caregiver

find the good

CAREGIVER NOTE:
He was a bit “off” yesterday during the morning hours – he was definitely doing things out of his normal routine start of the day. Once he realized what he was doing, he got back on his normal track and things went pretty good. He spent a good portion of his day talking about things in the past and sharing old stories — no new twists.

He’s had two good nights of sleep — we’ll see how tonight and tomorrow go in our test of the new meds. The dizziness has lessened considerably and he felt much more confident in getting around yesterday; not having to stop here and there to gain his balance, or needing extra help to get from point A to point B — though using the walker is still not on his “need to use” list at the moment — he has an arm to lean on in his treks from place to place. There was a little anxiety in the afternoon — not sure if it was because of the cloud cover or if he was starting to cycle into the worry zone about something. We did sit and he shared some thoughts going through his head, but nothing that led me to believe he would go to the “melt down zone” before the end of the day.

6.26.24

CAREGIVER NOTE:

appointment with his dr went very well. Another change to his meds was discussed and hopefully there will be no “hangover” or excess dizziness to deal with. We were able to get the new med last evening and he had his first dose. He slept much calmer and no night walk or attempt to leave the house. No yelling or screaming — doesn’t mean that he won’t in the future, but last night, everyone in the house got an extra hour or two of uninterrupted sleep and so did he!

He was willing to go and get a haircut and a trim on his beard yesterday afternoon. No dizziness, but he did refuse to take his sunglasses with him and then couldn’t understand why he was “blind” for a little while after coming in from the beautifully bright and sunny outdoors.

Looks like I need to move one of the bird feeders today. The volunteer sunflowers have grown so big and tall that the birds can’t get to the feeder as of yesterday. Now to figure out where to put it…. I have an idea…. we’ll see if that works.

6.25.24

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Lots of vivid dreams last night. Trying to get out the front door — thank heavens for the hotel latch that sticks or else he might have gotten out.

Video chat with his dr today… glad that was already scheduled. Hoping to get a few new ideas on how to approach a couple of things that have been happening and find a sleep aid that won’t cause additional dizziness.

Not a bad idea at all….

CAREGIVER NOTE:

He did pretty well yesterday — no sundowning and was up later than his norm. We’re going to have to find another nighttime aid med that won’t cause dizziness the day after. Melatonin worked fine with helping him sleep, however, the daytime dizziness is becoming worrisome and definitely increases the chance of a fall. Calling the dr. tomorrow for some additional suggestions.

Do your best!

CAREGIVER NOTE:

He took a walk yesterday… out the front door with me following behind. He walked to the neighbor’s driveway and back after checking out their ornamental pear tree in their yard. He was very disappointed that there wasn’t any fruit on the tree. He had turned down a “walk” to the deck out the backdoor just a few minutes earlier… but probably a good thing since some bees had decided to build a nest under his chair. That wouldn’t have been a pretty sight! And the nest hadn’t been there a couple of days ago. Sounds like we need to have the guys come and spray again.

He’s been in pretty good spirits this week and we’re all grateful for that – after last Sunday’s blow-out. Now we’re hoping he’ll be open to bringing in a “companion” to spend a little time with him doing some things he has mentioned recently he would like to do more of. We’ll see how that unfolds.

go forward…

CAREGIVER NOTE:
He was willing to go for a ride in the car yesterday and go to lunch! We were very surprised he accepted the offer. He said he enjoyed the time out and the food was wonderful! He had his favorite….. RIBS, corn on the cob and a few fries. Not the healthiest menu, but it’s something he really enjoys! He was in good spirits and even put off his bedtime for a couple of hours to enjoy a couple of shows he hadn’t watched in a very long time… at least we were able to put CNN aside for a few hours yesterday and it was very delightful.

He was in good spirits for most of the day. Lots of smiles, a few chuckles and even a little teasing. No sundowning, though he did mention that the house seemed a little dark yesterday after coming back from lunch. There was some cloud cover outside, but I’m pretty sure it had to do with the fact that he didn’t want to use his sunglasses yesterday while he was out — and the house always seems a little darker after coming in from outside when he doesn’t wear the glasses.

you are the keeper

CAREGIVER NOTE:

He must have read my mind that we both needed some good sleep. And for the most part he did sleep quite well. We switched up his TV watching and that seems to help a bit. Not so much news and change channels to something a little more lightweight. I’m hoping that will help a little. He’s still getting up earlier than what had been his norm. He had some smiles, a chuckle or two and was in pretty good spirits overall. He took quite a few walks — just need him to drink more water throughout the day…he prefers his Dr. Pepper to anything else.

S.M.I.L.E.

an oldie but a goodie.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Seems we’re back into a cycle of dreams and living in the past again. Yesterday’s afternoon conversations after a very early wake-up were about visiting with his parents and an uncle and his seeing his uncle’s clock on the mantle of his house yesterday. I do learn a few things about his experiences during these conversations… however, they often lead to vivid dreams during the night. Last night was no exception. Wide awake, dressed for the day and ready to take a trip north — he wanted to go to the bank and talk about some business with some property he was helping his dad with.

Thankfully, after some talk, a bit of laughter and his realizing that it was nighttime and not daytime, he was willing to have a “late night snack,” sit and visit for a little while and then go back to bed. I’m not sure how today will go, but I’m hoping for a good day overall.