April 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


Tuesday April 30th 2013
Mom did have a bladder accident this morning in bed then again this afternoon not getting up out of her chair fast enough.  Mom and I got up by 9am had breakfast then after a bathroom trip we took our first drive.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 80’s.  We drove along the river road to Grafton IL.  We saw some barges but no other boats on the river.  The trees are now almost all green some still have beautiful flowering.  Since the trees are so full of leaves now that it is covering most of the houses on the cliffs.  The river is still high but the river road to my surprise was open all the way to Grafton IL.  Mom was fairly quiet on this drive but was happy and alert looking around at everything.  Since Andrea hasn’t been here I have been doing most of the cooking I miss her cooking.  Patti got here about 5 minutes after we got back home from our drive.  So I went over to Sioux Passage Park and hung out while Patty fed mom lunch.  I cooked up dinner when I got back home at 5pm so the last time mom ate was 6pm and went to bed at 1am.  Since it was such a beautiful day we took a drive after dinner to Sioux Passage Park mom was fairly quiet on this drive as well.  We then spent the evening watching the NBC show the Voice and Joel Osteen mostly.  Mom did not wonder around the house tonight and hasn’t done that for some time now.  Mom was in a house coat so no need to change her before bed.      

Monday April 29th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.    Mom was in the bathroom when Patti got here and I left.  I met up with a friend for lunch and redeemed our coupons for a free St Louis Cardinals, baseball game tickets.  So I will be going to the game on May 14th Tuesday.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 70’s.  We walked around downtown after getting the tickets and lunch.  Mom was watching TV when I got back home by 4:30pm.  Patti said mom was nice but quiet.  Patti also washed mom by a sponge bath.  We ate dinner at 6pm after mom went to the bathroom and I got done cooking it.  So the last time mom ate was 6:30pm and she went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping some.  Patti put mom in the house coat so no need to change mom before bed. 

Sunday April 28th 2013
Mom did have a bowel accident this morning while Patti was here.  Mom was in the bathroom when I left for church today.  The service was a good one it sort of spoke to me.  Patti fed mom breakfast and crushed her pills into applesauce.  Patti put mom into her cloths after the bowel accident so mom would be ready for a drive when I got home.  Mom was eating lunch when I got home and Patti said mom was good but quiet.  It was a cloudy day with temps in the 60’s.  Mom napped some when I got home then I took her out for dinner.  We left around 4pm and went to YAC’s for dinner.  I had prime rib and mom had chicken parmesan.  We got back home at 5:30pm then watched TV and laughed.  We watched the NBC show the Voice, Celebrity Apprentice and Joel Osteen mostly.  Mom went to bed at 1:30am and was fairly easy to get changed into her nightgown. 

Saturday April 27th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   We did not get up for the day until around noontime.  It was a cloudy rainy day with temps in the 60’s.  We did take a drive around 3pm.  We started to drive along the river road but it was closed down because of all the rain and the river is up.  So we only went to Alton IL before turning around.  We then stopped by Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  Today it drizzled on us from time to time as we drove.  We mostly talked about the number of cars in parking lots and the trees that are now colorful.  Overall mom was quiet on the drive and napped most of the day and night.  I fixed dinner at 6pm so the last time mom ate was 6:30pm and she went to bed at 11pm.  Then we watched TV all night with mom napping a lot it was just a nappy kind of day with it being so rainy.  Mom did not wonder around the house tonight either.    

Friday April 26th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Patti got here at 9am and got mom fed breakfast before I got up and left I slept in a little later this morning since I will be with mom all day Saturday I will not get much sleep tonight or Saturday.  It was a cloudy rainy day.  I went out and had breakfast and played a little before doing some errands and getting back home by 5pm.  Tonight I stopped off and picked up a pizza for mom’s and mine dinner.  Patti was able to get mom washed and then put mom in her house coat.  Patti said mom was alert again today but less talkative than yesterday.  Mom and I watched TV after dinner which ended at 5:30pm.  Mom did not do any wondering around the house tonight or last night but did do some napping during the evening.  Mom went to bed close to 1am and was in good spirits all night and somewhat talkative and alert for her at least.     

