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 April 30th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, feed but not
dressed when I got up today. Since it
was suppose too rain all day I decided to have Andrea leave mom in her
nightgown. I met up with a friend for
lunch today before heading back home by 3:30pm.
Andrea said mom easy to wash but that is where the easy stopped. Mom fought on taking pills and getting
dressed. Andrea said her word of the day
for mom was difficult. Shannon said mom
was fine the 2 hours she was here. Mom
did nap some this afternoon before dinner.
The last time mom ate was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at midnight. Mom napped a little right after dinner then
spent the rest of the evening watching TV.
She started to get restless a few times and get up and walk around or
adjust the way the curtain was. It was a
challenge to get her to brush her teeth tonight I ended up brushing them for
her. Overall tonight mom was sweet most
of the time but restless.
Sunday April 29th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up a couple of times
overnight but we got up for the day at 11:30am.
Today I just crushed mom’s pills and put them in applesauce with all the
trouble yesterday I decided to just start out crushing the pills. So today mom had applesauce with her cereal
for breakfast. After breakfast mom
napped for a little while then I helped mom take off her nightgown so she could
put her clothes on. It has been a cloudy
day with some rain and temps in the 60’s.
After mom got dressed we took a drive to Sioux Passage Park and talked
about the houses and cars in the parking lots.
I then fixed us some lunch and mom took another nap and so did I. We then took a second drive to Sioux Passage
Park before dinner. Mom was quiet on
this drive. We ate dinner at 6pm and
that was the last time mom ate anything.
Mom napped some this evening and then we just watched TV and laughed
until mom went to bed at 10:30pm. It was
fairly easy to get mom to change into her nightgown tonight. Overall today mom has been sweet and
sleepy.
Saturday April 28th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident this afternoon. I got mom up a couple of times over the night
but we got up for the day at 11:30am.
Mom was a very big pill today on taking her pills it was a fight to get
her to take them. Then after moms
bathroom break it was another fight getting mom dressed. She was very fussy all morning early
afternoon. We did take a drive this
afternoon to Sioux Passage Park then over to Sunset Park. It started raining hard with hale on our
drive back home. I gave mom a snack when
we got back then she napped some before she had her bladder accident. It was difficult getting her out of her wet
cloths. Since it was going to rain most
of the day I put mom into her nightgown.
We ate dinner around 6:00pm so that was the last time she ate. The tornado alarms went off as we were
finishing dinner but mom would not go into the basement she was acting like a 3
year old. Luckily the alarms
stopped. We then spent the evening
napping and watching TV until mom went to bed at 11:30pm. Mom was fairly easy to get into bed since she
was already in her nightgown. Overall
today mom has been a challenge.
Friday April 27th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, feed and
dressed when I got up today. I first
went over for my CT test and it showed nothing new. So I still not sure why I had the light head/dizziness
real bad last Saturday morning. I still
get a little light headed every once in a while. After my CT test I went over to Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area. It was a
cloudy day with temps in the 60’s and very windy. I did get in a hike along the Missouri river
for a couple miles or so. It was good
getting out hiking 2 days in a row. I
listened to the river gently splashing against the shore and the wind blowing
throw the trees as I hiked along. Couple
that with the smell of the trees and wild flowers and it soothes ones
spirit. Mom was napping in the living
room when I got home at 3:30pm. Andrea
said her word of the day for mom was friendly.
Shannon said mom slept the 2 hours she was here. I took mom for a drive around 4pm to Sioux
Passage Park. Mom talked about the
houses and number of cars in the parking lots as well as laughed a lot. We watched some news when we got back before
eating dinner. So the last time mom ate
anything was at 6:30pm. After dinner mom
napped off and on most of the evening so we didn’t take a second drive. Mom went to bed at 10:30pm and was fairly
easy to get her changed and teeth brushed tonight. Overall mom has been sweet and sleepy
today.
Thursday April 26th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up feed and partly dressed
when I got up today. Neither Andrea nor
Patti got mom to take off her nightgown and put on her shirt today. It was a sunny day with temps in the 70’s a
great day for hiking. I went over to
Columbia Bottom Conservation Area to go hiking.
