Updated on May 11th 2012 my updates are in bold below
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. My website that talks about my cerebral palsy and my climbing adventures is at www.timsashwood.com if you want to check it out. She is 90 years old and has had Alzheimer’s for at least 15 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 15 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 3 or 4 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. In the fall of 2011 we increased the dosage on mom’s Galantamine. In March of 2012 I stopped giving her the supplements it has started to get harder to get her to take the pills. So I started just giving her a one a day vitamin instead. Then in May 2012 we have started to crush mom’s pills and put them in applesauce about 3 or 4 days a week. She loves applesauce. She can still walk on her own with no help. Here is a list of the drugs she takes for her Alzheimer’s.
•Razadyne started in 2000 then in 2011 changed to generic Galantamine
•Namenda started March 2005
Saturday June 30th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up several times
overnight but we got up for the day at 11am.
After a bathroom trip I fixed breakfast for both of us. I had no problem getting mom to take her
pills, so I did not have to use applesauce this morning. It was a partly sunny day with hot temps
another record set at 105. This was our
3 day in a row of 100+ temps and 3 days in a row of new records set. I helped mom get dressed after breakfast and
a bathroom trip. We then took a short
drive in my van with AC on to both Sioux Passage and Sunset Parks. We talked about the houses, cars and trees as
we drove. Mom talked about her normal
amount. I fixed lunch shortly after we
got back. Mom fell asleep a little as
she sat at the table drinking her drink after lunch. We then took a second drive to Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area. Mom and I
talked about the views and she talked more and was alert. After this drive mom took a nap until
dinner. I even napped some. We ate dinner at 6:30pm and that was the last
time mom ate anything. Mom napped some
more after dinner. We took a drive
around 8pm. We drove up to Sioux Passage
Park saw a deer in the park. Then we
drove over to Sunset Park. We both
talked about the cars and trees about our normal amount. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing until mom went to bed at 1:30am.
It has turned into an every night thing where she wants to put her
nightgown on over her shirt.
Friday June 29th 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
sunny day with record temps of 106 but at least the humidity was low. I spent the day running errands until I got
back at 3:30pm. Andrea said her word of
the day for mom was energetic. Mom took
her pills today without the need to crunch any into applesauce. Patti said mom was fine but she couldn’t get
mom to go to the bathroom. Mom just
seemed confused. I got mom to go when I
got home then we went for a drive. Our
first drive was just up to Sioux Passage Park and back. We almost had a deer jump out in front of the
van outside the park. We mostly talked
about the cars and houses like normal and mom talked about her normal
amount. I fixed dinner when we got back
so the last time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm. Mom napped a little after dinner then we took
a drive around 8pm. On this drive we
drove to both Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park. Mom talked a lot on this drive and was fairly
alert. We spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at 11pm. She was a little restless and got up a few
minutes after she went to bed and walked around the house for 10 minutes before
going back to bed. She did try and put
the nightgown on over her shirt again tonight.
Now on the drives mom put her seat belt on without me saying anything or
helping her. Today was the first time
she has done that in a while.
Thursday June 28th 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 sunny day
with temps of 108 a record heat day. At
least today we had very low humidity only 15 so a dry heat. We are forecasted to have the next 3 days
over 100. I met up with a friend for
lunch. We went over to the Pasta House
restaurant then just sat around and talked before I headed back home. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
violent at least until after moms nap after breakfast. Andrea said mom was fine after her nap and
Patti said mom was fine the 2 hours she was here. Mom was watching TV when I got home at
3:30pm. Mom and I went on a drive at
3:45 to Sioux Passage Park. We talked
about the cars and trees on this drive.
We both took a little nap after our drive and before dinner. So the last time mom ate anything was at
6:30pm. We took a second drive at
7pm. On this drive we drove back to
Sioux Passage Park then over to Sunset Park before heading back home. We talked about the cars and houses again on
this drive. On both drives today mom was
more alert and talkative than her normal.
We then spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing with both
of us napping some. Mom went to bed at
1am and again tonight tried to put her nightgown on over her shirt. Overall with me mom has been friendly and
more alert than her normal.
