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
Friday August 31st 2012
Mom did not have any bowel or bladder accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
feed by the time I left. It was a rainy
day the left over from hurricane Isaac.
We are to get rain all day tomorrow as well but then we need the rain. I just went out to lunch then just hung out
before getting back home by 4:30pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was dear. As normal anymore we crush most of mom’s
pills and put them in applesauce. We ate
dinner at 5pm and that was the last time mom ate anything today. Since it was raining mom and I did not take
any drives. We just spent the day
watching TV and laughing with mom napping on and off this evening until she
went to bed at midnight.
Thursday August 30th 2012
Mom did not have any bowel or bladder accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, dressed and feed by
the time I left. It was a sunny day with
temps of 96. Since I slept in I only had
enough time to run some errands before getting back home at 2:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
convivial. Mom was napping in the living
room when I got home. Mom and I went for
a drive a little after 3pm. We drove
over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area talking about the views and
cars. I fixed dinner shortly after
getting back so the last time mom ate anything was at 6pm. We took our second drive around 7pm to both
Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. We
talked about our normal amount on both drives.
Then we spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing with mom
napping a lot. Mom went to bed at
1:30am.
Wednesday August 29th 2012
Mom did not have any bowel or bladder accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
feed by the time I left. It was a sunny
day with temps in the 90’s. I drove over
to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and hung out for awhile even took a short
walk before heading back home at 2pm. Andrea
had fixed me a birthday cake and Patti came a little early so we all had
birthday cake and I opened presents. I
then took off and ran some errands before getting back by 4pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was recalcitrant
in the morning and pleasant in the afternoon.
Mom and I went out to our favorite Mexican restaurant for an early dinner. We had our normal taco salad and ice
cream. We spent the evening watching TV
and laughing. Also we talked to my
brothers Larry and Tom on SYKPE wishing me a happy birthday. Mom
went to bed at 1am and was in a good mood all day.
Tuesday August 28th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident at 9:15am. Mom was up, dressed and feed by the time I
left. I just had enough time for a short
walk over at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area before getting back at
2:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day
for mom was friendly. It was a sunny day
with highs in the low 90’s. Mom and I
went for our first drive around 3pm. We
drove over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area talking about the views. Mom was fairly talkative on this drive at
least for her. I fixed dinner shortly
after we got back and the last time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm. We took our second drive at 6pm. We drove over to both Sioux Passage and
Sunset parks. We saw several deer in
Sioux Passage Park although mom only saw 2.
Mom’s eye sight isn’t as good if the deer are not moving. We then spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing. Mom did wonder
around the house at 10:30pm for a few minutes.
Overall today mom has been sweet.
I think whatever was going on with her stomach is over now she can go 3 plus
hours without going to the bathroom instead of every 1 to 2 hours. It had been over 4 hours when mom had her
accident this morning. Mom went to bed
at 1:15am.
Monday August 27th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and feed by the
time I left. It was a sunny day with
temps of 88. I went over to Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area and took a short walk along the Missouri river and ran
an errand before getting back at 4:30pm.
It was great getting out in the woods.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was vacant and she did crush
most of mom’s pills except for the 3 pills we can’t crush. Mom slept most of the time Patti was
here. I took mom for our only drive of
around 5:30pm. We drove over to Sioux
Passage Park and did see some deer in the park.
We talked about our normal amount mostly on cars and houses. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate anything was at 7pm. We
spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at
1am. Mom didn’t nap this evening much so
was awake most of the evening. We did
talk to my brother Larry on SYKPE this evening for a few minutes. I did have some problems getting her to
understand how to brush her teeth and I brushed them myself with some resistance.
I only had to help mom my normal amount on getting mom changed into her
nightgown. Overall with me mom has been
sweet and happy.
Sunday August 26th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had mom go into the bathroom
about every 2 hours or so and this kept her from having any accidents. She still has a stomach bug. It was a cloudy day with rain late this
afternoon and evening with a high of 88.
I had my friend Patti over while I went to church. I met up with some
friends and had brunch after the service.
Patti had most of mom’s pills done by the time I got home. So I got mom’s other pills down and dressed
when I got home. We took our first drive
along the river road part way to Grafton IL.