I hiked along the Missouri river listening to the water splashing over
some rocks and the birds singing. It was
a beautiful day and I was able to get in a great hike before getting back home
at 3:30pm. Andrea said her word of the
day for mom was hostile. I had to get
mom to put her shirt on and it was difficult.
I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park shortly after I got
home. Mom was fairly quiet on this
drive. We had dinner when we got back
and the last time mom ate was at 6pm. Mom
napped for about an hour after dinner then we went for a second drive. We drove back over to Sioux Passage
Park. Mom talked more than her normal on
this drive and was very cheerful and smiling. We then spent the rest of the
evening watching TV and laughing. Mom
went to bed at 11:30pm. I had to help
mom unbutton her shirt then had to explain several times what to do and she
fussed on taking the pants off even not wanting me to do it. The fussing was coming from her confusion on
what to do. Overall with me mom has been
in good spirits except when it came to her changing.
Wednesday April 25th 2012
Mom did have both a bladder and bowel accident at
2:30am. She did not get anything on the
bed or floor so she had the accident in the bathroom. She just didn’t get in fast enough and get
her panties down fast enough. It was a
bit of a struggle getting her out of her dirty panties. It was a fairly nice day but I slept in late
and just had enough time to run some errands and grocery shop before getting
back home by 1:30pm. Andrea said her
word of the day for mom was helpful. I
took mom for a drive to the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area shortly after I
got home. We ate dinner when we got back
and the last time mom ate anything was at 6pm.
Mom napped some after dinner so we didn’t take a drive after
dinner. We spent the evening napping,
watching TV and laughing. Mom went to
bed around 12:30am and was fairly easy getting her changed into her
nightgown.
Tuesday April 24th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up feed and dressed when
I got up today. It was a partly sunny
warm day with temps in the 70’s. I
managed to get in a short walk before I went for my echo test. Both the echo and EKG test showed
normal. I will go for a CT test on the
brain Friday morning. So still not sure
what caused my light head, dizzy stuff this weekend. I still not 100 percent. For my walk I went over to my normal place
Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. Mom
was up watching TV when I got home at 4pm.
Andrea and Patti both said the word of the day for mom was
affectionate. We took a drive to Sioux
Passage Park and talked about our normal stuff.
I fixed dinner when we got back and so the last time mom ate was at
6:30pm. We spent the evening watching TV
and laughing until mom went to bed at 10:30pm.
Mom was easy to get her ready for bed and changed.
Monday April 23rd 2012
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, feed and
dressed when I got up today. It was a
partly sunny day with temps in the 60’s when I left to do a short walk
in the
woods before my doctor appointment. I
did my walk over at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area along the
Missouri
river. I then had a long wait at the
doctor office. Then they started to do
some test and I have t5o schedule a couple more. I was feeling the best
today that I felt in 2
days but started to feel a little light headed late this evening. I
ended up getting back home at 5pm. Andrea said her word of the day for
mom was
sleepy. We ate supper after I got home
and the last time she ate was at 6pm. We
took a drive after dinner to Sioux Passage Park and talked about the
houses and
cars mostly. We then spent the rest of
the evening watching TV and laughing until she went to bed at midnight.
Sunday April 22nd 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had my friend Patti over but
today I didn’t go to church. Patti feed
mom but had to crush the pills into applesauce.
I spent the morning mostly sleeping until Patti left. Patti did say mom was real sweet and wanting
hugs today. Mom and I did eat lunch
together then slept most of the afternoon in our chairs in the TV room but with
the TV off. I still wasn’t feeling like
going out so I kept mom in her nightgown.
We ate dinner at 5pm and that was the last time she ate. We spent the evening watching TV and laughing
until she went to bed at 1am.
Saturday April 21st 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Since I had dizziness earlier I
had Andrea come over to feed mom breakfast, lunch and get mom’s pills down
mom. Mom and I both spent most of the
day and evening sleeping. I finally
turned on the TV that night for a little while before mom and I went to
bed. I kept mom in her nightgown all day
since we were not going to take any drives.
Mom went to bed at 10pm with me going to bed shortly after.