Wednesday June 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. It was a sunny
day with temps of 99. I spent the day
running errands until I got back at 2pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was vapid and that she was
sleepy. Andrea did get mom to take her
pills without using applesauce. I took
mom for a drive to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area at 2:30pm. We
talked about the views and mom was more
talkative than her normal. Mom napped a
little after our drive and before our second drive. Our second drive
was to Sioux Passage Park
before dinner. Mom talked about the number
of cars and talked more than her normal.
We ate dinner when we got back but I gave mom a cookie at 9pm so that
was the last time she ate anything. We
took a third drive to both Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park. We both
were quieter on this drive. We spent the rest of the evening watching
TV
and laughing. Mom did nap a little but
not that much tonight. Mom went to bed
at 1:30am. She was able to get most of
the changing done by herself with less than normal instructions.
Tuesday June 26th 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 sunny day
with temps in the mid 80’s. I ran some
errands. Andrea said she was able to get
mom to take her pills so she did not have to crush any into applesauce. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
friendly. Mom was sleeping when I got
home at 1:30pm. I took mom for a drive
at 2pm to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area talking about the views. After a short time at home we went to a
second drive to Sioux Passage Park and saw a deer in the park. I fixed dinner after our second drive so the
last time mom ate was at 6pm. We took a
third drive at 7pm. On this drive we
drove both to Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park. We spent the rest of the night watching TV
and laughing with mom napping some until she went to bed at 1:30am. Mom did ask me tonight who I was she was
confused tonight. Mom did her thing of
walking around the house at 10pm for about 30 minutes. I helped mom get changed into her
nightgown.
Monday June 25th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident this afternoon when I got
home. She had it when she was in the
bathroom. Mom was up, washed, feed and
dressed when I got up today. It was a
sunny day with temps in the mid 80’s. I
went to talk to a head hunter today then a short drive before heading back
home. Andrea said her word of the day
for mom was discombobulated. Andrea did
not have to use applesauce today to get mom to take her pills. Patti said mom slept most of the 2 hours she
was here. Mom was sleeping in her chair
when I got home at 3:30pm. I took mom
for a drive after I got dry pants on her.
We drove to Sioux Passage Park before dinner. On this drive we talked about the houses and
cars. I fixed dinner when we got back
and the last time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm. We took a second drive around 6pm to both
Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park. We
both were quieter than normal on this drive.
Mom was in good spirits on both drives.
We watched TV the rest of the evening and mom napped some as well. We did talk to my brother Larry on SKYPE
tonight. With me mom has been
affectionate and happy. Mom went to bed
at 2am and wanted to put her nightgown on over her shirt again tonight.
Sunday June 24th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up several times
during the overnight. I had my friend Patti
over while I went to church. Today’s
service was exactly what I needed. I ate
brunch with my friends after the service like normal. Patti had to put the pills in applesauce this
morning. Patti said her word of the day
for mom was confused. Mom wasn’t angry
or difficult just confused. Mom was
eating applesauce when I got home at noon.
Mom napped a little after she finished the applesauce. I then got mom dressed I helped put her pants
on then took off her nightgown. I make
it like a game and get mom laughing which helps keep her in good spirits while
I help get her changed. It was a partly
sunny day with temps getting up to 99.
We took a drive along the river road part way to Grafton before turning
around to head back home. We saw several
boats out on the river even one sailboat. Several motorcycles on the road and
people walking along the hike/bike trail.
Mom talked about her normal amount.
I gave mom a snack when we got back then mom napped some. We then took a second drive before
dinner. We drove over to Sioux Passage
Park then Sunset Park. We saw a deer in
Sioux Passage Park and talked mostly about tress and cars. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate anything was at 7pm. Mom
took a nap after dinner so we didn’t take any drives after dinner. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing. Mom did after her nap ask
me who I was which is the first time she has done that in a long time. Mom went to bed about 2am although she did
nap off and on over the evening. I did
have to explain more and help her to get changed into her nightgown. Overall today mom has been confused at times
but in good spirits.
Saturday June 23rd 2012
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up several times
during the overnight but we got up for the day at noon. My brother Paul
called around 10:30am or so
but I was half asleep as I was talking.
