Mom had a hospital stay, one that was as close to good news as such a thing can be. But she still wanted to get home, as we all would, and helping her get here is my gig. Her change in demeanor when I arrive and she gets that she is leaving for home, me… Continue reading June 20, 2017: How Mom changes upon going home
Tag: health
December 10, 2016: Wonderings about wanderings
Mom has been dealing with her cognitive changes roughly the same since they began– some things she has figured out how to deal with via her new brain in better, more coherent ways, but in general she has a way of doing them more or less that started when her brain took the hit a… Continue reading December 10, 2016: Wonderings about wanderings
October 31, 2016: 2 years since Mom came home…
I have barely the ability to even recollect on the year 2016. My brother died, this home was almost killed off, my own state was beyond miserable and thoughts of the future were bleak. But the innocent eyes of both Mom and the cats looking back at me continued to keep me going, as did/does… Continue reading October 31, 2016: 2 years since Mom came home…
September 23, 2016: Mom comes home from a respite stay
I desperately need the breaks I manage to go on, but there are down sides. I generally don’t let mom stay at respites for more than 10 days, if she is there longer when she comes back I see serious, obvious decline (as simple as she was getting used to having things she didn’t need… Continue reading September 23, 2016: Mom comes home from a respite stay
September 12, 2016: Mom gets back to the Skagit– where she belongs.
Mom is the reason I am so utterly lost without getting away from the city, some of my earliest memories are of her, dad and I camping. My first actual memory in my consciousness is inside the RV. One of her favourite places has been part of her life since the 50’s, changing in meaning… Continue reading September 12, 2016: Mom gets back to the Skagit– where she belongs.
September 7, 2016: A common misconception about dementia
I have been trying to find different ways to express this for more than a couple of years at this point. What a person with dementia can communicate with you is not representative of what they know. What they can recall on command has no relation to how much knowledge is actually there. Perhaps for… Continue reading September 7, 2016: A common misconception about dementia
June 26, 2016: Trusting in the situation
This process of deepening trust has continued along, and is in many ways the gasoline in my tank. Her deference to me as the one who gets things done– as opposed to being completely against the very concept– means the world. It is her contribution, really.
June 6, 2016: An overwhelmingly difficult week
This is one that is hard for me to re-read, I could re-immerse myself very quickly in the feelings of self-doubt, etc brought on by too many horrible convergences in the same week. Sometimes it helps to get overly philosophical, and this was one of those rants. I can see myself processing through the paragraphs.… Continue reading June 6, 2016: An overwhelmingly difficult week
June 6, 2016: Keep your politics in your caregiving
One of the great fortunes I have had in the process of helping Mom has been being forced to dismantle a lot of white male privilege within myself. The post goes on, I won’t do it a second time but in a sentence: Many– too many– of the skills needed to be a caregiver are… Continue reading June 6, 2016: Keep your politics in your caregiving
April 13, 2016: Mom gains weight and I brag
I bragged about it then and I still do now; Moving mom home I was frightened of my ability to get enough good food into her. I also left her to set her own appetite levels for a long time– not realizing that they were dropped by the dementia itself. She has been frail and… Continue reading April 13, 2016: Mom gains weight and I brag