Friday April 20th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, feed and
dressed when I got up today. I met up
with another friend today for lunch. Today
I had lunch at the Pasta house. It has
been a cloudy day with much cooler temps.
The temps only got up into the 60’s today. Mom was up watching TV with Shannon when I
got home at 3:30pm. Andrea said her word
of the day for mom was sweet Shannon said mom napped most of the 2 hours she
was here. I took mom out for a drive to
Sioux Passage Park before dinner. Mom
was fairly quiet on the first part of the drive but I got her talking more on
the second half of the drive. It even
started misting on the way back from the park.
The last time mom ate today was at dinner and 5:30pm. Mom and I both feel asleep after dinner so we
didn’t take any drives tonight. We just
spent the evening watching TV and laughing until she went to bed at
1:30am. I started having a very strong dizziness
come on at 1am sitting in my chair. This
made it difficult to get mom ready for bed but I managed.
Thursday April 19th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up feed and partly
dressed when I left today. I met up with
a friend for lunch over at Applebee’s.
It was a sunny warm day with temps getting up to 80. I went over to the Columbia Bottom
Conservation Area and hiked along the Missouri river before heading back home
at 4pm. I enjoyed listening to the birds
singing, the river crashing on the shore and wind blowing through the trees as
I hiked along. Mom was watching TV when
I got home. Andrea said her word of the
day for mom was distracted. I took mom
for a drive to Sioux Passage Park where we saw a deer. We had dinner when we got back and I didn’t
give mom any snacks so the last time she ate was at 6pm. We took a second drive to Sioux Passage Park after
dinner before settling in for the night.
We then spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing until mom
went to bed at midnight. Mom was fairly
easy to get changed before going to bed.
Wednesday April 18th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, feed and
dressed when I got up today. I ended up
leaving late so I only got in a short drive over to Columbia Bottom
Conservation Area before heading back home by 1:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
efficient and mom stayed that way all day and night. I took mom for a drive shortly after I got
home over to the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. We stopped at the visitor center there for a
bathroom break before heading over to Sioux Passage Park. We talked about the views and houses mostly
with mom talking about her normal amount.
I fixed dinner when we got back but gave mom a snack around 8pm so that
was the last time she ate. We talked about the flowers on the table during
dinner. Mom and I took a second drive to
Sioux Passage Park after dinner but she was quieter on this drive. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing until mom went to bed at 12:30am.
Mom did fuss a little tonight on brushing her teeth but not as bad as
previous nights. Mom was fairly easy to
get changed into her nightgown although she did have some trouble unbuttoning
her new shirt I and Andrea got her for her birthday. Mom did do her thing tonight of wondering
around the house for a few minutes at 9pm.
Tuesday April 17th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up feed and dressed when
I got up today. It was a partly sunny
day with temps in the 70’s. Today I went
up to the gym to workout before going grocery shopping before heading back home
at 2pm. Mom was up watching TV when I
got home. Andrea said mom was alert but
her word of the day for mom was infantile.
I took mom for a drive over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. We talked about the views mom seemed to be
fairly alert this afternoon and all day.
We had dinner when we got back and I didn’t give mom any snacks tonight
so the last time mom ate was at 5:30pm.
We took a second drive shortly after dinner to Sioux Passage Park
talking about the houses. We then spent
the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing. Mom did fuss some on brushing her teeth again
tonight and did wonder around a couple of times tonight. Mom went to bed at 12:30am and was fairly
easy to get changed.
Monday April 16th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, feed and partly
dressed when I got up today. It was a
sunny day with temps in the high 60’s. I
ran some errands and worked out before heading back home. Mom was up watching TV with Shannon when I
got home at 3:30pm. Andrea said her word
of the day for mom was recalcitrant but also said mom was fairly alert. Mom still had her nightgown on over her pants
so I had Shannon help me and we got mom’s nightgown off and put on her shirt so
we could go for a drive. We took a drive
to Sioux Passage Park talking about the houses after I got home and before
dinner. I fixed dinner when we got back
but I gave mom a snack at 7pm so that was the last time she ate. We talked about the flowers on the table
during dinner. After dinner we took a
second drive to Sioux Passage Park but mom was quiet on this drive. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing until she went to bed at 12:30am.
