The Final Countdown
I had it all worked out, on paper at least. I had a plan of action for when the time came to say goodbye to Jim. It still hurts like hell. I brought him back into the ER in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. He’d woken up full of delusions. He had to leave …. Read More
Managing His Death
Managing his death. Sounds morbid doesn’t it. As I helplessly looked at the discoloration and open wounds on his foot last night, I had a brutal realization. I’m no longer managing his medicine, appointments, meals or hygiene. Since the onset of this foot infection, I’ve started actively managing his death. I suppose this is …. Read More
Post Visit Wrap Up
I cannot express how much I value and appreciate Jim’s daughters. On the Dementia/Alzheimer’s forums, I hear so many horror stories about vicious/uninvolved or critical family members. Jim’s girls are supportive and grateful to me for looking after their father. I’m sure part of that is because if I don’t they have to. Still, they …. Read More
Daddy’s Little Girls
Jim’s daughters are here for 10 days. We’re mid-visit and it’s been interesting to say the least. He independently recognizes them when he comes back into the room, which honestly is more than I expected. Even though he sees the middle-aged adults, he still asks them how they’re doing in school. Unlike at Thanksgiving, he …. Read More
Resperidone So Far
We’ve been in Risperidone for a week. We’ll he has, but his reduced aggression has calmed me too. He was never violent, but after the hospital he was far more frustrated and it showed. He was really resistent to letting me keep him safe. He’s still feisty. He constantly wants to get up and …. Read More
Hard Decision Time
It’s been a rough month. Jim has been doing so well that I thought I could continue to care for him in our home until the end. Hes non-aggressive and can still follow simple instructions. I am able bodied, well read, have almost every tool and gadget out there to help, and had just …. Read More
Hospital Stay Reflections
Having Jim in hospital has been a learning experience. Some positive, some negative. Positives: The nurses and aids are absolutely fantastic. Sure, sometimes they’re abrupt but if you listen to what they’re dealing with, on a daily, hourly, and minute-ly basis you’ll understand. Some patients treat them like indentured servants and/or punching bags (both …. Read More
Rage Inducing Treatment
Before I start let me just say the nursing staff and aids at our local hospital are spectacular. They are wonderful in the way they treat both Jim and I, despite being short staffed. But we encountered a Nurse Ratched who isnt actually a nurse, she’s some sort of non-uniformed admin. From my description, the …. Read More
Best Laid Plans
I thought I had it all worked out. I was a woman with a plan of action. Jim’s foot infection made me realize I had a gap in his care plan so I bought a wheelchair and a lift recliner. The recliner arrived at 10am and was installed by 10:30. Jim sat in until I …. Read More