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
Wednesday October 31st 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
feed by the time I got up. I ate my
breakfast with mom as she ate her lunch.
It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 50’s. I went for a short hike over at Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area along the Missouri river. I met a beautiful, women from Lake Tahoe
after I finished my hike and didn’t get a lot of time to talk to her before I
need to leave. She even lived in Mill
Valley back in 1996. Oh well I don’t
have money for a girlfriend right now LOL.
She did not know Paul or Kay. It
was nice to talk to a good looking, women around my age who is into the same
things I’m into like hiking. I then did
some grocery shopping before getting back home by 5pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
ghostaliscious. Patti said mom was nice. I took mom for a drive when I got home. We drove over to Sioux Passage Park before
dinner talking about the trees mostly.
At least some trees still have colorful leafs. Mom talked about her normal amount on our
drive. The last time mom ate anything
was at 6pm then we went to the back of the house so the kids would not stop by
on Halloween. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing with
mom napping some. Mom went to bed at 1am
and needed her normal amount of instruction and help on changing into her
nightgown.
Tuesday October 30th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
feed by the time I got up. It was a
partly sunny day with temps in the 50’s.
I stayed home most of the afternoon preparing for a job interview later
this week. Andrea said her word of the
day for mom was affable. I took mom for
our first drive at 2:30pm along the river road part way to Grafton IL. We did not see any boats on the river and no
one on the hike/bike trail. The trees
are still losing a lot of the leafs. We
were not back home long before heading out for our second drive to Sioux
Passage Park. Mom talked about her
normal amount on both drives. I also did
something I have not done in 7 years I bought gas from Mobile when it went down
to 2.99/ gal the only one around here that low and I guessing that gas might go
up with the storm on the east coast. I
fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was at 6:30pm. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing. Both of us napped some
this evening. Mom was talking some in
her sleep I could understand all she was saying but could tell she was in a
happy place. Mom needed less instruction
and help changing into her nightgown when she went to bed at 11:30pm.
Monday October 29th 2012
Mom had a small bladder accident this afternoon. Mom was up, washed, dressed and feed by the
time I got up. It was a partly sunny day
with temps in the 50’s. I stayed home
most of the afternoon preparing for a job interview later this week. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
amiable and I forgot to ask Patti what hers was. I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park
around 5pm. We did see a 4 point deer in
the park but mom was fairly quiet on this drive. I fixed dinner after we got back so the last
time ate was 6:30pm. We spent the
evening watching TV and laughing. Mom
did wonder around the house at 7:30pm and did it several times before settling
down around 9pm. We did talk to my
brother Larry tonight over SKYPE for several minutes. Mom went to bed around 11pm and needed less
instruction and help.
Sunday October 28th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I had my friend Patti over while I went over
to church. I had brunch after the
services with friends like normal before heading back home. Patti feed and gave mom all her pills and
said her word of the day for mom was happy.
I got mom dressed when I got home then we went for our first drive of
the day. It was a partly sunny day with
temps in the 50’s. We drove along the
river road part way to Grafton IL. There
seems to be less leafs on the trees every day.
We only saw 1 person on the bike/hike trail and 1 boat. I fixed us a snack after our drive then
napped a little before taking our second drive.
The second drive was to Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. On both drives mom talked a little more than
her normal. I fixed dinner when we got
back so the last time mom ate anything was at 6pm. We then spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing with us both doing some napping. Mom went to bed at 1am and needed less
instruction and help than normal when changing into her nightgown. Overall today mom has been in great spirits
and fairly talkative for her.
Saturday October 27th 2012
Mom did have a bowel accident this morning around 11am but
only in the bathroom not in her bed thank god.
I got mom up a few times over night but we got up for the day at
11am. I fixed our breakfast and mom’s
pills after she got done in the bathroom.
It was a partly sunny day with temps in the low 50’s. Our first drive was after breakfast along the
river road part way to Grafton IL. We
only saw 1 boat on the river and just a few people on the bike/hike trail. The trees are still losing a lot of the
leafs. At least with less leafs it is
now easier to see the houses on top of the cliffs. I fixed us a snack when we got back and
before taking a second drive. Our second
drive was to both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. Mom was a lot more talkative and alert on
both of our drives. I fixed dinner after
our second drive so the last time mom ate was at 6pm. Since it is getting darker sooner now we did
not take a drive this evening. We spent
the evening watch TV and laughing with mom doing some napping. Mom went to bed at midnight and was a handful
getting her to change into her nightgown.