Mom was fairly easy to get changed tonight.
Sunday April 15th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up a couple times
overnight for bathroom trips but we didn’t get up for the day until noon. Again today like yesterday mom got herself up
in time to go to the bathroom in time.
Both days it was a bowel movement that mom got up in time to make it to
the bathroom. I crushed some of mom’s
pills today all but 2 pills and it was a challenge to get those 2 down mom. I got mom dressed and it went fairly
easy. It was a cloudy rainy day so I
kept our drives short. Our first drive
was up to Sioux Passage Park and we talked about the houses. I gave mom a little snack and drink after
then she took a short nap. We then took
a second drive to Sioux Passage Park and added Sunset Park onto our drive. Mom was fairly quiet on this drive but
enjoyed it. I fixed an early dinner when
we got back but did give mom a snack around 7pm so that was the last time she
ate anything. We took a drive after
dinner to Sioux Passage Park and talked about the houses and number of cars in
parking lots mostly. We then spent the
rest of the evening watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at
10pm. I had a hard problem tonight
getting mom to brush her teeth I finally had to brush them myself. I also had a hard time getting mom to change
into her nightgown and go to bed she was acting like a stubborn 3 year
old. I also think she was confused on
what to do so she didn’t want to do it and tonight was stubborn about it. So overall other than the pills, brushing and
changing mom was in good spirits but did seem confused more.
Saturday April 14th 2012
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up a couple times
overnight for bathroom trips but we didn’t get up for the day until
noon. It has been a rainy day until midafternoon
before the sun broke out with temps in the 70’s. Mom was a pill today
on taking her pills but
I got her to take them without putting them in applesauce. Mom was also
confused on how to get dressed
but really didn’t fuss. Since it was
such a rainy day we took a short drive to Sioux Passage Park then over
to
Sunset Park so I could get mom home before she would need the bathroom.
We talked about the houses and how green
everything looks on our drive. I fixed
mom a snack after our drive then she napped some. Mom spent a long time
in the bathroom this
afternoon I think she fell asleep in there.
We then took a second drive to Sioux Passage Park before dinner. On
this drive mom was quiet. We ate a later dinner after our drives so the
last time mom ate was at 7pm. We spent
the rest of the evening watching TV with mom falling asleep every now
and then
in her chair. Mom went to bed at 11:30pm
and was very confused on how to change into her nightgown.
Friday April 13th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, feed and
dressed when I got up today. Andrea said
she was only able to get half of mom washed and only got moms pants on so mom
still had her nightgown on as well. It
was a rainy day with temps in the low 60’s.
I just took a drive over to the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and
took a nap while I was there as it rained outside the car. I got back at 3:30pm after some grocery
shopping. It stopped raining long enough
for me to get in a little shopping. Mom
was in the bathroom when I got home but Shannon said mom slept most of the 2
hours she was here. Andrea said her word
of the day for mom was droopy. I had mom
put her shirt on when I got home then took her for a drive. We drove up to Sioux Passage Park talking
about the houses. Mom was quieter on
this drive than her normal. We watched a
little TV when we got back before dinner and mom feel asleep in her chair. During dinner mom played with the stuffed
bird that you squeeze and it sings. Mom
was reading the description of the bird on the tag. I gave mom a snack at 8pm and that was the
last time she ate anything. We did take
a drive this evening after dinner and had it start to rain on the way
back. We drove over to Sioux Passage
Park and saw a deer in the park. We
spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at
12:30am. Mom seemed a little more
confused today than her normal but in good spirits.
Thursday April 12th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up feed and dressed when
I got up today. I had my last
chiropractor appointment today yeah hopefully my neck doesn’t flare up anymore
but it is nice that it’s not hurting like it was. I ended up getting back at 2:30pm because I
had the pastor coming by at 3pm. Andrea
said mom was sleepy today and her word of the day for mom was fatigued. Mom slept most of the time Patti was here as
well and was fast asleep in her chair when I got home. The pastor was here for about 45 minutes or
so a very nice visit. Mom was quiet but
listening to us talk. I took mom for a
drive after the pastor left to Sioux Passage Park. Mom was quiet on the drive more than her
normal. I fixed dinner after we got back
but didn’t give mom any snacks tonight so the last time she ate was at 6pm. We both took a nap while watching TV after
dinner so we didn’t get in a drive after dinner. Mom went to bed at 10pm and fussed some and
was confused on the changing into her nightgown. Overall today mom has been sleepy but
nice.
