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
Monday December 31st 2012 New Years Eve
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today even though I overslept so mom went about 8 hours before going to bathroom this morning. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
eating breakfast when I left. Man where did 2012 go it went by so
fast. Well mom has made it another year
I think she is on her way to set a record for the longest and oldest with Alzheimer’s. I enjoyed the snow and a day to myself or at
least a few hours. It started to snow when
I left at 9:30am. It snowed most of the
day and was snowing when I got back home at 2:30pm. Since some of the roads were still slick and
it was snowing mom and I stayed in and did not take any drives today. I hope to take her tomorrow afternoon for a
drive somewhere. Andrea said her word of
the day for mom was spry. Mom and I
watched TV and laughed this afternoon until dinner. The last time mom ate for the year LOL was at
6pm so now she will not eat until next year LOL. We spent the rest of the evening watching New
Year’s programs and mom went to bed a little after midnight so she was up to
bring in the new year, although she really didn’t understand it too much. Mom needed about her normal amount of help
with changing into her nightgown.
Sunday December 30th 2012
Mom did have a small bowel accident this afternoon I put her
in a house coat so no need to change her tonight before bed. My friend was sick today so I didn’t go to
church today. Mom and I got up for the
day at noontime. Mom had her bowel
accident after breakfast and taking her pills.
We took a drive after I got mom cleaned up so around 3pm. It was a cloudy day with temps in the
40’s. We drove along the river road to
Grafton IL. I like this drive it gives
us the most to talk about. We saw 3
barges on the river but no one on the hike/bike trail. There were no motorcycles along the river
road. We talked about the river and
houses on the cliffs mostly talking more than our normal. On our way back I stopped by Kentucky Fried
Chicken and got our dinner. It has been
along time since we have had Kentucky Fried Chicken. The last time mom ate anything was at
5:30pm. We spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing with mom napping some.
Mom went to bed at midnight.
Saturday December 29th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. We got up a few times overnight
but got up for the day around 1pm. It
was a snowy morning but sun this afternoon.
I fixed food and gave mom her pills when we got up. We took our first drive around 3pm to along
the river road to Grafton IL. We saw no
people out on the bike/hike trail also no boats not even any barges on the
river. We talked about the river and
houses on the top of the cliffs mostly.
We talked about our normal amount of time on this drive. I fixed dinner when we got home so the last
time mom ate anything was at 6pm. We
took a second drive around 7pm to look at the Xmas lights and mom talked more
on this drive, she does like the lights.
There were a few less houses lit up tonight I’m guessing that will continue
now that Xmas is over. We spent the rest
of the evening watching TV with mom napping some until she went to bed at
9:30pm.
Friday December 28th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
eating breakfast when I left. I got up
at 10:30am and got a call from Patti that she was sick. So I only had 2 hours before I needed to get
back by 12:30pm when Andrea was leaving.
So I didn’t have time to go to the gym I just went out for breakfast
then ran some errands I needed to do.
Mom was starting her lunch when I got home at 12:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
happy. Mom took a while eating lunch she
finished her drink around 2pm. We took a
drive around 3:30pm after mom’s bathroom break.
It was a cloudy day with highs in the 30’s and we got some snow
tonight. We took our drive along the
river road part way to Grafton then over to Sioux Passage Park before heading
home. We saw no motorcycles, boats or people
on the bike/hike trail. Mom was quieter
on this drive than her normal. I fixed
dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was at 6pm. We spent the evening watching TV and
laughing. Mom did wonder around the
house some this evening. Mom went to bed
at 11:30pm and needed her normal amount of instruction and help with changing.
Thursday December 27th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, dressed and eating
breakfast when I left. I ate my
breakfast as mom was eating her lunch.
It was a cloudy day with a high in the 30’s. I spent most of my time away at the gym
before getting back by 2:30pm. Andrea
said her word of the day for mom was listless.
Mom was in the bathroom when I got home and we took a drive shortly
after she got out. We drove along the
river road to Grafton IL. We only saw
one barge on the river and no one on the bike/hike trail. Mom was fairly talkative on this drive. We talked about the river, height of the
cliffs and houses on top of the cliffs mostly.
I fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was at
5pm. After a bathroom break we took a
second drive this evening to look at the Xmas lights. Mom was very quiet on this drive. We spent the evening watching TV and laughing. Mom did do her thing of walking around the
house several times tonight. Mom went to
bed at 1:30am and needed less than her normal instruction and help with
changing.