Overall mom has been more talkative and alert than her normal.
Friday October 26th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was sleeping when I left at
5:30am for my men’s fraternity group. I
did my normal after the group meeting I stopped off and had breakfast at the
Waffle House I love their hash browns there.
Then I drove over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and took a nap in
the back of my van. It was a partly
sunny day with temps in the 70’s. I then
ran some errands before getting back home at 4pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
aware Patti said her word was friendly and talkative. I took mom for a drive when we got home over
to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area talking about the trees. We talked about our normal amount. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate was at 5:30pm. We spent the
evening watching TV laughing and mom napped off and on. Mom went to bed at 1am and needed less
instruction and help than her normal on changing into her nightgown.
Thursday October 25th 2012
Mom did have a bowel accident after Andrea got her
dressed. Mom was up, dressed and feed by
the time I got up. 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
antsy. I took mom for a drive along the
river road part way to Grafton twice after I got home and before dinner. The trees are starting to loss more
leafs. Mom was fairly talkative on both
drives. We ate dinner after our drives
and the last time mom ate was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at 9:30pm and
tonight I went to bed shortly after mom since I was getting up so early on
Friday. We watched TV this evening and
mom napped off and on. Mom needed her
normal amount of instruction and help when changing into her nightgown.
Wednesday October 24th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
feed by the time I got up. It was a
partly sunny day with temps around 80. I
went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area for a hike. Andrea said her word
of the day for mom was sweet and Patti said the same thing. I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park
when I got home at 5pm. I fixed dinner
after our drive so the last time mom ate was at 6:30pm. We spent the evening watching TV and
laughing.
Tuesday October 23rd 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, dressed and feed by
the time I got up. I ate my breakfast as
mom ate her lunch. I just had enough
time to take a drive over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and get in a
little playing before getting back by 3pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was silly. I took mom for a drive when I got home. It was a rainy morning with the sun coming
out by 3pm and highs in the 80’s. We
drove along the river road part way to Grafton IL. More trees have lost their, leafs but a lot
are still colorful. We did not see any
boats on the river or people on the hike/bike trail. Mom was a lot more talkative and alert on our
drive than her normal. We then watched a
little TV and mom napped a little before dinner. I fixed dinner around 5pm so the last time
mom ate was 5:30pm. We took a second
drive shortly after dinner to both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. Mom was also more talkative and alert on this
drive as well. We spent the rest of the
evening watching TV and laughing. Mom
went to bed at 11pm with no wondering around the house. She needed her normal amount of instruction and
help changing into her nightgown and brushing her teeth. Overall mom was more talkative and alert than
her normal.
Monday October 22nd 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
feed by the time I got up. I ate my
breakfast as mom ate her lunch. It was a
cloudy rainy day with temps around 80. I
spent my time away running errands before getting home by 5pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
affectionate I forgot to ask Patti what her word was. I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park
when I got home and before dinner. We
saw several deer in the park and talked about the trees changing. Some of the trees that changed have now lost
some or all of their, leafs. Mom talked
about her normal amount but was less alert than this past weekend. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 10:45pm. We spent the evening watching the St Louis
Cardinals loss the 7th game but they had a great year with a rookie
manager making it to just 1 win from going back to the baseball world
series. Mom was up most of the evening
and her normal self. Mom did need her
normal amount of instruction and help when changing into her nightgown. Overall with me mom was in good spirits and
happy.
Sunday October 21st 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 after
the service and had brunch before heading back home by noon. Mom was watching TV when I got home. Patti was able to get mom to take all her
pills, I like it when that happens.
Patti said her word of the day for mom was relaxing but did not sleep
much. I got mom dressed when I got home
and had her go to the bathroom. We took
our first drive along the river road part way to Grafton IL. We saw several boats and even several
sailboats on the river. There were a lot
of motorcycles and people on the hike/bike trail. The trees still look
beautiful. Mom talked about her normal
amount on the drive. I fixed us a snack
when we got back then mom napped a little as we watched TV. After her nap we took a second drive. We took another trip along the river road and
everything was dildo the first drive. I
fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was at 5:30pm. Tonight for the first time I started feeding
mom myself. She was just sitting there
not eating so I helped. We spent the
rest of the evening watching the St Louis Cardinals loss well I did switch back
and fourth. Mom did nap some this
evening and walked around the house for a few minutes around 8pm. Mom went to bed at 1am and needed her normal
amount of help changing into her nightgown.