Wednesday April 11th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, feed and
dressed when I got up today. This was
mom’s 90th birthday today. I
didn’t have a lot of time so I just took a short drive before heading back home
at 1pm. Andrea and I celebrated mom’s
birthday with some cake and presents when I got home at 1pm. My brother Paul called just as we were
finishing the cake. Andrea said her word
of the day for mom was alert. Mom and I
went for a drive to Sioux Passage Park and mom was alert and chatty on the
drive or at least for her. I then took mom
out for an early dinner since it was her birthday. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant
and had taco salads and of course ice cream.
Then shortly after getting home we drove to Sioux Passage Park again and
did see some deer tonight. Mom was her
normal talkativeness during dinner and our second drive. My aunt Aldine called mom tonight to wish her
a happy birthday and mom got a smile when I told her Aldine was on the
phone. Somehow at that moment she
remembered the name Aldine. Then we
talked to my brothers Tom and Larry over SKYPE.
Mom and I spent the rest of the night watching TV and laughing until she
went to bed at 1am. Mom was more
talkative tonight and in good spirits all day.
Tuesday April 10th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up feed and dressed when
I got up today. I went over to Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area to take a short hike.
Today I did not see the lost dog so I pray the people there gave him to
animal control. It was a beautiful day
for a hike with temps in the 60’s. I
hiked along the Missouri river listening to the birds sing and the wind blowing
through the trees. It can be so peaceful
in the woods just listening to nature in the house god built. Mom was up watching TV when I got home at
2pm. Andrea said mom was perky, chatty
and awake today. I took mom for a drive
out to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area after I got back. Mom was very cheerful and at least chatty for
her on our drive. We talked about the
views, trees and the houses mostly. Then
shortly after we got back home and had a bathroom break we took a second drive
to Sioux Passage Park and mom was fairly chatty on this drive as well. We had dinner after our drive and mom talked
about how beautiful the flowers looked and she read some birthday cards several
times during dinner. She really liked
the flowers my brother Paul got her even though she really didn’t understand
they were from him. Since it was such a
nice day and the fact it’s getting dark later now mom and I took another drive
after dinner to Sioux Passage Park. Mom
was still cheerful on this drive but quieter than on the first 2. We then watched TV and laughed the rest of
the night until mom went to bed at midnight.
It was fairly easy to get mom to change tonight. Overall mom was a lot more active, alert and
chatty today as well as very cheerful.
Monday April 9th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, feed and
dressed when I got up today. Mom was
napping in the living room when I left today.
It was a sunny warm day with temps around 70. I drove over to the Columbia Bottom
Conservation Area and hiked along the Missouri river. It was great getting out for a hike in the
woods. I didn’t see any snakes this hike
but did see a few toads and the same dog that I’ve seen out there for almost a
week. Not sure why they haven’t taken the
dog to animal rescue yet I’ve told them several times but on the positive side
the dog still looked healthy. Mom was
sitting in the living room when I got back at 3:30pm. Andrea said mom wasn’t real easy today and
her word of the day for mom was feisty.
Shannon mom was not settling down like she had ants in her pants. I took mom for a drive shortly after I got
home. We drove over to Sioux Passage
Park talking about the trees and houses.
After our drive we both feel asleep and ended up having a later than
normal dinner. So the last time mom ate
anything was at 6:30pm. We spent the
evening watching TV and laughing. Mom
did ask me tonight who I was this is the 3rd time she has asked over
the past 2 weeks. Mom went to bed at
midnight and was fairly easy to get changed but confused. Overall with me mom was in good spirits.