Mom is in the bathroom for about 1 hour each time I get her up
overnight. Since it was late I just
crushed mom’s pills into applesauce except for one that is a coated
aspirin. After breakfast I got mom
dressed and today I helped her put on her pants and take off her
nightgown. We then went for a
drive. It was a partly sunny hot
day. We took a drive along the river
road part way to Grafton but not all the way so I could get mom back
home
before she would need a bathroom break. We
talked about the motorcycles, boats and we saw some homes on top of the
cliff. We saw several boats out on the
river and people hiking or walking on the hike/bike trail that runs
along the
side of the road. I fixed lunch when we
got back. Then mom took a short nap
before we took our second drive of the day.
For our second drive we drove to both Sioux Passage and Sunset
Parks. We did see a couple of deer in
Sioux Passage Park. We talked mostly
about the cars and houses on this drive.
I then fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate anything
was at 7pm we had a late dinner. Mom
talked about the flowers tonight during dinner.
We then took a third drive to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area after
dinner. On all our drives today mom was
a bit more talkative than her normal. We
spent the rest of the evening napping on and off as we watched TV. Mom
went to bed at midnight. Tonight mom took her own cloths off then put
the nightgown on. She took off her pants
first which she hasn’t done that in along time.
Overall today mom has been in good spirits and enjoying her day.
Friday June 22nd 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
sunny day with temps in the mid 80’s. I
spent the day running errands until I got back at 3:30pm. Andrea did not have to crush any pills into
applesauce mom took all her pills today.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was personable and Shannon said
mom slept the whole time she was here. Mom
was napping sort of in her chair in the TV room when I got home. We went for a drive to Sioux Passage Park
shortly after I got home. I fixed dinner
when we got back but did give mom a snack at 8pm so that was the last time she
ate anything. We took a drive shortly
after dinner. We took our normal evening
drive to both Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park. Mom and I talked about the houses, cars and
trees on both drives. We both spent the
rest of the evening napping on and off until mom went to bed at midnight. Again tonight mom started to put her
nightgown on over her shirt. Overall mom
has been sweet with me and her normal amount of talking.
Thursday June 21st 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 sunny day
with temps in the mid 80’s. I ran some
errands did grocery shopping but did get in a short walk before getting
back
home at 4pm. Andrea said her word of the
day for mom was grumpy but she was able to get mom to take all her pills
without crushing any into applesauce. Patti
said mom was fine the 2 hours she was here.
I took mom for a drive shortly after I got home. We drove over to Sioux
Passage Park. We saw one deer in the park but mostly talked
about the trees, cars and houses on the drive.
I fixed dinner when we got back but gave mom a snack at 8pm so that was
the last time mom ate anything. We took
a second drive at 6pm after dinner. On
this drive we drove to both Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park. We saw a
mommy deer followed by her baby walk
across the road in front of us as we drove through Sioux Passage Park.
Mom and I both spent the rest of the evening
napping off and on as we watched TV. Mom
went to bed at 1:30am and again tonight tried putting her nightgown on
over her
shirt.
Wednesday June 20th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident this afternoon. Mom was up, washed, feed and dressed when I
got up today. It was a sunny day with
temps in the mid 90’s. I spent the day
running errands until I got back at 4:30pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was chatty. Andrea was able to get mom to take her pills
without crushing any into applesauce. Patti
said mom was fine the 2 hours she was here and mom was affectionate giving
Patti a kiss on the check. Mom was
watching TV when I got home. I took mom
for a quick drive to Sioux Passage Park before dinner. Mom and I talked about the houses and
cars. The last time mom ate anything was
at 6:30pm. We took a second drive at
7pm. We drove over to Sioux Passage Park
before heading to Sunset Park. Mom was a
little chattier on this drive talking about the cars, trees and houses
mostly. We spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing. Mom went to
bed at 1am and as normal now she tried to put the nightgown on over the
shirt.
Tuesday June 19th 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 sunny day
with temps in the mid 90’s. I just took
a drive and made some phone calls after I left this morning. Andrea said mom tried to walk out of the
house and one time mom was walking down the driveway before Andrea stopped
her. This was the first time mom did
anything like that in a long time.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was addlepated but was able to
get mom to take her pills without using applesauce. Mom was watching TV when I got home at
1:30pm. We took a drive at 2pm to
Columbia Bottom Conservation Area talking about the views. Mom was her normal self on the drive happy
and responsive. We took a second drive
before dinner and after a short nap to Sioux Passage Park. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate anything was at 6pm. We
took a third drive of the day to both Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park. We talked mostly about the houses and
cars. We did see a deer in Sioux Passage
Park. We then watched TV with mom
napping on and off the rest of the evening until mom went to bed at
11:30pm. Mom was her normal amount of
confusion when it came to changing.