Saturday October 20th 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 noon.
When I got mom up this morning she wasn’t in a playful mood for the
first time in months. She didn’t know
who I was but that changed later. I
fixed our breakfast and crushed all of mom’s pills into applesauce. Then I got mom dressed and we went for our
first drive. It was a partly sunny day
with temps in the mid 60’s. Our first
drive we drove along the river road part way to Grafton IL. We only saw 1 boat on the river. There were several motorcycles on the river
road but they had warmer cloths on today.
Several people on the bike/hike trail lots of people getting out
enjoying the day. We also talked about
the tree leaves changing. I fixed a
snack for us when we got back before taking a second drive. We drove over to Sioux Passage Park and
Sunset Park. We saw some deer in Sioux
Passage Park. Mom was a lot more
talkative and alert on both of our drives.
I fixed dinner after the drive so the last time mom ate anything was at
5:30pm and went to bed at 11pm. We spent
the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping some. Mom needed her normal amount of instruction and
help on changing into her nightgown. Overall
today mom has been more talkative and alert than her normal.
Friday October 19th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was sleeping when I left at
5:30am for my men’s fraternity group. I
did my normal after the group meeting I stopped off and had breakfast at the
Waffle House I love their hash browns there.
Then I drove over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and took a nap in
the back of my van. It was a rainy day
with temps in the 60’s. I ran some
errands after my nap before getting back home by 4pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
nutty and Patti said her word was sleepy and happy. I took mom for a drive to Sioux Passage Park
when I got home. It misted on us some as
we drove and mom was quieter than her normal on this drive. I prepared dinner when we got back so the
last time mom ate was at 5:30pm and she went to bed at 10:30pm. We spent the evening watching the baseball St
Louis Cardinals loss but are still ahead in the series 3 wins to 2. Mom did nap some this evening but did not
wonder around the house. Mom needed her
normal amount of instruction and help when changing into her nightgown.
Thursday October 18th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, dressed and feed by
the time I got up. Since I’m up until 4
to 5am every day I sleep in until 11am or so several hours after Andrea gets
here. So I only had enough time to run
some errands before getting back by 2:30pm.
It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 60’s. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
cheerful. Andrea also said mom was
talkative and up most of the day with no napping. I took mom for a drive when I
got home. We drove along the river road
part way towards Grafton IL. We did not
see any boats on the river but did see a few people out on the hike/bike trail
that runs alongside the road. Only saw a
couple of motorcycles on the river road but then today was in the 60’s the
other day was in the 80’s. We were not
home long before talking a second drive before dinner. On this drive we drove over to Sioux Passage
Park. We saw 2 deer in the park. The trees are looking beautiful with the
leaves changing colors which mom and I talk about. Mom was fairly talkative and alert on both of
our drives today. I fixed dinner when we
got back so the last time mom ate was at 6:30pm. We spent the evening watching the baseball
Cardinals play and laughing with mom napping on and off. Mom went to bed at 10pm and again tonight
needed less instruction and help with changing into her nightgown. Overall mom has been more talkative and alert
than her normal.
Wednesday October 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 got up. I ate my
breakfast as mom ate her lunch. It was a cloudy rainy day with a high of
68. I was able to get in a short hike in
between the rain plus then ran some errands and picked up my van from the shop
before getting back before 5pm. Andrea
said her word of the day for mom was mellow and Patti’s word of the day was
sleepy. I did take mom for a short drive
before dinner to Sioux Passage Park. It
did rain on us some during the drive and mom was fairly quiet today. The last time mom ate was at 6:30pm and she
went to bed at midnight. We spent the
evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping some. Mom was in fine spirits but quieter than her
normal. Mom needed a lot less
instruction and help tonight when changing into her nightgown.