Sunday April 8th 2012 Easter
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had my friend Patti over while
I went to Easter services at church. It
was a great service today my favorite service so far. They had more
music today which I enjoy the
most on the whole service. I had brunch
after the service with my friend we ate at the church like normal. Mom
was up and had taken her pills by the
time I got home at noon and had her pants on but still had the nightgown
on. I was happy to see she had taken the
pills. Patti said mom took her pills
with no problem and was sweet all morning.
I took mom for a drive shortly after I got home. We talked about the
views and how green
everything is. It was a sunny day with
temps around 70. Mom took a nap after
our drive and so did I. We then went out
for an early dinner to a local sports bar.
We both had the “pasta con broccoli” it was pretty good. Mom stayed in
good spirits the whole time we
were in the restaurant. After getting
back home mom napped some more before we took a second drive. This time
we drove over to Sioux Passage Park. On this drive we both were fairly
quiet. We watched TV the rest of the night and
talked to my brother Larry over SYKPE.
Mom napped some in her chair tonight as well and went to bed at
1am. Mom was fairly easy to get
changed. Overall today was a great day
with mom in great spirits.
Saturday April 7th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up for the day at 10:30am. Today I just crushed most of her pills and
put them in applesauce. I had an apt to
wash moms hair at 12:30pm and didn’t want to take the 1 plus hour it sometimes
takes for mom to completely take all her pills by month. So did fuss some on getting changed mostly
because she didn’t understand the why.
Mom did fuss as well when getting her hair washed but we got it done but
it was more challenging than the last couple of time. We then took a drive along the river road to
the Grafton IL visitor center. It was a
cloudy day with temps in the 60’s. On
our drive we saw several boats on the river and a few people riding their bikes
on the bike path. We didn’t see very
many cars or motorcycles the gas prices might be putting a stop on people
taking drives. We didn’t talk a lot on
the drive up but talked a lot on the drive back. We talked about the people on the bike path,
boats and houses on top of the cliffs mostly.
It was fairly easy getting mom to go to the bathroom at the visitor
center. Mom was in good spirits on the
drive. I fixed us some lunch when we got
back and mom feel asleep at the dining room table. We went back to the TV room and mom napped
some more. We ended up taking a second
drive before dinner. We drove up to
Sioux Passage Park but both of us were quiet on this drive. During dinner mom talked about the flower
plant I bought her I didn’t give mom any snacks tonight so the last time she
ate was at dinner ending around 7pm. We
talked to my brother Paul tonight on SKYPE.
Then we watched TV until mom went to bed at midnight. Mom didn’t really fuss much on changing but
was more confused than normal. Overall
today mom has been in good spirits but more confused than her normal.
Friday April 6th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I did get her up last night
every 4 hours instead of 3. Mom was
up, washed, dressed and feed when I left this morning. Andrea said mom was a handful trying to get
her to take the pills and dressed. Mom
still had her nightgown on over her pants when I left. Andrea did say mom was better after
lunch. Andrea said her word of the day
for mom was addlepated. It was a mostly
sunny day with temps in the 60’s. I
didn’t have much time so I just took a short drive and got moms pills before
getting back by 2:30pm. Mom and I took a
drive to Sioux Passage Park around 3:30pm and mom was a bit more talkative than
her normal. We had dinner when we got
back and we talked about the flowers I bought her today for Easter. After watching a little news we took a second
drive to Sioux Passage Park. Again
tonight we saw deer in the park. I did
give mom a snack around 7pm so that was the last time she ate. We watched TV and laughed until mom went to
bed at 10pm. Mom was fairly easy getting
to change.
Thursday April 5th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I did get her up last night
every 4 hours instead of 3 so that’s 2 nights in a row so she might have
whatever she had worked through her system.
Mom was up, dressed and feed when
I left this morning. I didn’t have much time so I just took a short drive
before doing the grocery shopping. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
sweet. Mom was watching TV when I got home at 3:30pm. I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park
before dinner. I didn’t give mom any
snacks so the last time she ate was at dinner around 5pm. We took a second drive after dinner to Sioux
Passage Park and on this drive we did see some deer in the park. We then spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing mom went to bed at midnight and was fairly easy to get
changed.
Wednesday April 4th 2012
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I did get her up last night
every 4 hours instead of 3. Mom was
up, washed, dressed and feed when I left this morning. I had the
heating and cooling company out
this morning they had to replace the capacitor on the air conditioner.