We saw several boats out on the water and one barge. There were several people on the bike/hike
trail and a bunch of motorcycles. We napped
some after our drive before dinner. We spent
the evening watching TV and laughing. I
had mom go to the bathroom every 2 hours during the evening.
Saturday August 25th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had mom go into the bathroom
about every 2 hours or so and this kept her from having any accidents. She still has a stomach bug. We got up for the day at 11am. I went ahead and crushed most of mom’s pills
into applesauce. It was a partly sunny
morning then got mostly cloudy in the afternoon. We even got some much needed rain late this
afternoon. We took our first drive along
the river road part way to Grafton IL. We
saw several boats and some sailboats out on the river. I fixed us some lunch when we got back. We both took a little nap after lunch. I fixed dinner after our naps so the last
time mom ate was at 6pm. We took a
second drive after dinner to both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. We talked about our normal amount on both
drives. We then watched TV and laughed
the rest of the evening until mom went to bed at midnight.
Friday August 24th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident this morning just before
Andrea got here. Mom was up, washed,
dressed and feed by the time I left. It
was a sunny day with warmer temps getting up to the 90’s. I took a drive and ran some errands when I
was gone. I got back at 4:30pm and mom
was sitting in the living room when I got home.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was compliant. Andrea said she was taking mom to the
bathroom every 2 hours or so and I had her go when I got home. Mom still has that bug running threw
her. We took a drive to Sioux Passage
Park after mom went to the bathroom and before dinner. The last time mom ate anything was at
6pm. We took a drive after dinner and a
bathroom trip. We drove over to Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area. We talked and
laughed about the views and houses on both drives. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing. I kept mom going to the
bathroom every couple of hours and will do that throughout the night. Mom has been in good spirits with me all day.
Mom went to bed at 1:30am.
Thursday August 23rd 2012
Mom did have a 2 bladder accidents this morning. She had both shortly after coming out of the
bathroom then so would go in about an hour later and had the accident. I think mom has something going through her
system right now causing her need for more bathroom trips. This happens every few months for mom or at
least once a year ah the fun of getting old LOL. Mom was up, dressed and feed by the time I
left. I met up with a friend for lunch
and to hang out before getting back by 2:30pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was sweet and mom was sweet all
day with me as well. We took a drive
after I got home along the river road part way to Grafton IL. We even saw a sailboat out on the river and a
couple speed boats but no one on the bike/hike trail. Mom then napped a little before dinner. The last time mom ate was at 6pm. We then took a second drive after dinner to
both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. We
talked about our normal amount on both drives.
We then spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing until mom
went to bed at 1am. I had mom going to
the bathroom every couple of hours so she would not have anymore bladder
accidents.
Wednesday August 22nd 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident today at 11:30am. Mom was up washed, dressed and feed by the
time I left. It was a sunny day with
warmer temps getting up to 94. I was
able to get in a hike before going grocery shopping. I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation
Area and hiked along the Missouri river.
Mom was napping in the living room when I got home at 4:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
drowsy. Patti said mom napped when she
was here. We went for a drive shortly
after I got home to Sioux Passage Park.
We talked about our normal amount.
I fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was at
6pm. We took a second drive after dinner
to both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks.
Then we watched TV and laughed the rest of the evening until mom went to
bed at 1am.
Tuesday August 21st 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, dressed and feed by
the time I left. It was a beautiful day
sunny with a high of 89. This was the
first day in a while that we turned the AC on.
I just had enough time to take a short drive before getting back by
2:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day
for mom was laconic and she did crush most of mom’s pills into applesauce. Mom was watching TV when I got home and we
took a drive at 3pm. We drove along the
river road part way to Grafton IL. We
did not see anybody on the hike/bike trail or any boats on the river. We did see 1 barge on the river. Over the past few days I have started to see
some of the trees changing along the river road way earlier than any other
year. We talked about our normal amount
on this drive. I fixed dinner shortly
after we got back and the last time mom ate was at 5pm. Mom took a short nap after dinner then around
7pm we took our second drive. On this
drive we drove to both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. Mom talked about her normal amount and we
talked mostly about number of cars and the houses. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing until mom went to bed at 1am.