Thursday April 25th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Patti got here at 9am and got mom fed breakfast before I got up and left.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 70’s.  After I stopped and got breakfast I did my routine of reading the bible some before going for another hike.  I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and hiked along the bike/hike trail since the trail that goes along the river is still flooded.  It was a little warmer than yesterday but still great temps for hiking with a breeze blowing every now and then.  I listened to the birds and the water.  I watched some birds flying around looking for food.  It is so peaceful being out in nature.  I ended up getting home by 5pm.  Patti said mom was very talkative and alert while she was here.  I had stopped by the store and had them cook some salmon for dinner and I fixed mom and I a salad.  We ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing mom was in great spirits all night.  She was in her nightgown all day so no need to change her. 

Wednesday April 24th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Patti got here at 9am but I didn’t leave until 11am I slept in a little.  After getting breakfast I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area read my bible a little before going on a short hike.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 50’s great day for a hike.  This is the first time in awhile that I went on a hike.  It was great getting out on the trail I do enjoy it so.  The Missouri river was up covering the trail I normally do so I walked along the bike trail it is up on a levy.  Since it has been a long time since I had really hiked I was feeling it in my lower back and legs but still overall felt great.  The wind was blowing at just the right amount and I could hear the leaves blowing in the trees and a few birds singing.  It was very peaceful.  I then ran an errand before getting back home by 5pm.  Mom was in the living room when I got home.  Patti said mom was talkative and alert today as well as easy going.  Patti was also able to clean mom this morning.  We ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching American Idol then a bunch of other programs mostly on the Daystar channel.  Mom was fairly alert for her at least tonight as well.  Mom does enjoy reading the old birthday cards and would spend time just rereading them over and over.  Mom was in her nightgown all day so no need to change her before bedtime.  I did have to repeat several times what to do with brushing her teeth before she did it.  This is more normal when I have her brush the teeth but at least she can still do it herself most of the time.      

Tuesday April 23rd 2013
Mom did have a bladder accident this morning I let her sleep to long between bathroom breaks so I changed her into another nightgown.  It will be a colder and rainy day so mom and I will not be taking any drives today.  We got up for the day at 8:30am and after a bathroom trip I fixed mom’s pills and breakfast.  I had my last estimate for the air conditioner late this morning.  I then fixed mom and I lunch then Patti got here at 2:30pm.  It was a rainy colder day so I just went up to Sioux Passage Park and read my bible and napped a little before getting back by 5:30pm.  Mom and I then ate dinner so the last time mom ate was 6pm and went to bed at 11:30pm.  We then watched the St Louis Cardinals baseball game then we watch Joel Osteen with mom napping a lot except she was listening to Joel.

Monday April 22nd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Since Andrea will be out for 2 weeks after her operation Patti will be picking up more time.  Patti was over today from 9am until 5pm.  Patti left mom in her nightgown all day.  I left when Patti arrived to get breakfast before getting back in time for an estimate on the air conditioner.  When he left it was close to lunch time he was here for a while.  So I went for lunch then some playing before taking a short walk the errands.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 70’s.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home by 5pm.  Patti said mom was sweet and she was able to get mom washed.  So we ate when she got out and the last time she ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We mostly watched the St Louis Cardinals win their baseball game. 

Sunday April 21st 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Patti was over while I went to church.  The worship part was great today I really enjoyed it just what I needed thank you god.  Patti fed mom breakfast and mom was eating lunch when I got home.  Mom was still in her house coat so no need to change her.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 60’s.  After lunch and a bathroom break we took a drive.  We drove along the river road to Grafton IL.  The rivers are up a lot almost up to the river road just a few more feet and the road will be covered.  So with the rain we are to get next week by next weekend the river road might be flooded out.  We only saw 1 barge on the river with no other boats.  There were several motorcycles and people on the hike/bike trail today.  The trees are also almost all green now with just a few without leaves.  We can still see some houses on top of the cliffs but several are now hidden behind the trees.  Mom was fairly talkative and alert on our drive talking more at times.  Mom normally talks more when we are driving on the river road because more things can catch her eye.  We both napped a little after our drive until dinner.  The last time mom ate was 6:30pm and she went to bed at 1:30am.  We spent most of the evening watching the St Louis Cardinals baseball game with mom napping a lot.       