So I got a later than normal start plus I
picked up moms car from the shop after the heating and cooling guy. I
just had enough time left for a short drive
before I needed to be back by 2pm. Andrea
said her word of the day for mom was affable.
It was a cloudy morning and afternoon with temps in the 60’s more like
normal temps for April. I took mom for a
drive to Sioux Passage Park after I got back.
We then took a second drive to Sioux Passage Park before dinner. On
both drives we talked about the trees and
houses. Mom talked about her normal
amount on our drives. We had dinner when
we got back but I gave mom a snack around 8pm so that was the last she
ate. We
spent the night watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at
12:30am. It did start to rain tonight late. Mom was fairly easy to get
her changed and
overall today mom has been pleasant and talked about her normal amount.
Tuesday April 3rd 2012
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I did get her up last night
every 3 hours or so and had her go to the bathroom. Mom was up,
dressed and feed when I left
this morning. By the time I left I just
had enough time to take a drive. It was
a cloudy day with temps getting into the low 80’s. It ended up raining
later in the evening. Andrea said mom was slept a lot of the time
she was here but her word of the day for mom was pleasant. Mom was
napping when I left and when I got
back home at 1:30pm. I took mom for a
drive after I got home. We drove over to
Columbia Bottom Conservation Area then back home. We then took a second
drive to Sioux Passage
Park before dinner. We talked about the
views but we both were quieter than normal on the second drive. We had
dinner when we got back and since I
didn’t give mom and snacks tonight the last time she ate was at 6pm. We
both napped some after dinner then spent
the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing. Mom went to bed at
midnight and was fairly
easy to get into her nightgown.
Monday April 2nd 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I did get her up last night
every 3 hours or so and had her go to the bathroom. Mom was up, washed, dressed and feed when I
left this morning. I took the car into
the shop then I took a short walk. I
drove over to Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area and walked along the Missouri
river. It was a sunny and hot day we set
a new record with a temp of 89. You can
now here the birds singing toads hopping by and several animals now coming out. I even saw another snake today as I was
walking. It felt more like July today
than April with the heat. I ended up
getting back at 3:30pm today. Andrea
said mom was more alert today but was moving slow. Shannon said mom slept the whole 2 hours she
was here. I took mom for a drive to
Sioux Passage Park shortly after I got back home. We talked about our normal amount on the
drive. I fixed dinner when we got back
but did not give mom any snacks afterwards so the last time she ate was at
6pm. We took a second drive after dinner
to Sioux Passage Park. On this drive mom
was much quieter than her normal but then so was I. We just spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing with mom napping off now and then. Mom went to bed at 2am and was fairly easy
getting her to brush and change tonight.
I will get her up again at 5 with just 3 hours sleep for her. I will try going back to every 5 hours when
I’m sure she is over whatever she has. I
think she is over it now but still want to wait a day or so.
Sunday April 1st 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I did get her up last night
every 3 hours or so and had her go to the bathroom. I had my friend Patti over while I went to
church. I met up with my friend again
and ate brunch there at church. I
decided to try the biscuits and gravy and it was good. It has been years since I’ve had biscuits and
gravy. I think mom slept a lot of the
time Patti was here which was fine. She
needed to sleep to hopefully get better.
Mom hadn’t taken her pills when I got home which was fine Patti does a
great job overall and sometimes mom just will not take the pills. So I just had Patti crush them and put them
in applesauce for lunch. It was a sunny
hot day with temps getting near 90. We
took a drive today to the Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area talking about the
views. Since I only got about 2 hours
sleep I didn’t talk much and neither did mom.
Mom took a nap after we got back and before dinner. We finished dinner at 5:30 and that was the
last time mom ate anything. We took a
second drive after dinner to Sioux Passage Park and talked about the size of
some of the yards compared to ours. Then
we both napped a little after our drive and spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing. Neither one of
us talked much all day even I was to tired to talk much. Mom went to bed at 1am and I will get her up
around 4am for a bathroom trip. Mom was
fairly easy to get changed into her nightgown.
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