Mom did do her wondering around the house at 10pm for about 30 minutes
she was being very unsettled.
Monday August 20th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident today at 3:30pm. Mom was up washed, dressed and feed by the
time I left. It was a beautiful day
sunny with a high in the 80’s. I spent
most of my time running errands until I got back at 4:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
insipid and she did crush most of mom’s pills into applesauce. Mom slept most of the time Patti was here and
was sleeping when I got home. Since mom
was wet when I got home I changed her but put her nightgown on then fixed
dinner. We ended up not taking any
drives today. The last time mom ate was
at 6:30pm. We spent the evening watching
TV and laughing. Mom did not nap as much
tonight like she did last night. Mom did
not do her thing of wondering around the house tonight. She went to bed at 12:30am.
Sunday August 19th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up at 7:45am. I had my friend Patti over while I went to
church. I met up with my friend for
bunch at church after the service. We
crushed most of mom’s pills into applesauce then I had her take the 3 pills we
cannot crush. I put the pills in her
mouth myself then gave her the milk. Then
I got mom dressed for our drives. It was
a cloudy day with a little rain. We took
our first drive along the river road part way to Grafton IL. We got rained on the very first part of the
drive apart of the sky was cloudy and raining the other part was sunny. We had temps in the mid 80’s. We saw less boats than normal with no barges
or sailboats. We did see a bunch of
motorcycles out and people on the hike/bike trail. We took a second drive shortly after the
first drive. On this drive we drove over
to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. No
rain on this drive but it was cloudy. On
both drives mom talked about her normal amount.
I fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was at
5:30pm. We spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at 11:30pm. Mom also napped a lot this evening. Mom is having a harder time understanding
going to the bathroom and other things.
I have to repeat it several times until her brain makes the correct
connection. Mom was sweet today but
sleepy.
Saturday August 18th 2012
Mom did have a bowel accident tonight I let her sleep to
long in her chair but the accident was only in the bathroom thank god. I got mom up a few times overnight but we
got up for the day at 8:30am. I went
ahead and crush most of mom’s pills the ones we can crush and put them in
applesauce. After breakfast bathroom
breaks and getting mom dressed we took a drive.
It was a beautiful day sunny and temp of just 83. We drove along the river road part way to
Grafton IL. We talked about the boats on
the river and views. Mom did fall asleep
on the last part of the drive. We didn’t
see very many boats and no barges. We
also saw fewer people on the hike/bike trail and less motorcycles. We did start earlier today. I fixed lunch when we got back. Then mom went into the bathroom and was in
there for a couple of hours she fell asleep in there. We then went out to eat dinner over at our
favorite Mexican restaurant having taco salads and ice cream with honey and
sugar. We watched a little TV before mom
went into the bathroom and fell asleep again for about 2 hours then she slept
most evening in the bathroom or her chair as we watched TV. Mom has been sweet and sleepy today. Mom went to bed at midnight.
Friday August 17th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, dressed and
feed by the time I left. It was a
beautiful day sunny with a high of just 82.
I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. I took a hike along the Missouri river for
about 3 miles and ran an errand before heading back home at 4:30pm. It was such a great day temp wise I had to
get in a hike. The birds were singing a
nice breeze blowing through the trees. I
just love the outdoors. It’s kind of
funny the distance I hiked today was how much I use to hike on my rest days on
my past adventure therapies. We turned
off the AC all day with the windows open letting the house breath. Andrea said
her word of the day for mom was helpful.
Patti said mom was sweet and sleepy the 2 hours she was here. I took mom for a drive when I got home. We drove over to Sioux Passage Park before
dinner. Mom was fairly quiet on this
drive. We ate dinner at 6pm but I gave
mom a cookie at 8:30pm so that was the last time she ate anything. We took a second drive tonight at 7pm to
Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. Mom was fairly quiet on this drive as
well. We then watched TV and laughed the
rest of the evening. Mom also did more
napping this evening than her normal. Mom
was difficult a couple times tonight getting her to go to the bathroom. I think she is having problems with what I’m
telling her to do. Mom went to bed at
11:30pm. Mom was sweet, quiet and sleepy
with me today.
