give thanks

Celebrate!

Celebrate the moments throughout your day.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

The “niggling” was back. Not sure what the trigger is, but it took nearly 24 hours to resolve it this time. 2 phone calls and numerous text messages later, he was finally able to release the tension and anxiety over a nonexistent event — at least for the time being. I’m not holding my breath as the “problem” is an evolving iteration of the last two but all based around the same beginning story. So whether this iteration is the last one or just another layer on something yet to be shared over the course of the next days, weeks or months is yet to be seen.

We do appreciate the support we have when it comes to family accepting phone calls that he demands be made when he just has to hear the answer again, but from a different person. So thank you — for EVERYTHING!

Serving others

Serving others brings joy.

CAREGIVER NOTE:
Back in the wakeful night cycle. No agitation last evening — just hungry and a bit disoriented because it was so dark outside. We just let things play out — he was dressed and had his coat on like he was ready to go somewhere. He said he just liked the feel of it and wanted to wear it.

Video chat with his dr on Monday about meds. Hoping we can get things straightened out as he’s refusing to take two of the meds and there’s a problem with a third that isn’t available for a refill. We’ll see how things roll out next week.

With deepest gratitude…

CAREGIVER NOTE:

He treasures visits from friends and family. Now that the weather is warming up a bit and Spring is definitely in the air, we hope that the visits will become more frequent. He marvels at technology and how he can see faces on the screen of his phone and have wonderful conversations with family and friends that live too far away for visits. And it’s all “new” again with each call.

​I’ve found mine — have you found yours?

CAREGIVER NOTE:

We were up again last evening — thankfully, the situation was easy to handle and he was satisfied after seeing the papers that were printed. He seemed grateful to know that I was aware of things and he was happy to see that the situation wasn’t as bad as he’d been thinking when he first came out of his room.

We talked for a little while longer — he rehashed his earlier concerns and had them worked through when he went back to bed a couple of hours later.

It appears that we’re back in the cycle of 3 to 4 days of minimal night sleep — going to bed earlier and getting up earlier and longer wakeful periods over the course of the night. Not much in the way of naps during the day either and he still doesn’t want to do anything other than watch his news program over the course of the day.

His eating routine is sticking to the 5 or 6 small meals a day… Gray days require more light in the main living areas of the house and in his room over the course of the day. That has helped soften the sundowning a bit and he seems a little more at ease during those late afternoon times too. He’s noticing that his balance is off a bit and that he’s shuffling more — but still refuses to use the walker and prefers having someone walk beside him, so at this time we oblige him when he asks for that help.

Recharge or Recharger?

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Visitors are always welcomed! It was so nice to watch the interchange between the two yesterday and how both of them enjoyed the visit despite the less than ideal circumstances — but they ignored the noise of the service tech’s machinery and carried on! It was beautiful and the rest of the day was quite pleasant as well.