February 2013 Posts

Prefix
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


Thursday February 28th 2013
Mom did have a bladder accident this morning after Andrea got here.  I was tired so I slept in mom was eating lunch when I left.  I just had enough time to play and pray some before getting back by 3pm.  It was a cloudy day with temps in the 30’s.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was sanguine.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home.  Mom and I went for a drive when I got home.  We drove along the river road part way to Grafton IL.  We saw no boats or barges on the river and no one on the hike/bike trail.  We talked about the houses on the cliffs and river mostly.  Mom was fairly quiet except when we were near Alton and the houses on the cliffs.  We watched a little TV when we got back until dinner.  The last time mom ate was 5:30pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom awake, most of the evening.  Mom did not wonder around the house this evening.  I did talk to my brother Larry a little over the phone this evening.  Mom went to bed at 1:30am and needed less help and instruction with changing than her normal.  Overall tonight mom has been sweet and somewhat alert at least for her. 

Wednesday February 27th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, washed, dressed and fed when I left.   I spent my day away just playing and praying.  It was a snowy day with temps in the 30’s.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was cheerful and Patti said hers was confused.  Mom was heading into the bathroom when I got home by 5pm.  I fixed dinner when she got out so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  Mom was a bit confused the first part of the evening and when going to bed but the rest of the time she was sweet.  I had Andrea leave mom in her nightgown so no changing before bed tonight.         

Tuesday February 26th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Andrea wasn’t able to come over today so it has been just me and mom all day.  It’s been a rainy day so we spent the whole day inside and I didn’t even change her cloths so she was in the nightgown all day.  We spent most of the day watching TV and sleeping.  The last time mom ate was 5:30pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  Mom went to bed at 11:30pm.  Overall mom has been in good spirits and her normal talkativeness.   

Monday February 25th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, washed, dressed and fed when I left.  I ate breakfast with mom eating lunch.  It was a cloudy day with rain moving in after dinner and temps in the 40’s.  I just did some playing and my prayers the short time I was away.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was lovely and Patti said hers was quiet.  Mom was just heading to the bathroom when I got home by 5pm.  We ate dinner shortly after I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 12:30am.  We both napped some after dinner as we watched TV.  Mom was her normal self this evening but did need more help and instruction than normal with changing.    

Sunday February 24th 2013
Mom did have 2 bladder accidents today, one this morning at 7:30am then one after dinner as she sat on the dining room chair.  Patti came over this morning at 8am so I could go to church.  The worship I enjoyed too bad it wasn’t longer.  Patti had mom fed and dressed by the time I got home from church.  Patti said her word of the day for mom was content.  We went for a drive shortly after I got home along the river road to Grafton IL.  We saw no boats or barges on the river and very few people on the bike/hike trail.  Mom was fairly talkative on the first part of the drive and her normal amount on the second half.  We talked about the houses on the cliffs mostly.  We both took a nap when we got back until dinner.  So the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom being more alert than her normal.  We did talk to my brother Larry tonight over SKYPE.  I had put mom in her nightgown after her second bladder accident so she was already changed by bedtime.       

Saturday February 23rd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.    Patti came over this morning to watch mom as I went to my Saturday men’s retreat through church.  So Patti fed mom gave her the pills in applesauce and got mom dressed by the time I got back home.  It was a sunny day with a high of 34.  Patti said her word of the day for mom was corporative.  I fixed lunch for both mom and I shortly after I got home then mom went to bathroom before taking a short nap.  We then took a drive to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area on the way back we stopped at both Sioux Passage and Sunset Parks.  We had snow on the ground all around us but the roads were clear.  We talked about the views, snow and number of cars in the parking lots.  Mom was a little quieter than her normal but was enjoying the drive.  Mom then napped some before dinner.  So the last time mom ate was at 6pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  Tonight I decided to start listing what we watch basically so tonight we watched mostly SYFY movies.  Mom was also unsettled for about 2 hours tonight wondering around the house and up and down.  Mom went to bed at 10:30pm and needed her normal amount of help and instruction with changing into the nightgown.     