Saturday April 20th 2013
Yeah today mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents.  We got up for the day at 9am and after mom went to the bathroom we had breakfast with her pills crushed up in applesauce.  I also put mom into her house coat and out of her nightgown.  I then had mom back into the bathroom before taking our drive.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 50’s.  Today we just drove over to Sioux Passage and Sunset Parks.  The trees are starting to get colorful.  We mostly talked about the trees and houses with mom talking about her normal amount.  I had mom go to the bathroom when we got back and she was in there for quit a while.  We then had lunch mom went back to bathroom then she napped until dinner.  The last time mom ate was 6:30pm and went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening mostly watching Joel Osteen and the St Louis Cardinals win their game plus a movie.  Mom did do some napping this evening as well and of course we laughed when I acted silly.    

Friday April 19th 2013
Mom had 2 bladder accidents today at least not as many as yesterday.  We got up for the day at 8:30am mom was already up and had her first bladder accident by 8:30am.  After getting her cleaned up I fixed breakfast and gave her the pills crushed up in applesauce.  She has been getting all her pills crushed for several months now.  Andrea was still in hospital but had her operation Thursday night.  So Patti came over at 11am and left at 5pm to watch mom so I could get some time away and run errands.  Mom had her second bladder accident while Patti was here.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 50’s.  Patti said her word of the day for mom was nice.  Mom was watching TV when I got home and after a bathroom trip we ate dinner.  So the last time mom ate was 6pm and went to bed around midnight.  During the morning and evening I was putting mom in the bathroom every 1 to 2 hours.  I’m hoping this is like other times in the past where something was upsetting her stomach and that’s why she needs to go so much but time will tell.  We spent the evening watching Different TV programs mostly on the history and National Geographic channels.  Mom napped a little but was up most of the evening and in good spirits.  Mom was already in her nightgown so no need to change her.    

Thursday April 18th 2013
I lost count on how many times mom had bladder or bowel accidents today.  She had a crazy day as far as her stomach goes.  Andrea is still sick and had to go in to the hospital today so if those of you who believe in god would say some prayers for her.  Patti could not make it over today so it was just mom and I all day.  It rained hard most of the day so we just stayed inside.  We got up for the day around 10am and had breakfast.  We then watched TV and napped some of the afternoon.  The last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We watched a great baseball game with the St Louis Cardinals winning.  I had to change mom during the day several times so she was in her nightgown or should I say nightgowns all day.    

Wednesday April 17th 2013
Mom had a bladder accident this morning around 8am.  Andrea called in sick today so it was just me and mom.  I did get Patti to come over a little earlier at 1pm.  I fixed us breakfast around 9am and dressed mom.  We both spent most of the morning napping.  I feed mom around noon then Patti got there just after mom finished lunch.  I just had a little time before getting back by 2pm.  I had the pastor stop by at 2pm he was here for about 45 minutes.  I then ran some errands before getting back home by 5pm.  Mom and I ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We watched shows on the history channel after the St Louis Cardinals baseball game.  Mom did wonder around the house some tonight.  Mom was also fairly easy to change into her nightgown and when I got her dressed this morning.  It was a cloudy day with temps in the low 80’s.  The trees are starting to bud and turn green after all the rain we have gotten lately.

