Family Visits vs The Pandemic
So far, the pandemic hasn’t affected us very much. We’ve been very, very lucky. But, with the administration of vaccines and Jim’s decline. His family are wanting to see him again. They’ve all had the first dose of the vaccine and now, there is another illness in the family that makes visiting loved ones …. Read More
Changing Seasons
We’ve had a warm snap. Normally April is filled with rainy days but this year, we’ve had over a week of sunny, tank-top and shorts weather. It’s completely baffled Jim. He seems to have lost his understanding of how months and seasons fit together. He’s fretting about how there are no leaves on our maple …. Read More
Missed Posts
I’ve missed a couple of blog posts. I’ve been trying to keep to a Monday and Friday posting schedule and I failed. I wish I could say that it was some huge dramatic event, that I just got swamped, or overwhelmed? But the truth of the matter is I took an unplanned break. I’m …. Read More
Managing Repetition
Jim’s short term memory is diminishing. I know, that was a rather, “well, duh yeah” statement since he has dementia but over the past month or so, I’ve noticed another change. There seem to be two types of repeated questions. 1) basic information that he forgets as soon as he hears the answer, such …. Read More
Am I Gaslighting Or Being Gaslit
It’s been a rough few days. I feel like I’m running in circles and then someone throws a figure eight into my path. Living with someone with Dementia often feels like you’re in the middle of a gaslighting session. Gaslight meaning they do one thing and then convince you it was something else thus …. Read More
Between 5 and 6
… and speaking of losing motivation, this post is late. Let’s just say it’s been a rough week. Or maybe it’s a week where all of those little straws that have been gradually lining up on the camel’s back, have suddenly become unbearably heavy. We’re on the cusp of the next decline stage in …. Read More
Losing Motivation
I don’t know about you but I’ve been coasting over these past few months. I’ve gained weight, I’m easily tempted by the trashy romance novels on my phone and can ignore real life for a while. Which means I sit all day. Sure, I get up early and walk for an hour in the …. Read More
Fear
Fear and guilt are the two worse enemies of a caregiver. We live with guilt everyday. It plays on our insecurities and tells us we’re not doing enough. Fear though, is a whole different animal. Fear incapacitates us. It reminds us that no matter how careful we are, something can still happen to our loved …. Read More
Dementia Jim and Sleep
Here’s a topic not covered in most books about care-giving because they are written for adult children caring for a parent, not a spouse. When Regular Jim and I first got together, we were like rabbits. Two old dogs learning all sorts of new fun tricks. If he roused in the middle of the …. Read More
Overprotectiveness and Overcompensating
When Dad died, Mom had to re-familiarize herself with some of life’s basic skills. One of which was driving. Over the years, Dad subtly took over the task of driving and chauffeured Mom whereever she had to go. If she was going in to the church for choir practice, he’d say he needed to …. Read More