Friday February 22nd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, dressed and fed when I got up.  Today I got in a little playing before getting back home by 4pm.  It was a cloudy day with temps in the 30’s.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was sweet and Patti said hers was unsure.  Mom had just gotten out of the bathroom and was sitting in the living room when I got home.  So I fixed dinner shortly after getting home and the last time mom ate was about 5pm and she went to bed at 11pm.  I changed mom into her nightgown early tonight.  The first bathroom trip after dinner I noticed mom had some skid makes on her panties so I changed them and then just put her in the nightgown.  After taking her clothes off I can just leave the nightgown in the bathroom with her and she will put it on by herself.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing whenever I acted silly.  Mom also napped some but did not wonder around this evening.   

Thursday February 21st 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, dressed and fed when I got up.  Andrea and mom were in the TV room watching TV.  It started sleeting earlier than they first thought so I never did get out of the house and Andrea left at 10:30am before it got too bad.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was nice. It snowed and sleeted throughout the afternoon and early evening.  I fed mom lunch around noon and we pretty much spent the afternoon watching TV and napping.  Mom did wonder around the house some before dinner at least that gives her some exercise.  We had dinner early so the last time mom had anything to eat was 5pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and napping.  Mom did wonder around some this evening like normal with does give her exercise.  I also put the PBS kids channel on a lot for mom she enjoys it.  Mom went to bed at midnight but was in her nightgown all day so no need to change her before bed.  Overall mom has been nice and happy today.     

Wednesday February 20th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, washed, dressed and feed when I left.  I ate breakfast with mom eating lunch.  I ran some errands and did a little playing before getting back by 5:30pm.  It was a cloudy cold day today.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was energetic and I forgot to ask Patti’s her word of the day.  We ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 6pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing this evening.  Mom did do some wondering around the house like normal and napped a little.  Again like normal I had to tell mom several times to brush her teeth before she understood what to do.  Mom went to bed at 11pm and needed her normal amount of help and instruction with changing. 

Tuesday February 19th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, dressed and feed when I left.  I was only gone long enough to run some errands before getting back by 2:30pm.  It was a sunny day with colder temps and windy.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was both chatty and antsy.  Mom was sitting in the living room when I got home and had just gone to the bathroom so we took a drive.  We drove partway to Grafton IL along the river road then over to Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  We did not see any boats on the river or people on the hike/bike trail.  Mom was fairly chatty and alert on our drive.  We talked about the houses on top of the cliffs and number of cars in the parking lots.  I napped a little when we got back until dinner time.  The last time mom ate was 5:30pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  Mom was up and alert most of the evening.  Mom went to bed at 12:30am and needed her normal amount of help with changing.     

Monday February 18th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, washed, dressed and feed when I left.  I met with a head hunter then came back home to prepare for a phone interview but they had to change the time for interview to another day.  So I was home most of the day either sleeping or in the basement preparing.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was happy Patti’s word was sleepy.  Mom and I had dinner at 5pm then watched TV with mom napping some this evening.  Mom did wonder around the house some this evening a few times.  Like normal I had to tell her several times to brush her teeth before it clicked in what to do.  Normally I have to do the same thing when it comes to changing into her nightgown.  Mom went to bed at 12:30am and was pleasant this evening. 

Sunday February 17th 2013
Mom had 2 bladder accidents one this morning while Patti was here one this afternoon after our drive then a small bowel accident this evening.  Something must be going on in her stomach today.  Patti cane over while I went to church and feed mom breakfast with her pills as well as dressed her.  This was the second day in a row Patti had time to get mom dressed before I got home so mom would be able to go for our drives right away.  I met up with my friends at church and had brunch before heading back home.  Patti said her word of the day for mom was pleasant.  Mom had just gotten out of the bathroom when I got home so she was ready for a drive so we left right away.  It was a sunny afternoon with temps in the 40’s.  We first drove along the river road to Grafton IL then going to both Sioux Passage and Sunset Parks before heading home.  We saw no barges but did see one speed boat out on the river and several people on the hike/bike trail.  Mom talked about her normal amount on the drive but was more alert than her normal.  I gave mom a snack when we got back then at least I took a nap until almost dinner time I think mom napped most of that time as well.  I warmed up dinner after our naps and bathroom trip so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom not napping tonight.  I had put mom in her nightgown after the bowel accident so she was already changed when I put her to bed.              