Thursday August 16th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, dressed and feed by
the time I left. Andrea had mom in a
new house coat she bought for mom that allows mom to wear outside and to bed so
mom does not have to change every morning and evening. We are preparing mom’s cloths so one day we
don’t have to change her cloths every day.
I just had enough time to take a short drive and do some grocery
shopping before getting back at 2:20pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was pokey. Andrea said she had to crush most of mom’s
pills and put them in applesauce. It was
a cloudy day with rain this afternoon and evening. Mom and I started on a drive before the rain
to go along the river road part way to Grafton IL. It started to rain before we got very far so
we turned around and headed home. I
can’t complain though we need the rain bad.
Mom napped some after we got back.
I fixed dinner around 5pm but gave mom a cookie at 8pm so that was the
last time she ate anything. We did not
go for any drives tonight but it was good to get the rain. We spent the evening watching TV and laughing
when I acted silly which I do a lot. Mom
also napped on and off this evening and went to bed at midnight. It was hard to get her to brush her teeth and
she has started swallowing the tooth paste instead of spitting it out. I did not have to get her changed tonight
since she had on her house coat. For
those of you who do not know what a house coat is, it is a dress basically that
they can wear outside and also serves as a nightgown for sleeping. Overall today with me mom has been sweet,
happy and a little sleepy.
Wednesday August 15th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, dressed and
feed by the time I left. I had the
pastor over today at 2pm. So when I left
I didn’t have a lot of time to do anything but take a short drive. The pastor was here for about an hour today
we had a great talk. The power did go
out as the pastor left for about 30 minutes.
The electric company had about 500 people out around us. Since my friend Patti was here I ran some
errands after the pastor left until 5pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was affectionate. And she did crush most of mom’s pills into
applesauce. Patti said mom was sweet
when she was here. We ate dinner when I
got back but I gave mom a cookie at 8pm so that is the last time she ate
anything. We took a drive around 6:30pm
to both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks.
We both were fairly quiet on this drive.
We then spent the rest of the evening watch TV and laughing. Mom did not wonder around the house tonight
but was difficult to get her to brush. I
think she was having problems understanding what I was telling her to do. Overall with me mom has been sweet but
quieter. Mom did nap off and on this
evening but so did I. Mom went to bed
at 1am.
Tuesday August 14th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, dressed and feed by
the time I left. It was a cloudy day
with temps in the 80’s. I just spent my
time away taking a short drive and run some errands before getting back home at
2:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day
for mom was trusting and she crushed most of mom’s pills. Andrea also said mom slept a lot while she
was here. We took a drive shortly after
I got home. We drove over to Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area talking about the views along the way. Mom talked about her normal amount. Mom napped a little when we got back before
dinner. The last time mom ate anything
was at 6pm. Mom napped a little before
our second drive. We drove over to both
Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. We
talked about the number of cars in parking lots. We then spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing. Mom went to
bed at 2:30am and did nap on and off throughout the evening. Mom did her thing of wondering around the
house for a few minutes at 10:30pm.
Monday August 13th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up washed, dressed and
feed by the time I left. It was a cloudy
day with temps in the 80’s. I went over
to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and hiked along the Missouri river. It was great to get out again and do a hike
it helps my spirit. Andrea said her word
of the day for mom was sweet and she did have to crush most of mom’s pills and
put them in applesauce, good thing mom likes applesauce. Patti said mom was sweet with her as
well. Mom was up watching TV when I got
home at 4:30pm. We took a drive to Sioux
Passage Park when I got home. We both
were fairly quiet for most of this drive.
I then fixed dinner shortly after we got back home and the last time mom
ate was at 7pm. Then after a bathroom
trip we took a second drive to both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. Again we both were fairly quiet for most of
the drive. Then we watched TV and
laughed. It is getting harder for mom to
understand the need to go to the bathroom.
Mom did her thing tonight of wondering around the house at 10pm for a
few minutes.
Sunday August 12th 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 service.