Tuesday October 16th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, dressed and feed by
the time I got up. I ate my breakfast as
mom ate her lunch. I just had enough
time to run a couple errands before getting back at 2:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
talkative. It was a partly sunny day
with temps of 83. I took mom for a drive
when I got back. We drove along the
river road part way to Grafton IL. We
did see some boats out on the river plus several people on the bike/hike
trail. There were several motorcycles
out enjoying the beautiful day. We were
not back home very long before heading back out for a second drive to Sioux
Passage Park. We did see a few deer in
the park. Mom was fairly talkative and
alert on both of our drives today. I
fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was at 6:30pm and she
went to bed at 12:30am. We spent the
night watching TV and laughing. Mom
needed her normal amount of help and instruction when it came to changing into
her nightgown. Overall mom has been more
talkative and alert than her normal and in great spirits.
Monday October 15th 2012
Mom did have a small bladder accident this afternoon just
before I got home. Mom was up, washed,
dressed and feed by the time I got up. I
spent my day running errands and setting up mom with an appointment with the foot
doctor to look at mom’s feet and cut the toe nails. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
feisty and Patti’s word of the day was sleepy and corporative. Mom was up watching TV when I got home at
5pm. After we changed mom’s clothes mom
and I went for a drive. It was a partly
sunny day with temps in the 70’s. We
drove over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. Mom was fairly talkative on this drive mostly
talking about the views. I fixed dinner
when we got back so the last time mom ate anything was at 6:30pm. We spent the evening watching TV and
laughing. Mom napped a little this
evening but not much. She did wonder
around the house for 30 minutes around 9:30pm. Mom went to bed at 1:30am.
Sunday October 14th 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 did my normal thing
of eating brunch with friends after the church service. It was a cloudy rainy day with temps in the
70’s. Patti was able to get mom to take
all her pills and her word of the day for mom was both corporative and
talkative. Since mom was in her house
coat I did not have to get her to change clothes. We took a drive around 2:30pm along the river
road part way to Grafton IL. We did not
see any boats on the river but did see some motorcycles even though it was
raining off and on. I did not see
anybody on the hike/bike trail. Mom was
quiet on the first part of the drive but then got talkative on the second
half. I fixed dinner around 5:30pm so
the last time mom ate anything was at 6pm.
We spent the evening watching TV and laughing. Mom did nap some this evening but was more
alert than normal when she wasn’t sleeping.
Mom went to bed at 10:30pm.
Saturday October 13th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up several times
overnight and this morning but we got up for the day at noontime. I fixed mom’s pills and breakfast. It was a partly sunny day with temps in the
70’s. I put on mom’s house coat before
our first drive. We drove along the
river road part way to Grafton IL. Today
we saw several boats and one sailboat on the river. There were several motorcycles out on the
river road and people on the hike/bike trail.
Mom talked about her normal amount on this drive. We watched a little TV and then took our
second drive. This drive we drove to
both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks. We
saw some deer in the park but mom was fairly quiet on this drive. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate anything was 7pm. We then
spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping on and
off. Mom started walking around the
house at 8pm for about an hour. Mom went
to bed at midnight but since I had her in the house coat no need to change
cloths for bed.
Friday October 12th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was sleeping when I left at
5:30am to go to my Friday morning men’s fraternity group at church. I did my normal breakfast after I left the
church. I went over to the Waffle House
for breakfast I love their hash browns there.
Then I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and took a nap
before going for a hike. I hiked along
the Missouri river it was a partly sunny day with cooler temps a great day for
a hike. I needed to do some grocery
shopping before getting back home at 3:30pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was endearing and I think she
was the same for Patti. I got mom up to
go to the bathroom when I got home then we went for a drive. We drove along the river road part way to
Grafton IL. We did not see any boats or
motorcycles along the river road. We
talked about our normal amount on this drive.
I fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was at 5:30pm
and went to bed at midnight. We spent
the night watching TV with mom napping some.
Mom did her thing of walking around the house at 8:30pm for 45
minutes. Mom needed her normal amount of
instruction and help.
Thursday October 11th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, dressed and feed by
the time I got up. I had the pastor over
at 1:30pm so I just took a quick drive before getting back by 1:15pm. The pastor was here for about 30 minutes it
was a great talk. I left to spend some time to
myself after the pastor left. I got back
at 3pm. Andrea said her word of the day
for mom was pleasant. Mom and I went for
a drive when I got home. We drove along
the river road part way to Grafton IL.