Tuesday April 16th 2013
Mom did have a bladder accident this morning when Andrea was here.  Mom was up, dressed and had breakfast when I got up.  I picked up the car from the shop this morning then had my breakfast while mom ate her lunch.  I then did some playing and praying before getting back by 2:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was content.  Mom napped a little when I got home before we went for a drive.  We drove along the river road partway to Grafton IL.  It was a rainy morning but stopped by about 3pm then just cloudy.  We saw 2 barges on the river but no other boats it was also only in the 50’s as a high.  So we only saw a couple people o the hike/bike trail.  Mom was fairly talkative on parts of the drive but alert for the whole drive.  The rivers also have a lot more water in them with all the rain we have gotten lately.  We had dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 11pm.  We spent the evening watching the NBC show the Voice along with some other programs.  Mom did not nap this evening and was fairly easy to change but was a little tougher getting her teeth brushed.  Mom did not wonder around the house and was in great spirits and fairly alert for her.     

Monday April 15th 2013
Mom had 2 bowel accidents after I left this morning and while Andrea was here.  Mom was up, washed and had breakfast when I left this morning to take my car to the shop.  I then spent most of my time away doing errands with some playing and praying.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was dazed I forgot to ask Patti her word of the day.  Mom was awake watching TV when I got home by 5pm.  We ate dinner shortly after I got home so the last time mom ate anything was 5:30pm and she went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching the NBC show called the voice and the St Louis Cardinals baseball game mostly.  Mom was awake all evening and did not wonder around the house at all.  I changed her into her nightgown when she was in the bathroom like our new normal.    

Sunday April 14th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accident overnight or today.  Patti was over while I went to church.  The service and worship part were good today sort of hit home with me.  I met up with my friends afterwards for brunch like normal.  Patti had dressed mom and mom was eating lunch when Patti left.  Mom napped a little after lunch before our drive.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the upper 70’s.  We drove along the river road to Grafton IL then Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  Today we saw several boats including sailboats on the river.  There were lots of people out on the hike/bike trail and tons of motorcycles riding the river road.  Everybody was getting out enjoying the beautiful spring day.  Mom was very talkative, alert and enjoying herself on this drive.  I had mom go to the bathroom when we got back and before dinner.  During the day and early evening we put mom in the bathroom about every 2 to 3 hours.  The last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm.  We spent the night watching different TV programs and laughing.  I did talk to my brother Paul over the phone tonight.  Overall mom has been fairly alert and in good spirits today. 

Saturday April 13th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accident overnight or today.  Patti was over while I went to the last wild of heart boot camp session.  It was bitter sweet but did meet some people that hopefully will be friends and hang out in the future.  Patti had fed mom breakfast and mom was eating lunch when Patti left.  I put mom in her cloths when I got home then we went for a drive.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 60’s.  We drove along the river road to Grafton IL then Sioux Passage Park on the way home.  We saw a few people out on the hike/bike trail but no boats on the river.  Mom talked more at times but overall talked about her normal amount.  We both napped some when we got back before dinner.  The last time mom ate was 6pm and she went to bed at 11pm.  We spent the evening watching several different programs on TV and laughing with mom napping some.      

Friday April 12th 2013
Mom had 2 bladder accidents this afternoon less than 2 hours apart while Patti was here.  I was up when Andrea got here at 6am today since I had just put mom in the bathroom 30 minutes earlier.  I then went to bed and when I got back up by 10:30am mom was washed, fed and dressed.  I had another estimate for the a-coil late morning then left for some play, pray time and run some errands before getting back by 5pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was pleasant.  Patti was busy changing mom from the 2 bladder accidents and put mom in her nightgown after the second one, so I will not need to change mom tonight.  We ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11pm.  We spent the evening watching TV including the St Louis Cardinals baseball team win their game go cards.  Mom also did nap a lot more than her normal tonight.    

Thursday April 11th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, fed, and dressed when I got up.  I left for a little while before getting back for appointment for estimate on the a-coil and to eat some birthday cake.  I then left to do some errands before getting back by 2:30pm.  It was a partly sunny day with much colder temps.  Mom was watching TV when I got home and Andrea said her word of the day for mom was irascible.  Mom napped a little before we went out for dinner.  I took her to our favorite Mexican restaurant for her birthday.  They served us our food right away and mom was easy to handle and happy.  We had our normal taco salads and ice cream with cinnamon and honey, mom loves that.  The last time mom ate was 5pm and the last time she drank was 6pm she went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching American Idol some other TV shows.  We did talk to my brother Larry over SKYPE to wish mom happy birthday.  Mom was in pretty good spirits tonight and paying attention to the TV.  Mom did not wonder around tonight.   Mom was also pretty easy to change tonight.  Overall today with me mom has been more alert and fairly happy of course I was acting silly today which makes her smile if not laugh.  So overall I think it was a pretty good birthday for mom.          

