Friday, May 14, 2010

He is on a mission

For the first time in 10 weeks I am at peace with Bob being in a nursing home.
Why?
Visited him tonight and he was not too concerned about Sabrina or I.
He was showing the cards which came from his sister and nieces.
He was very confused about it all but was rattling on about something that we just could not make out.
Then we slowly walked down the hall to the exit and he did not mind that we went instead he stopped at the ladies lined outside their rooms. They just Sit in a wheel chair or almost falling out of it. He took one little shrivelled hand and kissed it like a gentleman and smiled at her.
I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest.
That was my old Bob, the gentle caring soul, he was back in his element.
The nurse saw my emotion and said :"Yes, he takes care of this wing, he is our caregiver!!!!"
When I came home I finally relaxed and thought that now this was his mission.
Imagine an old lady just sitting in a chair waiting to die and then someone picks up her hand and gives it a kiss.
Even if she had a stroke or has Alzheimer  I just know that she must feel his caring and warmth.
I will sleep better tonight knowing that he is now the caregiver.
I have to know that he does more good there than sitting here by the window all day and falling asleep. He has purpose there and that I never expected.
His staying with me all these years was more about me. I had promised that I would watch him , my own health came in the way and yet I must know that he is in the right place at the right time.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Cool May

We are having weird temperatures, one day it is 80 the next it is 60.
In higher altitudes they have frost at night. I think we are about 2000 feet high.
Mothers day Sunday went well, looked for flowers but nothing got me excited, there is an abundance of petunias in all the stores. They are pretty until it rains.
I am waiting for better plants to come in.
Rhonda will paint my office and we picked the colors and paints at Lowes.
Wild colors I am into right now.
About 4 years ago I wanted red in everything. I am not a person who ever wears red but that was a weird period.
Red= anger, no doubt.
W visited Bob on Sunday since Rhonda had not seen him for awhile , Peter ran before us and Bob spotted him and went over to him. He said: "Oh My God" and shook Peters hand. No hugs.
Then he saw us and came and shook hands. No flicker in his eyes at all.
It was very busy, they were having a tea party for mothers. Lots of folks in the hallway. Bob hung on to my wrist did not want to let it go.
It took awhile to be able to get away.
Have the usual melt down in the parking lot. How I wish that I could still handle him. I have to give in that I can't.
Fortunately for my financial state he has been approved till August for Medicaid.
The bills had started to come in.....
5800 a month is a ton of money!!!!
I can breathe for awhile.

On saturday the sisters met and made up, relief. Relief. Let the drama stop.
The last 10 weeks had been too much of it.

Today is 10 weeks since my fall.
The last 2 days I feel a lot more secure in my walk but the swelling is still there.
I can see a light at the end of the "I want to walk" tunnel.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Nursing homes

In the last 10 weeks I have learned many lessons.
The one I did not want to learn was about nursing homes.
Forced after my fall to give Bob up to strangers we have had to deal with 2 different places.
First one was ok but it was a hospital with a program on observations for people having problems with violence.
Not all Alzheimer patients become violent but it does happen.
Second nursing home who would accept him was more difficult as now they had him written up as "violent".
He does get so when one touches him , wants to wash him or shave him.
For a small guy barely weighing but a bit over 100lbs he can hurt you.

He was placed in different wings of the place to see where he would fit the best. He did well in the second wing but the head nurse did not think so. It seems she was understaffed and could not keep an eye on him. He did go into other people's rooms and tried to find things in their chest of drawers. (Common with A. they like to hoard)
So there had been some agitation.
Worse the nurse said and I quote" I do not like your father here"
So daughter called in the powers in charge and he was put into another wing. They seem to like him there.
An ideal place? No! Where else can you go? all the centers with lock down for Alzheimer are filled for the moment and some with waiting lists.
and then there was my experience in my rehab center. Newly acquired by a large company that place was run with total order and most of all staff who cared. I felt like it was a spa.
Their A unit is filled up too.
We are a very small town and the choices are not many. We did learn by chance that there are differences.

Mother's day week end

I am not one to celebrate special days.
In fact it is one of my pet peeves.
If you can't be nice to me during the rest of the year then do not bring me flowers on birthday's, mom's day or any other holiday.
Holidays are a marketing tool, fine for the rest of the world. I just like it
when I know I have kids who care all the time.
No need for gifts to let me know how they feel.
Of course, I say that after I got the nicest gift from son (because I asked him- hypocrite that I am)
he gave me a very sturdy gardening bench, one I can sit on, turn it over and I can put my knees on and pull myself up again.
Last year I no longer could get up from a sitting on the ground position. A knee is not responding to that command!
This bench is fabulous as I now have it in the arms to push myself up.
Thanks to the rehab people and my 4 lb bar!!!!
So this week end the girls and I will go out to lunch, still celebrating Sabrina's 50 th birthday plus Mom's day and
then on Sunday Rhonda will take me to the garden centers and plant in my garden what I buy.
I will remember the flowers and mothers day just fine.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Recuperation