Patti said mom slept most of the morning didn’t get up until 11am for
breakfast. Mom was taking her pills when
I got home at noon. I had Patti crush
most of mom’s pills and put them in applesauce.
I then got mom dressed for our drive around 1pm. It was a partly sunny day with temps in the
80’s. We along the river road part way
to Grafton IL. We did not see as many
people or boats today as yesterday. Mom
did do more talking than her normal on our drive. We both took a little nap when we got back
and then took our second drive before dinner.
I did talk to my brother Paul this afternoon over the phone before our
first drive. On the second drive we
drove to both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks.
Neither one of us talked much on this drive. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm. We
spent the rest of the evening watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympics
and laughing. Mom was difficult tonight
on both brushing her teeth and changing plus she needed more help than normal
tonight on both. Mom went to bed at midnight.
Saturday August 11th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up a few times overnight
but we got up for the day at noon and had breakfast. I crushed most of mom’s pills and put them in
applesauce. I then got mom dressed by
putting on her pants then take her nightgown off but she put her shirt on by
herself. It was a sunny day with temps
of only mid 80’s. It was so nice that I
left the windows open and the AC off all day.
We took our first drive after breakfast and getting mom dressed plus a
couple bathroom trips. We drove along
the river road part way to Grafton IL like normal. Today we saw several sailboats and other
boats out on the river enjoying such a beautiful day. We also saw several more people on the
hike/bike trail than we have seen all summer.
Also more motorcycles were out.
We even talked more than our normal on our first drive. I took mom out to our favorite Mexican
restaurant for dinner tonight since this has been the best day temp wise in
months. We had our usual taco salad and
ice cream with cinnamon and honey. The
last time mom ate was at 5pm. We took a little
nap after dinner and before our second drive at 6:30pm. We drove over to both Sioux Passage and
Sunset parks. Mom started way more
conversations than she normally does.
She was fairly talkative on this drive.
We spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing. Mom went to bed at 1:30am and did not need to
be told what to do when taking off her shirt and putting on her nightgown, mom
did that part on her own god bless. I
did do my normal helping with getting mom’s pants off after she put the
nightgown on. Overall today mom has been
more alert and talkative than her normal, maybe it’s because of the cooler
temps and god.
Friday August 10th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident this evening about an hour
after our drive for the day so I just put her in the nightgown. Mom was up washed, dressed and feed by the
time I left. I had the heating and
cooling guy over to check why the AC drain is not draining. He tried using pressure air to clean out
hopefully any clogs. I hope that works otherwise
I will need to replace the A coil. I ran
an errand but then was able to get in a good hike before getting back home at
5:30pm. It was a beautiful day with a
high just in the lower 80’s and a breeze blowing. We did not even turn the AC on today just
opened up the house and let the breeze blow through. It was great to finally get out and do a
descend hike. The birds seemed extra
alive today it almost felt like air conditioning outside since we have been
getting so many days with temps 20 degrees hotter well over 100. We still have signs of the drought we are
in. I saw a whole bunch of sand bars on
the Missouri river since it is so low. I
hiked today over at my normal place. I
went to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and hiked along the Missouri river
and it helped my spirit to get outside hiking in the woods. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
difficult and she had to crush most of mom’s pills into applesauce. We ate dinner when I got home at 5:30pm but I
did give mom a cookie around 9pm. We
took a drive around 7pm to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. We talked about the views and laughed some
when I acted silly. We then spent the
rest of the evening watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at
midnight.
Thursday August 9th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today or
overnight. Mom was up, dressed and feed
by the time I got up. I did some
playing today when I was away from the house.
It was a partly sunny day with a high in the low 90’s. Andrea word of the day was fatigued. Andrea did have to crush most of mom’s pills
and put them in applesauce. Mom was
sleeping in her chair in the TV room when I got home at 2:30pm. We took a drive
about 4pm to Sioux Passage Park before dinner.
We talked about our normal amount mostly on the number of cars. I fixed dinner when we got back but gave mom
a cookie around 8pm so that was the last time she ate anything. We took a second drive at 6:30pm. On this drive we drove along the river road
part way to Grafton IL before heading back home. We saw a few people on the hike/bike trail
that runs along the road but not as many as we normally see. We saw a few boats and even 1 sailboat but no
barges on the river. We talked and
laughed on this drive. Then we spent the
rest of the evening watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at
11pm. Mom needed about her normal amount
of help with changing.