Monday June 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. It was a
sunny day with temps in the mid 90’s. I
spent most of the day preparing for my interview at 2pm. I took a short drive after my interview
before getting back home at 3:30pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was docile and did not have to
crush any pills. Mom and Shannon spent
most of the 2 hours she was here watching TV.
Mom and I took a drive at 4pm to Sioux Passage Park. Mom talked about her normal amount on the drive
as we talked mostly about the houses and number of cars in the parking
lots. I fixed our dinner when we got
back so the last time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm. We took a second drive to both Sioux Passage
Park and Sunset Park. We talked about the
houses and cars. We spent the rest of
the evening watching TV and laughing. We
did talk to my brother Larry for a few minutes over SKYPE this evening. Mom tried to start conversations but was
having a hard time putting her thoughts together. Normally when she talks it’s just one
sentence or less tonight she was trying to carry conversations. Mom did her thing of walking around the house
starting at 10pm for over an hour. Mom
went to bed at midnight but was less confused on what to do than she has been
over the past week.
Sunday June 17th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had my friend Patti over while
I went to church to worship my father god on Father’s Day and to thank him for
a phone interview I have on Monday. IAs
normal I met up with friends and had brunch at church. Patti said mom was fine but mom did not take
her pills so I had Patti crush them into applesauce and gave it to mom. I then helped mom get dress so we could go
for a drive. It was a partly sunny day
with temps in the 90’s. Our first drive we
drove over to Illinois then over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. Mom talked about her normal amount mostly
about the views. I fixed us a snack when
we got back then we napped a little. We took
a second drive before dinner just drove around.
We talked about the views and houses.
We had dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate anything was at
6pm. We both napped some after dinner so
we did not take any drives this evening.
We spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing. Mom did walk around the house for about 20
minutes around 9:30pm. Mom went to bed at 1am and I needed to help her get
changed.
Saturday June 16th 2012
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up a few times
overnight but we didn’t get up for the day until 11:30am. I was able to
get mom to take all her pills
without putting any in applesauce. I did
this today by putting the pills in her mouth myself I made it like a
game. I then helped mom get dressed. I had to help her put on her
pants and
shirt. It was a partly sunny day with
temps in the 90’s. We took our first
drive shortly after breakfast. We drove
along the river road about 2/3 the way to Grafton. On this shorter
drive I can get mom back
before she needs to go to the bathroom. We
saw several boats and 2 sailboats.
Several people out on their motorcycles the most I have seen so
far. A few people were out on the
bike/hiking trail along the side of the road.
Mom talked about her normal amount on our drive and was enjoying
herself. I fixed lunch when we got back
then we took a second drive before dinner.
On this drive we went to both Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park. We
talked about the trees and houses but mom
was quieter on this drive. We had dinner
after the drive and the last time mom ate anything was at 6:30pm. We
took a third drive to Columbia Bottom
Conservation Area around 7pm. Mom talked
a lot more on this drive mostly about the views. We then spent the rest
of the evening
watching TV and laughing. Mom did do her
thing of walking around the house at 10pm for several minutes. Mom
really didn’t nap much today. Mom went to bed at 1am and was confused
like
normal on changing. Overall today mom
has been sweet.
Friday June 15th 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
sunny day with temps in the 90’s. I ran
errands and went grocery shopping today while I was out. Andrea said
her word of the day for mom was
sweet and that mom took her pills without having to us applesauce.
Shannon said mom was sleepy the 2 hours she
was here. Mom was napping when I got
home at 3:30pm. We did take a drive to
Sioux Passage Park before dinner. We
talked about the trees and houses and mom talked about her normal
amount. She was also very happy to be on the drive. I fixed dinner
when we got back but gave mom
a snack around 7pm so that is the last time she ate anything. We took a
second drive after dinner around
6pm to both Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park.
Mom was quiet on this drive and not as responsive. We spent the rest of
the night watching TV
and laughing with mom nodding off a few times.
Mom went to bed at 11pm and was confused.
Thursday June 14th 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 sunny day
with temps in the 90’s. I just ran some
errands today before getting back at 3:30pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was pleasant but she did have to
put mom’s pills in applesauce. Patti
said mom was quiet the 2 hours she was here.