Wednesday December 26th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
eating breakfast when I left. Today I
used one of my Applebee’s gift cards and ate there instead of at home. I then went to workout at the gym before
shopping and getting back home by 5pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
affectionate. We had dinner when I got
home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at midnight. After dinner and a bathroom break we took a
drive around 6pm to look at the Xmas lights.
Mom talked about her normal amount on the drive but was more alert than
her normal. We talked to my brother Tom
this evening over SKYPE. We spent the
rest of the evening watching TV and laughing when mom wasn’t napping. Mom needed less than her normal instruction
and help with changing.
Tuesday December 25th 2012 Xmas day
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. I talked to my brother Larry
this morning when he called to wish me Merry Xmas. We got up for the day at 11am and after a
bathroom break we ate breakfast and mom took her pills. We took our first drive at 1pm to Columbia
Bottom Conservation Area and about. Mom
was in great spirits and talkative on the drive. After a short time back home I took mom out
for Xmas dinner. We went over to Denny’s
restaurant the only one open. I had some
pretty good tasting fish and mom had grilled chicken plus we had to have pumkin
pie with whip cream and ice cream it was yummy.
Mom and I over the past 2 days have been eating some Xmas candy that both
Andrea and Patti gave us that is yummy as well.
I do like the Xmas time but I do put on some weight LOL. After dinner on our way back home we drove
around some looking at the Xmas lights.
Mom has been in great spirits and fairly talkative for her all day. We have had an enjoyable day on our lords
birthday. I will miss mom when she is
gone, I can still remember her from when I was a kid all the way through my
life. I always wonder if this is my last
Xmas with her but if it is it was a great Xmas. We spent the evening mostly watching Xmas
programs on TV and laughing. Mom did nap
some this evening but not much. Mom went
to bed at 1am and needed her normal amount of instruction and help getting both
dressed and undressed tonight.
Monday December 24th 2012 Xmas Eve
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
eating breakfast when I left. Before I
left mom Andrea and I exchanged Xmas presents well mom mostly just sat there
not really understanding what was going on.
I just hung out by myself getting some me time after the Xmas presents
and getting back home by 5pm. Then I
gave Patti her present and she ours. Andrea
said her word of the day for mom was low key and I didn’t ask Patti what hers
was. Mom was watching TV when I got
home. Mom and I went for a drive shortly
after I got home and before dinner. We
drove around Florissant looking at the Xmas lights. Mom was fairly quiet on this drive. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate was at 7pm and she went to bed at 1am. We spent the night watching TV and
laughing. Mom did do her thing of
walking around the house at 10pm for a few minutes. Mom changed into her nightgown with the
normal amount of instruction and help.
Sunday December 23rd 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today or
overnight. Patti came over while I went
to church. It was one of my favorite
services so far. I then ate brunch with
some friends like normal. Patti was able
to get mom to take all her pills today. Mom
was sitting in the living room when I got home at noontime. I had mom go to the bathroom then we left for
a drive. It was a sunny and warmer day
today. We drove along the river road to
Grafton IL. We saw one barge on the
river but no other boats. There were
several people on the bike/hike trail and saw a few motorcycles out. We mostly talked about the houses on the
cliffs and the river. We talked about
our normal amount. I fixed mom a snack when we got back and watched the St
Louis Rams football team win their game or at least the 4th quarter
of the game. Then I fixed dinner and mom
talked about how pretty the Christmas plant looks and the tree. She does like all the lights on the tree plus
I played Xmas music during dinner. The
last time mom ate was at 6pm and she went to bed at 1am. We took a second drive at 7pm to look at the
Xmas lights and saw several more than any other night. Mom was more talkative on this drive. We spent the rest of the evening napping
watching TV and laughing. The SYFY channel
was playing an all Star Trek movie weekend.
Mom was still in her house coat so she didn’t need changing before
bed.
Saturday December 22nd 2012
Mom did have a big bowel accident this afternoon shortly
after getting up. I had her go to the
bathroom at noon when we got up for the day and before breakfast but then right
after standing up from breakfast is when she had the bowel movement not 1 hour
after leaving the bathroom. After I got
mom all cleaned up I gave her the house coat to put on so I could take her
driving and she could sleep in it as well tonight. Mom was able to put the house coat on without
any instruction or help. It was a sunny
day with temps in the 40’s. For our
drive we went along the river road to Grafton IL then to Sioux Passage on our
way back. We did not see any boats on
the river or motorcycles. We did see a
couple of people on the bike/hike trail.