Wednesday August 8th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today or
overnight. Mom was up washed, dressed
and feed by the time I got up. I did
some playing today when I was away from the house and ran some errands. It was a partly sunny day with a high of 100. It ended up raining late tonight. Mom said her word of the day for mom was
talkative. Andrea did have to crush most
of mom’s pills and put them in applesauce.
Mom was up watching TV when I got home at 4:30pm. Mom and I went for a drive shortly after I
got home. We drove over to Sioux Passage
Park before dinner. We talked about our normal
amount mostly on the houses and cars. I
then fixed dinner when we got back and the last time mom ate was at 6pm. We took a second drive around 7pm to Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area. On this drive
we talked about the views but both of us were fairly quiet on the last part of
the drive. We spent the rest of the
evening watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at 1:30am. Mom did wonder around the house for about 10
minutes at 9pm. Mom was also more
talkative we me today at least more than her normal. Mom also needed less help getting changed
than she normally does.
Tuesday August 7th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today or
overnight. Mom was up, dressed and feed
by the time I got up. I met up with a
friend for lunch over at the Pasta House.
It was good hanging out with a friend and talking to someone that I can
carry on a conversation with. Andrea
said her word of the day for mom was ornery yes yesterday was smiley it just
goes to show every day is different. Andrea
did have to crush most of mom’s pills and put them in applesauce. Mom was watching a kids show on PBS when I
got home at 2:30pm. One thing to
remember the more advance, Alzheimer’s gets the more they like kids shows. It was a sunny hot day with temps of
100. Mom napped a little after I got
home so we didn’t go for our drive until 3:30pm. We drove over to Columbia Bottom Conservation
Area. Mom was being funny on our drive
and talked more than her normal. We
almost had a baby deer run out in front of us as we went around a curve. I fixed dinner when we got back and the last
time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm. We
took our second drive around 6:30pm to both Sioux Passage and Sunset
parks. We talked about our normal
amount. We spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing. Mom did do
some wondering around the house for 30 minutes starting at 8:30pm she was
unsettled. Mom went to bed at midnight
and was her normal confused on changing.
Monday August 6th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today or
overnight. Mom was up washed, dressed
and feed by the time I got up. I did
some playing today when I was away from the house. It was a sunny day with a high of 94. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
smiley but she did have to crush most of mom’s pills into applesauce. Patti said mom was up the whole time she was
here and mom was up watching TV when I got home at 4:30pm. I took mom for a drive shortly after I got
home up to Sioux Passage Park. We talked
about our normal amount mostly on the houses and trees. We watched some news after our drive and
before dinner so the last time mom ate anything was at 7pm and she went to bed
at 2am. We didn’t take any drives
tonight but napped a little instead. Then watched TV and laughed this evening. We did talk to my brother Larry for a few
minutes on SKYPE. Mom also did her
wondering around the house tonight for the first time in a while. She started wondering around unsettled at
10:30pm for about 30 minutes. Mom was
her normal confused on changing tonight she did try and put her nightgown on
over her shirt.
Sunday August 5th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident early this evening. I had my friend Patti over while I went to
church. I met up with my normal friends
for brunch after church service. It was
a partly sunny to sunny day with temps of 92.
Patti said mom slept most of the time she was here and Patti did have to
crush most of mom’s pills and put them in applesauce. I got mom dressed when I got home then we
took our first drive. We drove along the
river road part way to Grafton IL our new normal weekend drive. Today we saw several boats out on the river
but no sailboats and only one barge. We
also saw several people on the bike/hike trail.
We talked more than our normal on this drive. I fixed a snack for mom and I when we got
back. Then we watched some TV and napped
a little. We then talked to my brother
Tom on SKYPE for about an hour before heading out for our second drive. I stopped and got some fast food for dinner
on our way back from our drive. We drove
over to Sioux Passage Park talking about the houses and cars mostly. The last time mom ate was at 7:30pm and she
went to bed at 1am. We spent the evening
our normal way of watching TV and laughing.