Mom was napping when I got home at 3:30pm. I had mom go to the bathroom right away then
we took a drive to Sioux Passage Park.
We talked about the houses and trees mostly with mom talking about her
normal amount. I then fixed dinner when we
got back so the last time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm. We then took a second drive around 6pm to
both Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park.
Mom was quieter on this drive. We
spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing with mom nodding off a
few times. Mom did start to do her thing
of wondering around the house at 10:45 for about 45 minutes. Mom went to bed at 2am and for the past few
nights mom has started to put her nightgown on over her shirt until I stop
her.
Wednesday June 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. It was a sunny
day with temps in the 80’s. I went for a
short walk over at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area before heading back
at
2pm. Andrea said her word of the day for
mom was resistant. Andrea was able to
get mom to take all her pills without crushing any into applesauce. I
took mom for a drive around 3pm to Sioux
Passage Park. Mom talked about her
normal amount. Mom then napped some
before dinner. The last time mom ate
anything was at 5:30pm. We took a second
drive around 7pm to both Sioux Passage Park and Sunset Park. Mom was
fairly quiet on this drive. We spent the rest of the evening watching
TV
and laughing with mom napping off and on until she went to bed at
1:30am. I forgot to mention we talked to my brother
Larry last night on SKYPE.
Tuesday June 12th 2012
Mom
did have a bladder accident this afternoon. I let her go to long
without going into the
bathroom. Mom was up, feed and dressed
when I got up today. It was a sunny day
with temps in the 80’s. I just had
enough time to take a short drive before getting back home by 1:30pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
bewildered and sleepy. Andrea was able
to get mom to take her pills without crushing any into applesauce. Mom
was sleeping on the living room sofa when
I got home. I ended up taking mom for a
drive at 2:30pm. Today we talked about
the views as we drove over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. Mom
talked about her normal amount on this
drive and was enjoying it. Mom ended up
napping some when we got back before having dinner. The last time mom
ate anything was at
6pm. We took a second drive around
7pm. On this drive we drove first to
Sioux Passage Park then over to Sunset Park.
Mom was quiet on this drive. We
then spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing. Mom did
nod off a few times this evening. Mom went to bed at 12:30am and
started to put
her nightgown on over her shirt until I stopped her. Overall even with
me mom was more confused
than her normal but in pretty good spirits.
Monday June 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. It was a
rainy day with temps in the 70’s. Since
I did not get much sleep over the weekend and didn’t go to bed until 6:30am I
slept in this morning. So I spent the
day away running errands. Andrea said
her word of the day for mom was biddable.
Andrea was able to get mom to take her pills without crushing any in
applesauce. Shannon said mom was quiet
the 2 hours she was here. Mom was
napping in the TV room when I got home at 3:30pm. It started clearing up late this afternoon so
mom and I went for a drive around 4:30pm.
We went over to Sioux Passage Park.
Mom was quiet on this drive but responsive. We had dinner after our drive so the last
time mom ate anything was at 6:30pm. We
took a second drive to Sioux Passage Park at 7pm. We both were quiet on this drive. We then spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing. Mom went to
bed at 1:30am and was confused on the changing into her nightgown. Overall mom has been in good spirits but
quiet.
Sunday June 10th 2012
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had my friend Patti over
while I went to church. I met up with my
friends for brunch after the services there at the café in the church.
It was another really good service that hit
at home. Patti was able to get mom to
take her pills without putting any of them in applesauce. Patti said
mom didn’t finish breakfast and
pills until 11am so I didn’t feed mom lunch when I got home at noon.
Mom was up watching TV when I got home. So I got her to get dressed and
a bathroom
break then we went on a drive at 1pm. It
was a cloudy day with temps in the 80’s.
Today we drove along the river road about 2/3 the way to Grafton. If I
just go that far I don’t need to stop
along the way. We saw 2 sailboats and
several power boats on the river. We
also saw several motorcycles but not many people on the bike/hike
trail. Mom talked about her normal amount on this
drive and was responsive but did nod off for a minute or 2 a couple of
times. I gave mom a snack when we got
back. Then we took a second drive to
Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. Mom
also talked about her normal amount. We
ate dinner after getting back then we napped a little. We then just
spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing. Mom went to
bed at 2am. Mom started to put her nightgown
on over her shirt until I stopped her, this is the 3rd time in a
week she has started to do that. Overall
today mom has been in a good mood her normal talkativeness and responsive.
