Forgiveness – One of the Most Important Practices of a Caregiver
Caregiving is not like what most os us expect. There are many things that do not go like we had hoped or planned. Family that we thought would help...don't, people say the most terrible things if you take care of your loved one at home and not in a nursing facility,...
Tooth Infection
Tooth care is really important with people with dementias. They tend not to take good care of their teeth, caregivers tend to drag their feet with assisting, and tooth and gum infections are rampant. Regular dentist appointments matter. For us that means taking her...
An Important Word
The world is on fire. Things are setting up for a huge collapse and/or terrible strife across the globe. Here's the thing--we've got to think of our loved ones. Do you have extra briefs? Extra food? Extra medicine? Extra toilet paper? Extra medical supplies? ...
Lewy-versary – 9 Years
It's been 9 years since Lewy exploded on the scene. I was away at the time and did not enter the picture until 6 months later. But it's been a wild, unexpected, dramatic 9 years. Complete with 7 unexpected traumatic surgerires including 3 hip fractures, 1 femur...
Bowel Incontintence
Bowel incontinence is no joke and it comes at late stages. For us, since mom has broken her 3x (2x on one and 1x on the other), she cannot stand. No longer can we get her into the bathroom in our older house to put her in the shower to clean her up. It's in the...
The Unseen 99
Imagine for a minute running a 100 mile ultra marathon. People sort of know but they really don't know how hard it is. They only see you at the last mile and wonder what's wrong with you. Why aren't you running faster? Why aren't you doing more? Why aren't you...
General Anesthesia – A Switch for LBD
I went to a medical seminar for practioners and sure enough, this is confirmed. General anesthesia is a switch for LBD. Since then we try to use a spinal block for us since we learned this (she did a hip surgery with this). Also learned that the LBDA.org people...
Dodging Tornadoes (Literally)
It's tornado season and it is coming on strong. With mom's latest hip fracture, tornado precautions have changed. We used to be able to take her downstairs as she could get in and out of the golf cart and we could drive her down to the basement door. Not anymore. ...
Hospital Again But This Time it was Me
My health is bad and I get it. I haven't taken care of myself over the last 8 years of caregiver. The Before I look good and the After I look horrendous. The season has been unbelievable difficult with extenuating circumstances beyond just caregiving. But then I...
Funny or Frightening?
The other day at the bank I couldn't figure out how to get out the door. It wouldn't do the automatic open thing. It was a small thing and it had no automatic doors. I asked the people how to get out of the door. "Push!" they said. I'm sure I'm their laughingstock...
Shoes and Swelling
Pititng edema is normal in the feet of those with LBD. The feet swell. Then they return to normal. Then they swell. And back to normal. What I didn't realize for some time is that mom was complaining of a lot of foot pain. So finally we decided to go get some new...
PLEASE–Carry this Card (because Haldol and other meds are contraindicated)
Emergency rooms and doctors don't always understand the Lewy Body Dementia is different. The standard prescription is haldol which is very bad for LBD according to the LBDA. PLEASE carry this card... (it's best to enlarge before printing)...
We’re Going Right this Time
Such good news today. Mom can now walk at 50% which I hope will reduce some of the burden. It's been tough for the last 3 1/2 months to do every single thing for her. I'm glad she's not cranky about but certainly the demands are high. Tomorrow we leave for...
The Orphan Train
After swimming we decided to take a spontaneous trip to Concordia, KS and see the orphan train museum. So many young lives in the gutters of New York orphaned and re-homed across the US. Clark did everything possible to make sure they were in good homes. About 80%...
Wheelchair Ramp – How to Figure the Angle and Length
The other day my loved one and I went into a restaurant that had a 4 foot ramp at about a 60 degree decline. Ugh. I remember when we went there with a wheelchair and it was all I could do to keep her flying off of it. Later that day at the fitness we met someone...
Picture Care Phone Review
In the heat of the tough days, we bought a picture care phone for my loved one. Soon thereafter she made a dramatic turn for the better and has stayed there for the last 6 months. It ended our need for the phone but we have it around just in case. Although we...
Aquatic Therapy for the Elderly
Aquatic therapy is an amazing form of therapy for loved ones. Although be cautious if your loved on suffers from dementia. You have to gauge the diagnosis and status of your loved one to know if it is a good fit. But if it is, there are many good things with water. ...
Walker Tray Review–The Yunga & the North American
One thing my loved one bemoaned (daily/hourly) was her inability to carry items from one place to the next with her walker. I had NO IDEA A WALKER TRAY EXISTED when she was using a walker. I would have purchased one had I known. At present my loved one uses a...
Medical Alert System Review
The time came for us (or perhaps is past time) to delve into the world of medical alert devices. My loved one is getting more mobile after a nasty hip fracture and is getting more freedom. At the same time, I'm tired and didn't take the time to do a lot of...
Drop Arm Commode
When you hear the words "Bariatric Drop Arm Commode" you think bariatric and you think big. But it can actually make things smaller if you look beyond to see it is not just for bariatric loved ones. Let me tell you why. Typically when you start investing into home...
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