We mostly talked about the houses on top of the cliffs and the Xmas
lights. Since we left later and the sun
sets earlier these days it was dark before we got home so we saw some Xmas
lights. Mom was quiet on the first part
of the drive but then got talkative for her.
Mom went to the bathroom when we got home and was in there for a long
time then we ate dinner so the last time mom had anything to eat was 7pm and
she went to bed at 11pm. We spent the
evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping a lot.
Friday December 21st 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was up, washed, dressed and
eating breakfast when I left. I met up
with a friend from I use to work with for lunch. We met downtown St Louis. It was great seeing him again and just
hanging out. I then ran some errands and
grocery shopping before getting home by 5pm.
Andrea said her word of the day was sweet. Patti said mom was both sweet at times and
not so sweet at other times. Mom was
watching TV when I got home she had just gotten out of the bathroom. So I fixed dinner at 5pm and the last time
mom ate was at 8pm when I gave her a cookie.
We took a drive around 7pm to look at the Xmas lights. Mom was talking a lot for her on our drive
she was really enjoying looking at the lights.
We spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing until mom went
to bed at midnight. Mom was fairly alert
this evening talkative and needed less help with changing than normal.
Thursday December 20th 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 just ran some
errands today when I was away. It was
the coldest today of the season with it snowing our first snow of the
season. Mom was watching TV when I got
home at 2:30pm. Andrea said her word of
the day for mom was calm. Since it was a
cold snowy day mom and I did not take any drives. We spent the afternoon watching TV and
napping. I fixed dinner at 6pm so the
last time mom ate was 6:30pm. We spent
the evening tucked in warm watching TV and laughing. Mom went to bed at 10pm and just needed her
normal amount of instruction and help with changing.
Wednesday December 19th 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 while mom had her lunch today.
I went to the gym to workout
again today. I then did some reading and
ran some errands. Mom was watching TV
when I got home at 5pm. Andrea said her
word of the day for mom was easy going and Patti said hers was quiet. I fixed dinner when I got home so the last
time mom ate was 5:30pm. After dinner
and a bathroom stop we took a drive to look at the Xmas lights. Mom talked about her normal amount on this
drive. We spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing. Mom went to
bed at 1am and needed her normal amount of instruction and help with changing.
Tuesday December 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. After I ate I went up
to the gym and got in a workout before getting back home by 2:30pm. I got in a few hikes but this was the first
time to the gym in a long time I will be going more often now to get back into
shape so I can stay strong for me and mom.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was friendly. Mom was in the bathroom when I got home. It was a partly sunny day with a high of
60. We took our first drive when mom got
out of the bathroom. We drove over to
Columbia Bottom Conservation Area then to Sioux Passage Park before heading
home. We mostly talked about the views
but didn’t talk a lot. I fixed dinner
when we got back so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm. Mom then went to bathroom before taking our
second drive to look at the Xmas lights.
On this drive mom was much more talkative and we enjoyed the
lights. We spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing. Mom did wonder
around the house some plus was confused about who I was for a while. It must be hard for her not being able to
remember things. Mom went to bed at
midnight and needed her normal amount of instruction and help with changing
into the nightgown.
Monday December 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 while mom had her lunch today.
I just did some Xmas shopping and
other errands while I was gone.
Andrea’s word of the day for mom was weak and Patti’s was sleepy. Mom was watching TV when I got home at
5pm. Mom was being a bit incorporative
when I got home and tried to get her into the bathroom and during dinner. The last time mom ate was at 6pm. We did not go for a drive tonight mom was
just being incorporative. Mom was
unsettled for awhile but settled down and I was able to get her back in a good
mood by acting silly. I wonder if this
will be mom’s last Christmas both Andrea and I have noticed over the past week
or two mom’s clock seems to be slowing down.
Mom went to bed at midnight and was already in her house coat so no need
for her to change before bed.
Sunday December 16th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was sleeping when Patti got
here and I left for church. I did my
normal routine of eating brunch with friends after the services. I do enjoy spending time with them after
church service. Mom was watching TV when
I got home and Patti was not able to get all of mom’s pills down for the first
time in weeks. I had mom go to the
bathroom when I got home then gave her the rest of the pills then we waited
some before taking a drive. It was a
partly sunny day with temps in the 50’s.
We drove along the river road to Grafton IL. Today we saw one speed boat and two barges on
the river. We did not see anyone on the
hike/bike trail though. We mostly talked
about the houses on top of the cliffs.
Mom was very alert and talkative on our drive today. We both took a nap after our drive I only got
about 2 or 3 hours of sleep last night.