Saturday June 9th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up a couple times
overnight but we got up for the day at 11:30am.
I was able to get mom to take all her pills without putting any in
applesauce. It was a sunny hot day with
temps getting to 90. We started on our
drive around 1pm. We drove along the
river road to Grafton visitor center. We
saw several boats on the river but no sailboats today. The trees are so thick it is hard now to see
the houses on top of the cliffs. There
were several motorcycles and people out riding their bikes along the bike/hike
trail. A lot of people getting out too
enjoy a beautiful day. Mom was
talkative, responsive and just enjoying the drive. I fixed lunch when we got back then we both
napped until 6pm. During dinner mom
talked about the flowers and the last time she ate was 6:45pm. We then took a drive first to Sioux Passage
Park then over to Sunset Park. Mom was
quiet on this drive but only because I was.
We spent the rest of the evening laughing and watching TV. Mom did nod off every once in a while before
going to bed at 12:30am. I had to
explain what to do and mom got frustrated with the changing into her
nightgown. Overall mom has been in good
spirits, responsive and a little more talkative than normal.
Friday June 8th 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
sunny day with temps in the upper 80’s.
I went over to a friend’s and had lunch and just hanged out talking. I then did some grocery shopping before
heading back home. Andrea said her word
of the day for mom was recalcitrant Shannon said mom was nice the 2 hours she
was here. Mom was watching TV when I got
home at 3:30pm. It was difficult getting
mom to go to the bathroom she is just having a hard time understanding what to
do. We took a drive before dinner to
Sioux Passage Park. Mom talked about her
normal amount on the drive. Mom napped
some after our drive until dinner. I
gave mom a snack around 8pm so that was the last time she ate anything. We took a second drive after dinner at 7pm to
Sioux Passage Park. Mom was quiet on
this drive. We spent the rest of the
evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping off every once in
awhile. Mom went to bed at 2am and was
fairly easy to get changed but I had to tell her what to do.
Thursday June 7th 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 sunny day
with temps in the 80’s. I just ran some
errands with my time away from mom today.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was irritable in the morning and
sleepy in the afternoon. Mom was napping
when I got home at 1:30pm. I took mom
for a drive at 3pm. We drove over to
Sioux Passage Park then we went to Sunset Park.
Mom talked about her normal amount on the drive. I had my friend Patti over at 5pm so I could
go to another paid survey. Mom and Patti
had dinner together so I’m not sure the last time mom ate anything. Mom was in the bathroom when I got home
around 8:30pm. Patti said mom was sweet
the 3 plus hours she was here. Mom and I
then watched TV and laughed the rest of the night until she went to bed around
12:30am. Mom was confused on getting
changed tonight but overall today mom has been in good spirits with me and
Patti.
Wednesday June 6th 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
sunny day with temps in the 80’s. I just
ran some errands with my time away from mom today. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
feisty and did not have to put any pills in applesauce. Mom was napping on a chair in the dining room
when I got back home at 1:45pm. The
pastor was over today at 2pm to visit with mom and I. He was here for about 45 minutes and we had a
great talk. I thank god for having the
pastor come over. Mom and I took a drive
after the pastor to Sioux Passage Park.
Mom was talkative on this drive.
We had dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm. Mom napped a little after dinner so it was
6:30pm when we took our second drive. We
drove first to Sioux Passage Park then over to Sunset Park before heading
home. Mom was quieter on this
drive. We spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at 1am. Mom was fairly easy to get changed
tonight. Overall today mom has been more
talkative and alert than her normal as well as very pleasant.
Tuesday June 5th 2012
Mom
did have a bladder accident today just shortly after our
first drive. Mom was up, feed and
dressed when I got up today. I just had
enough time to run some errands today before getting back at 1:30pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
pleasant. Mom was up watching TV when I
got home. We took a drive right away
over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.
Mom was somewhat talkative on this drive. We both then napped a little
before taking a
second drive over to Sioux Passage Park.
Mom talked about her normal amount on this drive. We had dinner when we
got back so the last
time mom ate anything was 6pm. We took
our third drive at 6:30pm to Sioux Passage Park. We both were quiet on
this drive. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing until mom went to bed at 1:30am.