Mom was her normal confused on changing.
Saturday August 4th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today or
overnight. I got mom up a couple times
overnight but we got up for the day at 10:30am.
It was raining this morning then this afternoon party sunny to mostly
cloudy. We had a temp of 98. I was able to get mom to take all her pills
so I did not have to crush any. We took
a short nap after breakfast and before our first drive. We drove along the river road part way to
Grafton IL. We saw several boats out on
the river but only 1 sailboat and no barges.
We also did not see any people on the walk/hike trail along the side of
the road. We did more talking than our
normal on this drive mom was very alert.
I fixed lunch when we got back then we both napped a little before
taking our second drive. On our second
drive we drove back along the river road part way to Grafton IL. I just love this drive. On this drive we saw several sailboats out
making me miss being out on the water going under wind power. We also saw several speed boats and one barge
on this drive. We also talked about the
houses on top of the cliffs. We talked
about our normal amount on this drive. I
fixed dinner when we got back and the last time mom ate anything was at
6:30pm. We then spent the rest of the
evening watching TV and laughing. We got
some more needed rain late this evening.
Mom really didn’t nap this evening until after midnight. Mom went to bed at 1:30am after we watched a
couple pastors on TV. Mom didn’t fuss
about changing she was just confused.
Friday August 3rd 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today or
overnight. Mom was up washed, dressed
and feed by the time I got up. I did
some playing today when I was away from the house. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
amiable and did have to crush most of mom’s pills and put them in
applesauce. Patti said mom slept a lot
of the 2 hours she was here. Mom was
sleeping when I got home at 4:30pm. Mom
did fight the going to the bathroom when I got home but once I got her in the
bathroom she had a bladder movement. I
knew she had to go but sometimes she fusses about going to the bathroom. We took a drive shortly after I got home to
Sioux Passage Park. Mom was quiet on the
first part of the drive but then started talking more on the trip back from
Sioux Passage Park. I fixed dinner when
we got back but did give mom a cookie at 9pm so that was the last time she ate
anything. We took a second drive around
7pm. On this drive we drove to both
Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. We
talked about the jet streams in the sky and the cars and talked about our
normal amount. We spent the rest of the
evening watching TV and laughing. Mom
did nap on and off some this evening. Mom
went to bed at 1:30am and was her normal confusion about changing.
Thursday August 2nd 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today or
overnight. Mom was up, dressed and feed
by the time I got up. I just had enough
time to do a little playing before getting back by 2:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day was confused
and she did have to crush mom’s pills. Mom
napped a little after I got home until 4pm when we left for a drive. It was a partly sunny morning then cloudy
this afternoon with temps in the 90’s.
We drove over to Sioux Passage Park and talked about the number of cars
in parking lots and talked about our normal amount. We ate dinner when we got back but the last
time mom ate anything was at 8pm because I gave her a cookie then. We went for a drive to both Sioux Passage and
Sunset parks around 7pm. It rained on us
a little during the drive and we talked about our normal amount. We spent the rest of the evening mostly
watching the Olympics which we have done since they started. Mom went to bed at 11pm and was about her
normal confused on changing.
Wednesday August 1st 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today or
overnight. Mom was up washed, dressed
and feed by the time I got up. I did
some playing today when I was away from the house. It was a sunny hot day with temps at
101. Andrea said her word of the day for
mom was affable and she did have to crush most of mom’s pills and put them in
applesauce. Patti said mom was fine and
I think mom slept most of the time Patti was here. Mom was sound asleep when I got home at
4:30pm. Mom and I took a drive shortly
after I got home to Sioux Passage Park talking about the number of cars and
trees. I fixed dinner when we got back
and the last time mom ate was at 6:30pm.
We then took our second drive around 7pm to Columbia Bottom Conservation
Area. Mom was fairly quiet on this drive
but so was I. I feel she was enjoying it
just quiet. We spent the rest of the
evening watching TV and laughing. Mom
did do her think of wondering around the house at 10:30pm for a few
minutes. Mom went to bed at
12:30am. She was about her normal
confusion on changing.