We ate dinner when we got up so the last time mom ate anything was at
6pm. We spent the rest of the evening
watching TV and laughing. We did talk to
my brother Larry tonight on SKYPE. Mom
went to bed at 12:30am and was in her house coat so no need to change her
before bed.
Saturday December 15th 2012
Mom had a bladder accident at the dinner table just 2 hours
after she went to bathroom so I’m thinking it has not run the course yet. I put her into another house coat. After I took the wet one off I just left the
clean one in the bathroom and she was able to put it on herself. It was a rainy morning then cloudy to sunny
this afternoon with a high in the 60’s.
I got mom up several times during the night but got up for the day at
11:30am. I feed mom and gave her the
pills mostly in applesauce. Then after
another bathroom trip we took our first drive.
We drove along the river road to Grafton IL. The only boats on the river were the barges
and there were several barges waiting to go through the locks at the dam. There were several people on the hike/bike
trail. In a couple more weeks the bald
eagles will start arriving for the winter.
They like to hang out on the cliffs and fish in the river. I fixed us a snack when we got back then another
bathroom trip and off for our second drive.
This drive we went to Sioux Passage Park then Sunset Park and look at
some Xmas lights. Mom talked about her
normal amount on both drives. We had
dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was 6pm. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing with both of us napping some.
Friday December 14th 2012
Mom did have 2 bowel accidents today while I was gone. Mom was sleeping when I left at 5:30am to go
to my men’s fraternity meeting. I did my
normal stopping at the Waffle House for breakfast then took my van to the shop
before taking a nap over at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. After my nap I ran some errands before
getting back home at 4:30pm. Both Andrea
and Patti said their word of the day for mom was sleepy. I think mom might have something running
through her system which is giving her more bowel movements. It was a partly sunny day with temps in the
60’s but cloudy by dinner time. Since
mom was having problems I put her into the house coat after her second bowel
accident then fixed dinner when I got home.
So the last time mom ate was at 5:30pm.
It was suppose too rain tonight and mom’s problems I decided not to take
her for a drive. She seems sleeper as
well over the past day. I’m just letting
her rest. We spent the night watching TV
and laughing with mom napping a lot. Mom
went to bed at 11:30pm.
Thursday December 13th 2012
Mom did have a small bowel accident at the dinner table
about 2 ½ hours after having a bowel movement in the bathroom. I had Andrea come over earlier today because
I had a doctor appointment for mom and this gave Andrea enough time to get mom
feed, wash and ready. The doctor’s
office was able to set a time before the doc’s first patient. It was fairly easy breezy at the office so my
prayers were answered. I left for a
little while and took a nap over at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area then
just hung out there before heading back home by 1:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day for mom was
languid. The pastor was over today at
1:30pm for a great visit. Then after a
bathroom stop we took a drive. It was a
sunny day with temps in the 50’s. We
drove over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area then over to Sioux Passage Park. Mom was fairly quiet on this drive I think
she was tired from a busy day with the doc apt and the pastor coming over. We ate an early dinner so the last time mom
ate anything was at 5pm. We spent the
evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping a lot. Since mom was so tired I did not take her for
a drive this evening to look at the Xmas lights. I had mom changed when she had her bowel
accident so no changing at bedtime. Mom
went to bed at 11:30pm.
Wednesday December 12th 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 met up with a
friend for lunch today. It was good to
get out with friends even just an hour or so over lunch. I then ran some errands before getting back
home by 5pm. Andrea said her word of the
day for mom was clumsy. Mom even let her
glass of milk slip out of her hand and spill all over her during breakfast. Patti was getting mom into the bathroom when
I got home. I fixed dinner when I got
home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm.
We took a drive right after dinner to look at the Xmas lights. Mom was quitter tonight than last night on
our drive. We spent the rest of the
evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping some. Mom went to bed at 11:30pm and needed a
little more instruction and help than normal on changing.
Tuesday December 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 just took a short
drive the time I was away. I was back by
2:30pm and mom was sitting in the TV room watching TV all wrap up in her
blanket. Andrea said her word of the day
for mom was slow. I had mom go to the
bathroom at 3pm before our drive. It was
a sunny day with temps in the 40’s. We
drove along the river road to Grafton IL.
Mom was fairly talkative on this drive pointing out houses on top of the
cliffs. We did not see any boats or
barges on the river and only 1 person on the hike/bike trail. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm and she went to bed about 10:30pm. We took a second drive tonight around 6:45pm
to look at the Xmas lights. Mom was even
more talkative on this drive pointing out houses that were lit up with Xmas
lights. She does like the Xmas lights
and more homes were lit up tonight than before.