It was a mostly cloudy day with temps around 70. We saw no boats or barges on the river or
people on the hike/bike trail and only one motorcycle. Mom was fairly quiet and non-responsive on
this drive. We watched a little TV when
we got back before dinner so the last time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm. After a bathroom break we took a second drive
to Sioux Passage Park. We saw several
deer in the park but mom again was fairly quiet even for her. We then spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and mom napped some.
Wednesday October 10th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident this afternoon just before I
got home. Mom was up, washed, dressed
and feed by the time I got up. I had my
breakfast while mom ate her lunch. It
was a partly sunny day with temps of 59.
After my breakfast I went for a short hike along the Missouri river in
Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. It
was a great day for hiking as I listened to the water crashing up on the short
and wind blowing through the trees. I
saw several grass hoppers and heard birds in the brush. I did some shopping before getting back home
at 5pm. Andrea said her word of the day
for mom was friendly and Patti I think agreed.
I got mom up to go to the bathroom when I got home and that’s when I
noticed she had a small bladder accident.
I had Patti help me get mom changed into a house coat then mom and I
went for a drive. We drove over to Sioux
Passage Park before dinner. Mom was
fairly quiet on this drive and non- responsive on the first part of the
drive. We had dinner when we got back so
the last time mom ate anything was at 6:30pm.
We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping on and
off. Mom did do her thing of walking
around the house at 8pm for about 45 minutes before settling back down. Mom went to bed at 12:30am and since she had
her house coat on she didn’t need to change before bed.
Tuesday October 9th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
feed by the time I got up. I spent the
morning preparing for a phone interview this afternoon. I left after the interview and got in a short
walk over at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area along the Missouri river. Then I needed to do some grocery shopping
before getting back home at 5pm. Andrea
said her word of the day for mom was obedient.
Mom was watching TV when I got home and we had dinner right away. So the last time mom ate anything was at
5:30pm. Then after a bathroom break we
took a drive. It was a partly sunny day
with temps in the 70’s. We drove over to
both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks talking about the trees mostly. We ended up talking about our normal amount
on the drive. We then spent the rest of
the evening watching TV and laughing until mom went to bed at 12:30am. Mom did walk around the house at 8:30pm for a
few minutes before settling back down.
Mom needed her normal amount of instruction and help this evening.
Monday October 8th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Andrea was sick today so I had my
friend Patti over at noon for 6 hours. I
had Patti feed mom and give her the pills after she got here until then mom and
I slept in since I did not get to bed until 5am. It was a partly sunny day with temps in the
60’s. I was able to get in a short hike
before running some errands and getting back home at 6pm. We had dinner when I got home so the last
time mom ate anything was at 6:30pmand she went to bed at 11pm. We spent the evening watching TV and
laughing. Mom was still in her house coat
so no need for her to change before bed.
Sunday October 7th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident this afternoon while we were
watching TV. I had my friend Patti over
while I went to church. This was a much
better service than last week. I met up
with my friends afterwards and had brunch before coming back home. It was a partly sunny day with temps in the
50’s. Patti was able to get mom feed and
to take all her pills before I got home.
Mom was watching TV when I got home and I had her go to the bathroom
right away before our drive. Our first
drive was along the river road part way towards Grafton IL. We did not see any boats but did see 2 barges
going upstream on the Mississippi river.
There were a few people out on the bike/hike trail but did not see any
motorcycles on the river road. The trees
colors do not seem as bright as in years past.
We talked about our normal amount of time on our drive. We watched some TV when we got back and
napped a little before our second drive.
The second drive was over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and
mostly talked about the views. I fixed
dinner shortly after our second drive so the last time mom ate anything was at
6pm and she went to bed at midnight. We
both napped a lot this evening as we watched TV. I only got about 2.5 hours of sleep last
night so I was tired this evening. I put
mom in her house coat after her bladder accident this afternoon so I did not
have to get mom changed tonight since she can sleep in the house coat.
