
was at 5:30pm. We then settled in for
the evening and watched TV until mom went to bed around 2:30am. Mom was quiet this evening but responsive
when I talked to her. At times she did
get restless this evening. I really
didn’t get much fussing when it came to mom changing into her nightgown and out
of her pants.
Thursday October 6th 2011
Mom did have a bladder
accident this afternoon after I got
back home sitting in her chair in the TV room.
It was a challenge to get her to change out of her wet cloths. Andrea
had a hard time getting mom to take
her pills. Mom finished her pills when I
ate my breakfast with her. Mom ended up
drinking 4 glasses of milk before she finally finished her pills. On
the positive side mom got a lot of calcium
and vitamin D. I took mom to the haircut
salon today after I got back home. I
have been praying on this for a few days and it was much easier than
normal
today. Mom did nap in her chair after we
got back from the haircut until dinner.
During dinner mom talked about the wind blowing outside and the last
time mom ate or drank was at 5:30pm. We
took a drive to Sioux Passage Park after dinner and bathroom trip. Mom
talked about the sunset it was beautiful
with the clouds different colors as the sun went down. That sure did
catch mom eye. After our drive we settled in for a night of
watching TV and laughing. Mom went to
bed at 1:45am and tonight was fairly easy getting her to change.
Wednesday October 5th 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight
and today. I did wake mom up at 3am when
I went to bed and mom did get up to go to the bathroom. Andrea was able to get mom washed and her
pills down fairly easy today. It was
even easier to get mom dressed than it was yesterday for Andrea. Mom slept in her chair a lot between
breakfast and lunch but was then up most of the 2 hours Schatcie was here. It was a beautiful day with temps in the 70’s
this morning. I was able to get in a
quick hike before doing some grocery shopping.
I went back over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and hiked along
the river. I enjoyed listening to the
water splash up on the shoreline as I hike.
Mom was up watching TV when at got back at 3:30pm. I had mom go to the bathroom then we took a
drive to Sioux Passage Park. We talked
about the changing trees and even saw a deer in the park. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate or drank anything was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at 1am. Mom talked about how still the tree branches
were because of no wind. We then took a
second drive to Sioux Passage Park after dinner and a bathroom trip. We talked about the trees, houses and number
of cars in the parking lots. We then
settled in and watched TV and laughed until mom went to bed. Something I didn’t mention yet is the past
couple of nights she called me by name.
It was good to here she remembered my name. Tonight was fairly easy getting mom to brush
and change into her nightgown.
Tuesday October 4th 2011
Mom
did have 2 bladder accidents 1 overnight and the other
late morning. Mom had the first accident
at 8:30am and Andrea was here by then so Andrea took care of both
bladder
accidents. Andrea said mom was a handful
today and had problems getting mom dressed and her pills down. I slept
in since I’m up so late but then I
did get in a very short hike. It was yet
another beautiful day with temps in the 70’s this morning. I drove over
to Columbia Bottom Conservation
Area and hiked along the river. I do
enjoy getting out in the woods. I got
back at 1:30pm from my hike. Mom was
sort of napping when I got home. Mom and
I went for a drive shortly after I got back to Sioux Passage Park. It
was a little warmer with temps around 80
but still sunny. We talked about houses
and the trees. Even more trees seem to
be changing. We then watched TV until
dinner. The last time mom had anything
to eat was at 5:30pm and she went to bed around midnight. During dinner
mom talked about the flowers. I had mom go to the bathroom 2 times
after
dinner then we took a second drive. We
drove past Sioux Passage Park it was starting to get dark by the time we
got
home. Then we settled in for the night
and watched TV and laughed. I did get a
little more fussing tonight when it came to mom changing and taking off
her
pants. Mom is just getting more confused
but for me she was in good spirits today except for the changing. I do
tell her I love her countless times
during the day and I believe this helps to keep her in good spirits
along with
help from god.
Monday October 3rd 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea was able to get mom washed
and her pills down fairly easy today but she couldn’t get mom to take off her
nightgown and put on her shirt. When I
left this morning mom was in her nightgown with her pants on and was the same
way when I got home at 3:30pm. So
Shannon couldn’t get her shirt on either.