Recuperation from the broken ankle is much slower than I anticipated.
But then I am slowly understanding the gravity of the injury.
Like my kids remind me daily :"Mom, do not over do it"
"Mom put your leg up"
I truly do not need their reminder as within 30 minutes of getting up the ankle and foot swell up like a balloon.
I have more discomfort now then when it was healing.
I hardly took a pain pill in rehab, none since I came home but now it is a daily Aleve.
The foot is fine and does not hurt at all
when I wake up, the swelling just adds to the discomfort and I am not a happy camper.
I see not a hundred but a thousands
projects that I want to do and they are
all on a backburner.
So I fall asleep in my recliner (a jewel!)
while watching reruns of Judge Judy!
I think I may have a law degree before I will get to painting the house!!!!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Whatever

Is no posting better than posting when one is grouchy?
Grouchy for no good reason at all?
the much needed rain does not help either.

So I will stop it here

Sunday, May 2, 2010

May 2 2010

Old Bob doing well at the new wing he was placed. A new fellow came in and Bob took him by the hand and walked around the long hallways.
A nurse asked them where they were going and the new fellow said:
We want to find the working exit!
They tried all of them.
Of course they are all locked.
But the male nurse said that Bob is o helping people and walking around with them.
He is very caring, the nurse explained and I know that.
He always was. Just do not wash him and shave him and he will be fine.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

May 1 2010

So I have been in a snit all day long without a reason.

Went to the funeral service of a long time friend. She was 93. I just can't imagine being alive till 93. For one thing I do not have the money for living such a long life. Especially that at the end you have to get some bo bo's and they cost.

Drs. , nurses, hospitals, rest homes, the numbers are just making me dizzy.
I think even the well to do must be amazed at the costs.
Average rest home in the South 5800.00 a month. Not so long ago it was 4000.00 ~ it just rolls so easy out of the mouth's of the administration....5800.00 and then there is hair cuts extra , medication extra.
At one of the Alz.meetings a woman showed a bill for a psychiatrist who visited her husband once a week.
Her husband could no longer speak and was on the very last stage.
I forget the price for the expertise of the shrink communicating with an Alzheimr patient but the wife did hire a lawyer and got quite a bit slashed from her padded bill.
OK, so that did not bring up the mood.

the month of May

Tradition back home: give muguets~lily of the valley~to anyone to bring them luck~I went into the garden , big foot and walker and managed to give myself some "bonne chance".
I imagined the street venders in Gent on every corner with baskets full of lily of the valley. I know every lapel has a sprig of it and the scent is heavenly.
My kitchen now smells of them and I should be in heaven.
Instead I am having big time blues for second day in a row.
What gives?
I do not know.
I could sit here and cry buckets if I would lt myself but I am a big girl now.
Yup, a big old girl.
Bonne chance to all my friends, it is the first of May.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

I want to hear my cat purr

Why I ask myself am I so giddy today about the hearing solving problems.
Well, truth is that I have not heard my cat purr in years.

I want to hear that again.
I want to listen to most people and the ones I do not want to hear? Oh Well, I will turn off the volume.
Voila

About not hearing:

I did not say in the previous blog that the N.C. department of Health and Human Services has a division for the deaf and the hard of hearing.
There is an office in Asheville and a Mrs.Pittillo was the guardian angel who visited me.
Financial help for devices according to income.

april29 2010

It has been  splendifirous  day.
Not only is the sun shining yet it is still cool. But good news on two fronts.
First Bob was moved back into the behavior wing and away from the night nurse from hell.
She managed to call Sabrina twice late in the evening to announce that Bob had been checking out different ladies drawers and he had been hit twice.
She had also informed Sabrina that she did not like him at all.
A grievance was filed and we meet tomorrow with the committee.
But he is back where he started and a phone call to Sabrina gave us the latest that they are glad to have him back there. The male nurse Bob loves and he lets him bathe him.
Also they have more people on that floor so if he goes into someone's room I should hope that he is being spotted and that someone with EXPERIENCE will guide him away gently instead of starting to yell at him~in that case he will become nasty~.

Secondly a new life line is going to be given to me. My hearing loss and the absence of "good" hearing aids is making my life difficult.
I often do not want to talk because I know I am not going to hear the answer.
This week at the doctor's office I could not hear a word he said. Sabrina had to repeat it all later. NC requires that in these offices they would have a gadget to help the hearing impaired.
I did not know that.
OK OK So I had the lady in charge coming to my home~because of my condition~ and teach me what is available for the hearing impaired.
WOW.
She had this little gadget in hand and
I could hear every word she said.
I almost cried when I had to hand it over to her when she left.
Anyway the process has started and I will get help.
If I can hear then I can get a better life.
I would like to volunteer at the Hospice store. I can walk there and retail has been my whole life. I have experience in all the facets of running a store but if I can't hear people I will not even start.
So the day is just fabulous.