Saturday October 6th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I got mom up several times
overnight for bathroom trips but we got up for the day around noon time. During breakfast mom did chew 2 of the pills
I don’t crush. I got mom dressed after
breakfast and she needed her normal amount of instruction and help on
changing. I always put her pants on then
have her take the nightgown off then put her shirt on. It was a cloudy day with temps in the
50’s. Our first drive of the day we took
the river road part way to Grafton IL. We
talked about the changing trees mostly on our drive and talked about our normal
amount. We only saw 1 boat on the river
and no barges. Saw no one out on the
bike/hike trail and no motorcycles on the road today. Mom napped a little when we got back then
took a second drive before dinner. Our
second drive we drove over to both Sioux Passage and Sunset parks talking about
the cars in the parking lots and changing trees. I fixed dinner when we got back home so the
last time mom ate was at 6pm. We spent
the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping off and on. Mom did do her thing of walking around the
house for a few minutes at 9pm. Mom went
to bed at midnight and needed her normal amount of instruction and help
changing.
Friday October 5th 2012
Mom did have a bowel accident shortly before I got
home. Mom was still asleep today when I
left at 5:30am to go to the men’s fraternity group at church. It was a cloudy rainy day with a high of just
55. I ate breakfast after the group then
took a nap before getting a haircut. I
take my van on Friday so I can nap on the bed I made years ago in the van. This was done back in 2003 for my year
adventure therapy. Mom was sitting in
the living room when I got home at 4pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was chatty I’m not sure what
Patti’s word was. I took mom for a drive
shortly after I got home to Sioux Passage Park.
Mom was chattier than normal on the drive and we talked about the
changing trees mostly. We did see 2 deer
in the park. I fixed dinner when we got
back so the last time mom ate was at 6pm and she went to bed at midnight. We spent the evening watching TV and
laughing. Mom needed more instruction on
brush and changing tonight. Overall mom
napped less this evening and was chattier than normal with me.
Thursday October 4th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident in the bathroom I think she
just didn’t get her panties and pants down far enough and some spilled into
them this happened shortly after dinner.
Mom was up, dressed and feed by the time I left. It was a partly sunny day with temps around
80. I just ran some errands the short
time I was away. I got back home at
2:30pm and mom was napping when I got home.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was drowsy. I took mom for a drive around 4pm to Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area. We talked
about our normal amount and talked about the views and trees mostly. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate anything was at 6pm. We
spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping off and on. I put mom into her nightgown after her
bladder accident. Mom went to bed at
10:30pm.
Wednesday October 3rd 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident shortly before I got home
from the baseball game. Mom was up,
washed, dressed and feed by the time I left.
I left around noon time to meet up with a friend before the baseball
game. It was a cloudy day with temps in
the 70’s. It was a great game we won
keeping Mac and I’s record 16 wins no losses during the regular season. So every game during regular season we have
gone to the St Louis Cardinals won. I
had my friend Patti come in after Andrea and was here until I got home around
11pm. Andrea said her word of the day
for mom was engaged. I think mom slept
most of the time Patti was here and was asleep when I got home. I put mom to bed around 1am Patti had already
put mom in her nightgown after mom’s bladder accident so I didn’t need to
change her.
Tuesday October 2nd 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 60’s. I just ran some
errands today before getting back by 2:30pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was sweet. Mom was watching TV and napping when I got
home. Mom and I went for a drive shortly
after I got home. We drove over to
Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. We
talked a little more than normal mostly on the views and changing trees. We were not home long before heading out for
a second drive before dinner. On this
drive we drove over to Sioux Passage Park talking about the trees and number of
cars in the parking lots. We also talked
more than average on this drive. I fixed
dinner when we got home so the last time mom ate was at 6:30pm. We spent the evening watching TV and laughing
until mom went to bed at 1:30am. Mom
needed her normal amount of instruction and help in changing.
Monday October 1st 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident just before I got back home
at 4:30pm. Mom was up, washed, dressed
and feed by the time I left. It was a
cloudy day with temps in the 60’s. I was
able to get in a short hike along with running some errands before getting back
home. I hiked along the Missouri river
in Columbia Bottom Conservation Area after running errands. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
calm. I took mom for a drive shortly
after I got home over to Sioux Passage Park.
We both were quieter than normal on the drive. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate was at 6:30pm and she went to bed at 12:30am. We spent the evening watching TV and
laughing. Mom did not do any wondering
around the house tonight but did nap about half the evening which was a little
less than she has been napping over the past month. Mom needed about her normal amount of
instruction and help when changing. 