Mom was up most of the day today.
It was another beautiful day I was able to get in a short hike even
though I slept in. After I got home I
got mom to put on her shirt then we went for a drive out to Sioux Passage
Park. We talked about the trees that
have started to change and the flowers amongst other things. You have to remember that mom only says a few
words at a time. I heated up dinner
after we got back and the last time mom had anything to eat or drink was at
6pm. Mom was quiet during dinner. We settled in for the evening after dinner
and watched a singing talent show. Mom
and I talked and laughed a few times before mom went to bed at 1:30am. I received about the normal amount of fussing
when it came to mom changing into her nightgown and taking off her pants.
Sunday October 2nd 2011
Mom did have a bladder accident 2 times overnight but
neither time did she get the bed wet it happened in the bathroom. Mom and I finally got up for the day around
10am after my shower. During breakfast
we talked about the birds on the feeder and mom took her pills with no real
problem. I had mom go to the bathroom 2
times after breakfast before our drive. It
was another beautiful day with blue sky and temps in the 60’s on our
drive. We drove along the river road out
to Grafton Il stopping at the visitor center.
There were more motorcycles on the road today than yesterday. We also saw more people riding their bikes
along the bike path but fewer boats on the river today. I do like this drive it gives us things to
talk about and when we are not talking it gives mom things to keep her mind
engaged. There are the trees blowing in
the wind, birds flying around and boats on the water amongst other things to
engage moms mind. I fixed lunch when we
got back and mom was quiet during lunch.
We watched some football after lunch before going on a second drive to
Sioux Passage Park. We talked about the
houses and how some of the trees are changing color. By the time we got back it was time for
dinner. We laughed a few times at dinner
when I acted silly. The last time mom
had anything to eat or drink was at 5:15pm and she went to bed at 1:30am. After dinner I had mom go to the bathroom
then we took our third drive of the day.
It was still sunny with temps around 70.
We drove back out to Sioux Passage Park talking about the planes in the
sky and the trees mostly. After our
third drive we settled in to watch TV. Mom was quiet this evening but responsive
whenever I talked to her. I did get some
fussing when it came to mom changing and taking off her pants. Overall today mom has been happy and sweet.
Saturday October 1st 2011
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents
overnight or today. Again this morning
I woke mom up when I went to bed at 1:30am just to say goodnight and again she
got up on her own around 2am to go to the bathroom. She then woke up on her own at 7:30am and did
not wet herself or the bed but did get the bathroom floor wet with pee. I then got her back up at 9:30am to eat
breakfast after I had her go to the bathroom.
It took a little while for mom to take her pills but she didn’t fuss
about it. I had mom go to the bathroom 2
times after breakfast before we took a drive.
It was a beautiful sunny day with temps in the 60’s just a perfect
day. We took a drive along the river
road to Grafton Il stopping at the visitor center. We talked about the boats on the river and
the trees. Mom talked about her normal
amount on our drive. We didn’t see as
many boats or motorcycles out today as we did last week. Some more trees have started to change now so
in a couple weeks the drive along the river road should be colorful. I fixed lunch when we got back from our drive
and mom was quiet during lunch. We
watched a little TV after lunch and mom napped for a few minutes in her chair
then we took a second drive. This time
we drove to Sioux Passage Park before dinner.
We talked about the houses and mom kept mentioning the large number of
cars in parking lots. Now to her a few
is a lot. During dinner mom talked about
the flowers and the last time she had anything to eat or drink was at 5:30pm
and she went to bed at 12:30am. After
dinner we took another drive to Sioux Passage Park but on this drive mom was
quiet and not always responsive when I talked to her. We then settled in for the evening watching
TV and laughing. Like I’ve said before I
get mom laughing by acting silly. I
really had no problem getting mom to change tonight I did have to explain what
to do but she did it without fussing.
She even took off her pants without me telling her to. Overall today mom
has been her normal confusion but happy and pleasant. 
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