Wednesday April 10th 2013
Mom did have a bladder accident just before I got home this afternoon.  Mom was up, washed, fed, and dressed when I got up.  I had some phone calls before I left.  I ended up running some errands with a little playing and praying.  It was a cloudy day with heavy storms coming in the evening.  Mom was sitting in the living room when I got home by 5pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was drowsy and Patti said mom walked around a lot when she was here.  We ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11pm.  We spent the evening watching some comedy and a NOVA special on PBS before mom went to bed.  She did not wonder around the house tonight and was fairly alert. It took me about my normal amount of effort to get mom to brush her teeth.  I just have to keep telling her what to do until it sinks in.  I also changed mom when she was in the bathroom she did put the nightgown on without any help after I got her clothes off.  It is real close to mom’s birthday now.    

Tuesday April 9th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, fed, and dressed when I got up.  I ate my breakfast while mom ate her lunch.  I just had enough time away to do some playing and praying.  It is getting close to mom’s birthday I’m thinking of taking her out for dinner depending on the weather.  Mom got a birthday card from Aldine that she reads all the time she does like cards.  Mom was watching TV when I got home at 2:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was mellow.  It was a cloudy day but temps in the 70’s.  I made some phone calls before taking mom for a drive.  We drove along the river road to Grafton IL.  We saw a couple of boats on the river and 2 barges.  There were a few people on the hike/bike trail.  We talked mostly about the boats on the river and houses on the cliffs.  The trees are still almost all without leafs.  Once the leaves come out they will block most of the houses on the cliffs.  I guessing we have about 2 or 3 weeks before the trees have their leaves.  Mom was fairly talkative on parts of the drive and quiet on other parts.  We had dinner when we got back and after mom went to the bathroom.  So the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 12:30am.  We spent the evening watching the Voice on NBC and Joel Osteen on Daystar.  Mom did do some wondering around and was unsettled apart of the evening.  I did my new normal of changing mom when she is in the bathroom and she did fuss some but not too bad.           

Monday April 8th 2013
Mom did have a bladder accident just before I got home.  I put mom into her nightgown when she had her bladder accident.  Mom had a bowel accident this evening at least a small one.  Mom was up, washed, fed, and dressed when I got up.  I ate my breakfast while mom ate her lunch.  I then took off to do some playing and running errands.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was nice and Patti said mom slept most of the time she was here.  We ate dinner when I got home at 5pm so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm.  We watched TV and laughing with mom not napping.  We watched the show voice on NBC and some other shows until mom went to bed at 11:30pm.     

Sunday April 7th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   It is just a few days before mom’s 91st birthday. Mom was sleeping when I left for church.  Patti was over while I went to church.  It was a great service then brunch.  Patti said her word of the day for mom was sweet.  Mom was eating lunch when I got home from church.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 70’s.  Mom took a long time finishing her drink at lunch she kept on reading the Easter card she got from Aldine over and over.  Mom still enjoys reading cards Andrea said mom will sometimes pick up Andrea’s book and start reading it.  So we took a drive around midafternoon.  We drove along the river road to Grafton IL.  There were several boats on the river even saw 2 sailboats which made me feel a little homesick for sailing.  Also we saw several people on the hike/bike trail as well as a bunch of motorcycles.  Mom was fairly talkative and alert on this drive.  We ate dinner shortly after getting back home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11pm.  We spent the evening watching TV, laughing and napping.  I changed mom in the bathroom like my new normal she fused some but not too bad.     