Saturday February 16th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.    Mom was sleeping at 7:15am when I left to go to my men’s retreat through the church.  I had my friend Patti over while I was gone so she feed mom and gave her the pills.  Patti said her word of the day for mom was joyful and kind of kissy.  I enjoyed the 2 hour or so retreat and talking to other men.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home at 11:30am.  It was a sunny day but the temps only in the mid 30’s.  Mom and I took a drive shortly after I got home.  We drove our normal routine along the river road to Grafton IL then Sioux Passage Park on the way back home.  Mom was fairly talkative and alert on our drive although I was quieter than my normal I was tired.  We only saw one barge and no other boats on the river.  We did see some people on the bike/hike trail.  We mostly talked about the houses on the cliffs and number of cars in parking lots.  I fixed mom and I a snack when we got back then we both napped or at least I did until almost dinner.  We ate an early dinner at 4:30pm then watched TV all night.  Mom did do some wondering around the house this evening and didn’t nap much.  Mom went to bed around midnight and needed her normal amount of help with changing.

Friday February 15th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.    Mom was sleeping when I left today at 5:30am to go to my men’s fraternity at church.  I did my normal breakfast then nap after the men’s fraternity.  After my nap I had lunch then did some errands before getting back home by 4pm.  It was a sunny day with temps mostly in the 30’s.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was adorable.  I took mom for a short drive after I got home to Sioux Passage Park.  We mostly talked about the number of cars and talked about our normal amount.  I fixed dinner when we got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 12:30am.  We spent the night watching TV and laughing she can still laugh when I act silly.  Again tonight mom was up most of the evening napping very little and more active/alert than normal.  She was also easier to change than her normal.   

Thursday February 14th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, washed, dressed and feed when I left.  I ate breakfast with mom eating lunch.  I just had enough time to run some errands before getting back by 3pm.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 50’s.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was darling.  Mom was sitting in the TV room when I got home.  We left shortly after I got home for a drive.  We drove partway to Grafton IL along the river road then over to Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  We did not see any barges or boats on the river or people on the walk/hike trail.  We talked about our normal amount mostly on the river and houses on the cliffs.  I fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 10:30pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom up all evening without napping.  Mom was unsettled the first part of the evening wondering around but fairly alert and tried to carry on conversations.  Mom was more alert this evening than her normal.  Mom was a lot easier to get changed tonight than her normal. 

Wednesday February 13th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, washed, dressed and feed when I left.  I ate breakfast with mom eating lunch.  I just had enough time to run some errands before getting back by 2pm.  I had the pastor over at 2pm today for about 30 minutes or so.  Patti got here at 2:30pm so I then left after the pastor did until 5:30pm and ran some errands and did some playing.  Mom was sitting in the living room when I got home at 5:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was grumpy this morning until mom had a little nap before lunch.  Andrea said mom even tried and read a book after lunch.  Patti said her word of the day for mom was quiet.  I fixed mom and I, dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 6:15pm.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 50’s but we did not take any drives since it gets dark around 6pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom in good spirits. Mom needed her normal amount of help and instruction with changing when she went to bed at 11pm.  Mom was up most of the evening not napping much.     

Tuesday February 12th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, dressed and feed when I left.  I ate breakfast with mom eating lunch.  I just had enough time to run some errands before getting back by 2:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was interested.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home so when she got out we went for a drive.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 40’s.  We drove part way to Grafton IL then Sioux Passage Park before heading home.  We talked about the houses on top of the cliffs and the river.  Mom was much more alert and talkative on this drive than her normal.  We saw no boats or barges on the river and only one person on the bike/hike trail. I fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  Mom did do her thing of wondering around the house at the beginning part of the evening then settled in.  Mom did not nap much this evening and was more alert and interested than her normal.  Mom was easier to get changed and to brush her teeth than her normal.  Overall mom has been more talkative and alert than her normal.       