I also did not walk on the foot today as I did all day yesterday and started major cleaning in the kitchen~by eve I had and still have a weird rash~ son scolded me and said that I over did it and do not take in account that this is a major break and I need to cool it till it all heals.
On to a great tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Goodbye to a friend

I met Jeannette shortly after she lost her husband. Probably 30 years ago. She worked with me in my shop for awhile. Later Sabrina adopted her as "Grams".
Last week Sabrina talked to her on the phone on her 93rd birthday.
She was jolly and all was fine but today she has left us.
For the last couple of years she was totally bed ridden and life was not that exciting any more but she was still chipper and would still wear her turquoise jewelry while in bed with oxygen mask. Surrounded by the photos of her mother and sister she joined them.
I would say that she had a very nice life, I took her to Belgium with me one year and while she talked about the Eiffel tower all during that visit she did fall asleep in the bus as we drove around it!!!!
We "girls" all went to see the Chippendale and she fell asleep while the macho man was girating in front of her. We had our laughs, Jeannette, we also shed a few tears together.
You go girl and see if you can find some more turquoise!!!!

Dad did not behave well

Sabrina got a call from the nursing home that Dad had been in a ladies room and
rumaged through her clothing.

Seemed like she was unhappy and does not see well so she tapped him and he got angry. Lucky he did not hit her.
It seemed quit unusual for the nurse to call Sabrina at 11PM.
So we went there this a m and we had a list of some small complaints.
The nurse had said:We do not like him here on this floor!
Obviously the big boss was not happy with this and there will be someone now watching out over him as everyone knows you do not mess with Sabrina.

I walked up to him as he stood by the door and said : Hi!
He turned and smiled and said:
How did you get here?
Did he remember I do not drive?
He knew me, no question he knew me.
He took my arm and we walked to his room and sat on the bed.
He hugged me and hugged me and held both hands.
He was called for therapy and we managed to sneak out while he was busy with shaking of the arms and hands.
I said to him: I am sorry you have to be here.
He said: It is ok!
I asked if he ate and he said "if I like it".
Then laughed , he said he had plans for September. I could not make out in the gibberish what the plans were.
I felt that we had a good visit and had
worked on the logistics of his care, well Sabrina did. I am not good at it because I can't understand half of what people are telling me.

2 more weeks with Da Boot!

OK so the doc said it was healing very well BUT not completely on the right side of the ankle. I can start walking on it WITH the black monster ON.
Precaution that I will not hit it on the side and make things worse.
I was surprised when the doctor told Sabrina  that all the hardware in the ankle saved me. Without it , he said, she would never have been able to walk again.That was a shocker to me.
I just figured a break is a break and it will be fine.
I will step with more caution the next few weeks!!!!!Try and have patience.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Lets see what the doc will say

Tomorrow is fact finding journey to the handsome doctor who put hardware in my foot. He is no nonsense and I am a bit apprehensive. I have been trying a bit much to walk on the foot without his permission.
Somehow today (I think) I did a bit much of it for the ankle does not feel so good.
Lets hope that all will be fine tomorrow morning and I get the go ahead to do what I want. Just walk.
Well, maybe that is asking a bit much, maybe, just maybe I should try baby steps.
Son reminds me every day that patience is not one of my virtues~I agree~ but what the heck I can't be totally perfect.!LOL

Family harmony

What is upsetting to me is the fact that for the moment the family harmony is shot.
I should just let it be and know that somehow it will all correct itself.
As a mother of 3 I have this ideal in my head that everyone related should just adore each other. Say what?
Take it from the fact that I am an only child and do not know the sister/brother relationship mode.
Take it that I am a Mom first of all and I want the best for my chickens and I am in  fantasy land and want every one to adore one another.
OK OK So for today I will try and let it all hang out and not let it enter my
own rehab of finding a new life.

a day in the parc

OK so I got to go out in the wheelchair still and in Biltmore Estate and here are some pictures.

The night before Pres Obama came to visit it. He and first lady were here for the week end on vacation.
Grove Park Inn has been there for Royals and dignitaries for many decades, there is also the golf and very good meals.
Obama picked a place , small country place, to stay in line for his BBQ. Asheville people were enchanted with his visit.
Meanwhile here some photos from the estate:

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Deb Thank you

Deb, thank you for posting your experience with Alzheimer.
Many people do not like to face the facts and the signs - my kids did not believe me for 2 years. I just knew Bob so well and I saw the signs very early on.
Thanks for your input.