caregiver

Pause, breathe and reflect.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Sauerkraut is in the crock and the he is thrilled! He didn’t feel like helping shred it, but he was invested in making sure the correct amount of salt was added and that the liquid was over the top of the weights. He remembers that much! We had some good conversation, though the topics got mingled and sometimes a little garbled. Hoping that he’ll have some more lucid moments today — it’s sometimes difficult to go down the rabbit hole with some of his thoughts.

Look with your heart.

CAREGIVER NOTE:
Lucid. Somedays, I wonder if we’ll have just one or two moments. The dementia is progressing and short term memory is fading evening more. During a call yesterday with a close family member, he asked the same question 3 times in succession and still couldn’t recall the answer that was given. And if you don’t respond quick enough, he figures you don’t have an answer and he’ll move on to ask the question again. It’s becoming more difficult to find things he would like to do and that he feels he can do. His long range eyesight is becoming worse and there’s no “fix.” He feels useless at times but doesn’t want to even try to do some things. We are grateful for each moment he is with us… despite the ups and downs. The good moments are the reflection of what’s gone well at the end of the day and oftentimes his long term memories are what he chooses to share.

Remember.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

It was a storytelling sort of day. Same stories, some with a slight twist. Memories of places lived, deployments and more. He reveled in the memories for a couple of hours. Naps often come at odd times — routines adjust a bit. He was disappointed last evening when I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer and it was time to call it a night and everyone else in the household was sleeping – even the dog! I think he would have loved having company for a bit longer.

Always remember…

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Sometimes, it just takes a different voice to get things going in a different direction. Grateful for the second voice yesterday that was able to get him up and moving. Afterwards, he was happy to have spent some time outside and around the garden. He noticed things that had been previously missed… and helped harvest most of the corn. He was anxious to make sure it was shucked and prepped for preserving (in the freezer) in short order to keep it as fresh as possible. He enjoyed a good evening.