Monday February 11th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, washed, dressed and feed when I left.  I ate breakfast with mom eating lunch.  It was a sunny day with a high temp of 52.  I was able to get in a short walk over by the Missouri river in Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.  I also ran some errands before getting back by 5pm.  Mom was sitting in the living room when I got home.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was lively. Patti said her word of the day was busy because mom spent her time wondering around the house going from one room to another.  Mom had just gotten out of the bathroom before I got home so I fixed dinner right away.  So the last time mom ate was 6pm.  We spent the evening doing our normal routine of watching TV and laughing.  We also talked to my brother Larry over SKYPE this evening.  Mom did do some wondering around this evening but not much she was also up all evening without napping.  My guess is she will be sleepy tomorrow.  Mom went to bed at 1am and needed more than normal help with changing.     

Sunday February 10th 2013
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 some friends afterwards and had brunch and talk.  The music at the service was one of the best ones they have had.  It was a rainy, windy and cloudy day with temps in the 50’s.  Mom was sitting in the living room when I got home around noontime.  Patti said her word of the day for mom was pleasant.  My brother Paul called on the regular phone this afternoon and we talked a little.  We did not take any drives today so I didn’t change mom into her cloths I left her in the nightgown.  I gave mom a snack shortly after I got home and we watched a little TV with mom napping some this afternoon.  We ate dinner at 5:30pm and watched TV this evening. I have noticed that when we watch PBS for kids mom is more engaged she enjoys the programs for little kids best.  I had to brush mom’s teeth myself tonight.  Mom did do her thing of wondering around the house a few times.  Mom went to bed at 1am and since she was already in her nightgown there was no changing before bed. Overall today mom has been pleasant.       

Saturday February 9th 2013
Mom did have a bladder accident this morning at 2am.  I had Patti over this morning because I started a man’s retreat from church that meets the next 9 weeks on Saturday mornings.  I got mom up just before I left so mom was in the bathroom when Patti got here.  Patti then fed mom breakfast and gave her the pills.  There were 5 guys at the retreat this morning it was fun I enjoy smaller groups like this.  It was a sunny afternoon with warmer temps.  After I got back and mom got out of the bathroom we went for a drive.  We drove along the river road to Grafton IL then over to Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  We saw 2 barges on the river but no other boats.  There were several people on the hike/bike trail.  We mostly talked about the river and houses on the cliffs talking about our normal amount.  I fixed lunch when we got back then mom napped most of the time until dinner with a couple bathroom trips in between.  Then we had dinner so the last time mom ate was 6pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom sleeping some at the beginning of the evening.  Mom went to bed at 12:30am and needed her normal amount of help and instruction with changing.         

Friday February 8th 2013
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 men’s fraternity meeting.  I did my normal thing of eating breakfast afterwards at the Waffle House then ran an errand before taking my nap.  I then did some playing before getting back by 4:30pm.  It was a cloudy and colder day today.  Mom was sitting in the living room when I got home.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was luminescent I forgot to ask Patti’s her word.  We ate dinner shortly after I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 10pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping some.  Mom also did her thing of wondering around the house.  It took mom her normal amount of help and instruction to change.    

Thursday February 7th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, dressed and feed when I left.  I ate my breakfast with mom as she ate her lunch. I was able to get in a short drive.  It was a rainy day with warm temps again.  Mom was napping in the TV room when I got back at 3:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was helpful.  Mom pretty much napped from when I got home until dinner.  I got mom up to go to the bathroom before dinner so the last time mom ate was 6:30pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom doing some more napping.   

Wednesday February 6th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, washed, dressed and feed when I left.  I left earlier than my normal today at 9:30am to meet up with my finance guy, my normal quarterly meeting.  We then went for lunch after the meeting.  Then I did some errands before getting back home by 5pm.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 50’s.  Mom was watching TV when I got home and I had her go to the bathroom before heating up dinner.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was perky.  The last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11pm.  Mom did a lot of napping this evening and did her thing of wondering around the house a couple times.  Mom needed a lot of instruction or at least me repeating several times on brushing her teeth then she just let me brush them.  She is getting confused on what to do.  She just needed her normal amount of help and instruction on changing into her nightgown.  