We then spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing. Mom really did not nap this evening. With me overall mom has been more talkative
than normal and sweet. Mom needed about
her normal amount of instruction and help with changing into her nightgown.
Monday December 10th 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 while mom had her lunch today.
I just did some Xmas shopping and
other errands while I was gone. I got
back by 4:30pm. Andrea said her word of
the day for mom was confused. Patti was
getting mom into the bathroom when I got home. We ate dinner when mom got out of the bathroom
so the last time mom ate was at 6pm. We
did not take any drives tonight. We
spent the evening watching TV and laughing with both of us napping some. Mom did not do any walking around the house
tonight. Mom was at first part of the
evening somewhat confused but then got fairly talkative for her. Mom went to bed at 11:30pm and needed her
normal amount of instruction and help with changing into her nightgown.
Sunday December 9th 2012
Mom did have a bladder accident tonight around 8pm just 1
hour after she was in the bathroom. I
over slept my alarm this morning so I let mom sleep for 6 hours without going
to the bathroom but no accident then. I had my friend Patti over while I went
to church. Mom was sleeping when I
left. I met up with some friends at
church and ate brunch with them like I normally do. Patti was trying to get mom in the bathroom
when I got home at noontime. Patti was
able to get mom to take all her pills and said her word of the day for mom was
sleepy. After mom got done in the
bathroom we went for a drive. It was a
rainy cloudy day with temps in the 40’s.
We drove over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. We both were quieter than normal on this
drive mostly talking about the views.
Mom then napped some the rest of the afternoon while we watched the St
Louis Rams football team win. I fixed an
early dinner so the last time mom ate anything was at 5pm. We talked to my brother Larry, his daughter
Trina and her kids over SKYPE. Larry was
over at her house. Mom and I spent the
rest of the night watching TV and laughing with mom napping a lot. Mom went to bed at 1:30am but since I put her
in the nightgown when she had her accident she didn’t need to change before
laying down.
Saturday December 8th 2012
Mom did have 2 bladder accidents overnight. The first one was at 4am and I had to change
the chuck and top bed sheet. I also put
her in her house coat. She had another
one at noontime this time she got the bottom bed sheet wet and I put her into a
different housecoat. I fixed breakfast
and gave mom her pills after we got done then another bathroom trip before our
drive. It was a cloudy day with temps mostly
in the 40’s. We drove along the river
road to Grafton IL then Sioux Passage Park on the way back. We did not see any boats or motorcycles along
the river road. Also we only saw a
handful of people on the hike/bike trail.
We mostly talked about the houses on top of the cliffs plus the
river. We ended up talking about our normal
amount. I fixed a snack when we got back
then at dinner around 6:30pm. We did not
take any drives tonight instead we just watched TV and laughed with mom napping
some.
Friday December 7th 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or
today. Mom was sleeping when I left at 5:30am for the
men’s fraternity class at church. I did
my normal stop at the Waffle House for breakfast after then a nap before going
to the doctors for my annual checkup. I
did get in a short walk after the doctors before getting back home by
4:30pm. Andrea said her word of the day
was sluggish. Patti said hers was
active. Mom was tired so we never went
for a drive today. I fixed dinner
shortly after getting home then we spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing. Mom did walk around the
house some and went to bed at midnight.
She did need more help than normal getting changed into her nightgown.
Thursday December 6th 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 just had enough
time to grocery shop and run some errands.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was happy. Mom was in the bathroom when I got home then
we took a drive along the river road to Grafton IL going then to Sioux Passage
Park before heading home. I fixed
dinner when we got back then just watched TV and laughing the rest of the
evening.
Wednesday December 5th 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 while mom had her lunch today.
I spent the day running errands mostly and getting new tires on the
car. It was a partly sunny day with
temps in the 50’s. Mom was napping in
the living room when I got home at 5pm.
Andrea said her word of the day for mom was alert and Patti said hers
was busy because mom was following Patti around as she cleaned. Mom and I ate dinner when I got home so the
last time mom ate was at 5:30pm. I then
had mom go to the bathroom before taking a drive. We drove around looking at the Xmas lights
with mom talking her normal amount. We
spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing. Mom did walk around the house some and was
very active and talkative for her this evening.
Mom went to bed at midnight and needed just her normal amount of
instruction and help with changing.