Monday June 4th 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
cloudy day with temps in the 90’s. I
spent my time running some errands then ate lunch at Five Guys burger for the
first time. They say they are the number
burger and French fries, the burger was very good but I didn’t like the fries
very much. Andrea said her word of the
day for mom was amiable. Shannon said at
first mom really didn’t recognize her.
Mom was up watching TV with Shannon when I got home at 3:30pm. I took mom for a drive right away to try and
beat the rain. It did rain a little on
us as we drove to Sioux Passage Park.
Mom talked about her normal amount on the drive and was fairly
responsive. We both napped a little
after our drive before dinner. The last
time mom ate anything was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 1:30am. We spent the night watching TV and
laughing. Mom did walk around the house
tonight for about an hour around 8:30pm.
Mom was fairly easy to get changed tonight.
Sunday June 3rd 2012
Mom
did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had my friend Patti over while
I went to church this morning. Mom was
sleeping when I left. I met up with my
normal friends at church and ate brunch with them after the services.
This was a great service today hit at home
just what I needed to here. Patti was
able to get mom to take all but 3 pills so we put them in applesauce for
lunch
when I got home. Patti said mom slept
most of the time she was here. I got mom
dressed when I got home then after a bathroom break we took a drive. It
was a sunny day with temps around 80. Today we drove along the river
road to
Grafton, IL. We saw a few boats out on
the river and several people riding their bikes on the bike trail. We
didn’t see many birds flying around
today. Mom was fairly quiet on this
drive. We both napped after our drive in
the living room until dinner. I only had
about 2 hours sleep last night. We ate
dinner at 5:30pm so the last time mom ate anything was 6pm. Mom napped
some after dinner then we took a
drive around 7:30pm. Mom was quiet and
non-responsive on this drive to Sioux Passage Park. Mom has over the
past few months been getting
more confused on going into the bathroom and what to do. I have to
explain what to do more times than
before. We spent the rest of the
evening watching TV and laughing. Mom was
fairly easy to get changed. Overall
today mom has been sleepy and more confused than her normal but in good
spirits.
Saturday June 2nd 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up for the day at
9:30am. I just started out by crushing
her pills into applesauce so we could be sure to make it to mom’s haircut
appointment in time. If she takes the
pills by mouth it can take over an hour.
I also thanked god ahead of time over the past couple of days to make it
a good experience for mom. Even though
we had to wait for the person to cut her hair mom was in good spirits. This was the easiest wash and haircut in
years. I was able to get mom laughing
and keep a smile on her face. We took a
drive to Sioux Passage Park after her haircut then back home. It was a partly sunny day with temps in the
70’s. I fixed lunch when we got back
then mom napped a little. We then took a
drive to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area then back home. Mom was talking about her normal amount on
both of our drives and responsive. We
both then napped a little before dinner.
We finished dinner at 6:30pm and that was the last time mom ate
anything. We took another drive to Sioux
Passage Park at 8pm. We spent the rest
of the evening watching TV and laughing.
Overall today mom has been in very good spirits and responsive but she
was a handful when it came to getting her ready for bed. Mom went to bed at 1am.
Friday June 1st 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
cloudy day with temps in the 70’s. I ran
some errands then had enough time to get in a short hike. I went over
to Columbia Bottom Conservation
Area and walked along the Missouri river.
It was great getting out in the woods listening to the wind blow through
the trees, water splashing onto the shore and the birds singing. Andrea
said her word of the day for mom was
nice but she did have to put mom’s pills into applesauce. Shannon
agreed mom was nice the 2 hours she
was here. Mom was napping in the living
room when I got home at 3:30pm. I took
mom for a drive at 4pm to Sioux Passage Park.
Mom talked about her normal amount on our drive and was very
responsive. I fixed dinner when we got
back but gave mom a snack at 7pm and that was the last time she ate
anything. We took a second drive at
7:30pm to Sioux Passage Park then over to Sunset Park. Mom was her
normal on this drive. We spent the rest of the night watching TV
and laughing. It was easy to get mom to
brush her teeth tonight and to change but she fussed and was confused on
lying
down in bed. Mom went to bed at
1:15am. Overall mom has been in great spirits
today.