Tuesday February 5th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, dressed and feed when I left and was eating lunch.  I was able to get in a short walk today over at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area before getting back by 2:30pm.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home and Andrea said her word of the day for mom was nice.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 50’s again today.  We took a drive when she got out of the bathroom.  We drove along the river road part way to Grafton IL.  We only saw one barge on the river going downstream and no other boats.  There were a few motorcycles on the river road but we saw no one on the hike/bike trail.  Mom was quieter than her normal on this drive.  I fixed dinner shortly after we got back so the last time mom ate was 5pm and she went to bed at 12:30am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom up not napping the evening.  We also talked to my brother Larry over SKYPE tonight.  This afternoon mom was inattentive but this evening she was kind of kissy, hugging and sweet.  Mom was more confused and needed more instruction than normal for both brushing and changing.     

Monday February 4th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, washed, dressed and feed when I left.  I ate my breakfast with mom as she ate her lunch.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 50’s.  I was able to get in a short hike after I left before running errands and getting back by 5pm.  It was a great day for hiking so I did that instead of going to the gym.  I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area for my hiking.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was weak not sure what Patti’s was.  We ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11pm.  Mom napped a little this evening but not much we watched TV and laughed.  Mom did wonder around the house a few times tonight like normal.  Mom seem happy but more confused than normal tonight.  She needed her new normal amount of help and instruction with changing. 

Sunday February 3rd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.    Since we had some snow overnight Patti wasn’t able to get over this morning so I did not go to church.  Mom and I got up for the day at 10:30am and after she went to the bathroom we had breakfast and her pills in applesauce.  After mom napped some and went to the bathroom again we went for a drive.  By this time it was mostly sunny with temps in the mid 30’s.  We drove over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area then to Sioux Passage Park before getting back home.  We hit some ice on the road in Sioux Passage Park and could not get up the hill so I carefully maneuvered the van not to hit anything as I turned around.  It wasn’t easy controlling the van on ice my skills and gods angels kept us save.  This was the only ice of the afternoon the rest of the roads were dry.   There were several people in the park riding their sleds.  We talked about the snow in the yards and cars mostly at our normal amount.  We snack some then napped a little before dinner when we got back.  The last time mom ate was 5:30pm.  We spent the evening watching the Super Bowl with mom napping a lot.  Mom went to bed at 11pm and needed her normal amount of help and instruction with changing into her nightgown.  This morning I looked away to do something and mom had put her shirt on backwards that is the first time she has done that with me in a long time.  Overall mom has been her normal self today.        

Saturday February 2nd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   It was a sunny day with temps in the 40’s.  We got up for the day at 10am and I had mom go to the bathroom before breakfast.  Then another bathroom trip before heading out for a drive.  We drove along the river road to Grafton IL then stopped by Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  We only saw one barge on the river and no other boats.  There were a few people out on the hike/bike trail along the river road.  We talked about the river, houses on the cliffs mostly.  We talked about our normal amount during the drive.  I gave mom a snack when we got home then both of us napped until dinner.  Mom was in the bathroom along time before dinner so we didn’t eat dinner until 7pm and she finished about 7:30pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping some and did her thing of wondering around the house a few times.  Mom went to bed at 12:30am and needed her normal amount of help and instruction with changing.  Overall today mom has been sweet and her normal amount of talkativeness.      

Friday February 1st 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  It was a very cold day this morning the temps were in the single digits.  Andrea couldn’t get her car started so she never made it over here.  So I missed my men’s fraternity class.  Patti was able to get over here a couple hours earlier than her normal so I was able to meet up with a friend for lunch.  Also today was my 24th year anniversary of not smoking.  I smoked for 16 years the last 6 I smoked 3 to 5 packs a day if I had kept that rate up I would most likely be dead by now.   Praise the lord I quit for so many reasons.  After lunch I ran some errands before getting back home by 5pm.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home.  Patti said her word of the day for mom was easy going and not really napping much.  We ate dinner when mom got out of the bathroom so the last time she ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 12:30am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping a little.  Mom did wonder around the house several times throughout the evening.  We never had mom change out of her nightgown so there was no need for changing before bed tonight

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