Tuesday December 4th 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 ran some errands
before getting in a short walk then back at the house by 2:30pm. It was a partly sunny day with temps in the
60’s. I first took my cell phone to the
phone company repair shop and luckily they could fix it go figure it started
acting up the day after the warrantee. I then ate at the Waffle House I love
their hash browns then went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. I walked along the Missouri river. The river was quiet today no waves crashing
along the shore and no wind blowing through the trees. When I got back home mom was in the
bathroom. Andrea said her word of the
day for mom was friendly. When mom got
out of the bathroom we took our first drive.
We drove along the river road to Grafton IL. There was only one barge on the river and no
other boats. There were very few people
on the hike/bike trail and no motorcycles along the river road. It was fairly empty traffic wise along the
river road. Mom and I mostly talked
about the river and houses on top of the cliffs. We talked about our normal amount. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last
time mom ate was at 5pm and she went to bed at 11pm. We took a second drive after dinner and a
bathroom stop to look at the Xmas lights.
Mom was fairly talkative for her on this drive. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV
and laughing. Mom did not nap much this
evening and did walk around the house some at 8pm. Mom needed less help than normal on changing
into her nightgown.
Monday December 3rd 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 while mom had her lunch today.
I ran some errands but did get in a hike. It was a partly sunny warm day with temps in
the 70’s with a high of 74. I went over
to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. It
was just too nice a day not to get in a hike.
I hiked along the Missouri river.
It was great listening to the river crashing on the shore and the
animals in the woods. I thank god for
such a great day. Andrea said her word
of the day for mom was trusting and Patti said hers was alert. Mom was on her way to the bathroom when I got
home at 5pm. We ate dinner after she got
out so the last time mom ate anything was at 5:30pm. We took a drive after dinner to look at the
Xmas lights. Mom was fairly talkative on
this drive she likes the lights. We
spent the rest of the evening watching TV and laughing mom was more engaged
than her normal. Mom went to bed at
10:30pm and needed her normal amount of instruction and help with
changing.
Sunday December 2nd 2012
Mom did have a bowel accident tonight around 8pm although a
small one. Patti did not come over today
so I didn’t go to church. I got mom up a
few times overnight but we didn’t get up for the day until noon. I feed mom and gave her the pills after we
got up. It was a partly sunny day with
temps in the 70’s. My brother Paul
called right after we got done with breakfast and before our first drive. Mom got dressed today on her own as I was
talking to Paul the first time she has done that in a while. We took a long drive after a bathroom
break. We first drove along the river
road to Grafton IL then went to Sioux Passage Park on the way back. Mom was fairly talkative on this drive. We talked about the river, motorcycles and
houses on top of the cliffs mostly. We
saw one houseboat and several barges on the river. The motorcycles were out in great
numbers. There were a couple motorcycles
doing wheelies as they drove along which is dangerous riding along on the back
tire and front tire up in the air. This
was the first time I have seen them ride like that on the river road. Mom sometimes on this drive was looking in
the mirror on the visor smiling at, herself.
I’m not real sure if she knew it was her. I fixed dinner when we got home so the last
time mom ate was at 6pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm. I had mom go to the bathroom after dinner
then we took a second drive to look at Xmas lights. There were several more people with lights up
tonight. I guess with it in the 70’s
today they decided to take advantage of the warm temps to put up the lights. Mom was fairly talkative on this drive as
well talking and pointing out the lights.
Mom had her bowel accident after our drive as she was sitting watching
TV. So I put her in the nightgown at
that time.
Saturday December 1st 2012
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents today or
overnight. I got mom up a few times overnight
but we didn’t get up for the day until noon.
I feed mom brunch and gave her the pills then another bathroom break
before our first drive. It was a cloudy
but warm day with temps hitting 70. We
took a long drive over to Pontoon Beach IL then up the river road part way to
Grafton IL. We did not see any boats or
people on the hike/bike trail along the river road. We talked about the river and houses on top
of the cliffs. We talked about our
normal amount on this drive. I fixed us
a snack when we got back. Mom went for a
bathroom break before our second drive.
It was starting to get dark so we drove to Sioux Passage Park and
enjoyed the Xmas lights. Mom was more
talkative on this drive than the first one.
I fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was at 6pm and
she went to bed at 10:30pm. We spent the
evening watching TV and laughing with both of us napping some. Mom did walk around the house some at
8pm. Mom needed about her normal amount
of instruction and help on changing into her nightgown. Overall today mom has been in good spirits
but a little more confused than her normal.