Friday April 5th Saturday April 6th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents.  Mom was up, fed, and dressed when I left to spend the day and night away with a friend.  We went to dinner and talked and watched guy movies.  I got back home Saturday at noon after the wild at heart boot camp.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was smart.  I had my friend Patti over at 2:30pm and she spent the night with mom and Saturday morning.  Patti said mom was confused and not real corporative Friday night and Saturday morning.  Mom was eating lunch when I got home and Patti had mom changed into her cloths.  I took mom for a drive shortly after I got home.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 70’s.  We drove along the river road partway to Grafton then past Sioux Passage Park on the way home.  We saw only 1 barge and no other boats on the river.  We did see a lot of people out on the hike/bike trail enjoying the nice temps.  Mom was quiet and somewhat non-responsive on the drive.  I think she was like me tired so we both napped some when we got home until dinner.  The last time mom ate was 6pm and she went to bed at 12:30am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We watched several different programs and mom was much more alert after her afternoon nap.              

Thursday April 4th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, fed, and dressed when I got up.  I ate breakfast out today then did some errands before getting back by 3pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was happy.  Mom was in the TV room watching TV when I got home.  I had mom go to the bathroom shortly after I got home then we took a drive.  It was a sunny day with temps of 61.  We drove along the river road most of the way to Grafton IL then Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  We saw a couple of boats out on the river and several people on the hike/bike trail.  Mom was talkative and alert of things around her on the drive.  We talked about the river and houses on the cliffs mostly.  I fixed dinner when we got home so the last time mom ate was 6:30pm and she went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching TV and napping a little both of us napped.  No baseball game tonight.  I changed mom when she was in the bathroom like my new normal.  Mom was very easy to get changed tonight.  Mom has been in great spirits most of the evening.  I will spend Friday night out and all day Friday until Saturday afternoon.  It will be good to spend the night away but I will miss mom dearly when she is gone.  I am happy to take care of mom and she does deserve the best care for mom did take care of me and others during her life.        

Wednesday April 3rd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, washed, fed, and dressed when I got up.   I met up with a couple of friends for lunch downtown.  We had pizza and talked.  I also did some grocery shopping before heading home by 5pm.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was affectionate.  Mom and I ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 12:30am.  We spent the evening watching the bible on the history channel until the Cardinal baseball game came on.  Mom did do some wondering around the house this evening a couple of times.  Mom was alert most of the evening but did start to nap some before going to bed.  I did my normal thing of getting mom changed when she is sitting in the bathroom.  I had my normal amount of ease in getting mom to brush her teeth.  I am looking forward to my first night away in several months this coming Friday night.  I will have Patti spending the night with mom while I spend it with a friend.      

Tuesday April 2nd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, fed, and dressed when I got up.  I ate breakfast while mom ate her lunch.  I just had enough time to do some playing and praying before getting back home by 2:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was interested.  I took mom for a drive around 3pm.  It was a sunny warm day so we drove along the river road partway to Grafton IL.  We saw no boats on the river but did see several people on the hike/bike trail.  Mom was more talkative on this drive than her normal and more alert.  I fixed dinner when we got back so the last time mom ate was 5:45pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm.  After a bathroom trip we took a second drive to both Sioux Passage and Sunset Parks.  Mom was alert but quieter on this drive.  We spent the evening watching the Voice on NBC, Joel Osteen then the Cardinal baseball game until mom went to bed.  Mom was alert watching TV and trying to start conversations.  I did my now normal routine of changing mom into her nightgown when she is sitting in the bathroom.  After I take the cloths off she will put the nightgown on herself.       

Monday April 1st 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, washed, fed, and dressed when I got up.  I ate breakfast while mom ate her lunch.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 40’s mostly.  I ran some errands, prayed and played before getting back home by 5pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was obedient.  Patti was putting mom into the bathroom when I got home.  We ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 6pm and she went to bed at 1am.  We spent the first part of the evening watching the voice on NBC then the first Cardinal baseball game of the season. It is great baseball season is back so we will be watching a lot of games in the evenings.  Mom napped a little off and on over the evening.  I was able to get mom to brush teeth herself by repeating what to do several times.  I also changed her when she was in the bathroom.  Overall with me mom was very sweet.           

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