Happy Mothers Day!!!

I want to tell all my blogger friends Happy Mom's Day ! It is going to be sunny and warm today here in Arkansas. I do believe I will have to turn the air one. I had a fan  in mom's room last night . And I only covered her up with a sheet. She seemed ok. I got a little warm. Even with the windows open there was no breeze. Our sink is still stopped up. I am so ready to move into a nice condo so all I have to do is call the maintenance man to come fix something. Last month it was mom's bathroom sink this month it is the kitchen . I am so waiting for the money to move into a condo too. LOL!
Last night my son said that if my sister came over today he would take me to the Casino for a buffet dinner. He just turned 21 last month so I think the casino thing might be more for him than me. I never go except twice in Las Vegas for vacation where I spent a whole three dollars on a slot machine. We are not big gamblers here. Anyway I said it is my sister's mothers day too so she might have plans. Than I told him I would like a Hot Fugde Sundae for Mothers Day. So guess what I had for supper last night. Yes, a hot fudge sundae. Yum!!!
I like mom's day at church. Mom used to keep the nursery but on mothers day the men stayed in the nursery and did all the work in the church kitchen so the moms could enjoy the day. And it was a big deal for all the ladies. We would wear nice dresses and have pretty corsages on. It was kind of like easter only just for mom's. Mom has a big box of corsages. We seem to always buy the fake ones instead of real ones. She loved keeping them. I forgot to tell her happy mom's day this morning . I better get off here and go do that.
I am not a very good witness for the lord am I? Casino's and Church all in the same post.
 Have a great day!!!

Meltdown

OK, I had a meltdown today. I am a little stressed because the kitchen sink it stopped up and I can't get it unstopped. And now I have to have my brother come in and unstop it. I even took the pipes underneath apart . They are all clean . I put it back together and still stopped up. That means it is under the house or behind the wall. That just sucks.
But the meltdown came while the nurse was here. I guess I am going crazy . For months all I think about is mom's funeral. How stupid is that? I think about it all the time. Music, food , preacher, pallbearers, the service. I know the chapel takes care of a lot of this but mom has been so out of the real world so long that her friends and family are already passed or have not been around in yrs. I worry no one will come . Or a lot will come and then how do I feed them. When my dad died we had a family dinner at church . But we have not been to that church for yrs. Our pastor comes to visit now and than but he is a pastor of a new church and the members of the old church that might still be a live have not been by for a long time. I have gotten great advice from some of you on this before . But it just bugs me all the time. The new thing is open casket or closed. Mom looks so different now. No teeth. No glasses , skinny, and her hair . Lets not go there.
I ask the nurse if she had been to a service lately for a Alzheimer's patient like mom and if the casket was open. She said yes. Than I lost it and started crying. I cry at home alone all the time. But I keep it together when someone is here. Not today. I am so stupid.
I think I will reserve a room at the Western Sizzling and tell everyone to come by if they want after the service . What do you think.? I have been to two services that did that. It was OK. Now what about the casket. Opened or Closed?

Percolator

What do you call it? Percolator, coffeepot or coffeemaker.
Last night my son's girlfriend was looking at an old cookbook that her grandma had gave her and it had the recipe to make coffee in a percolator . She said what is a percolator. So I went and got one of mom's coffeepots. "That's what  I call them" and perked her some coffee. She says I have never seen anything like that before in my life. Boy now I know how old I am.
I made coffee for breakfast too. I usually have a cherry Dr Pepper for breakfast but for a change I perked coffee. It was pretty good. I also made blueberry pancakes that tasted really good. I can smash them up and mom can eat them. She finished off her plate. It is raining again and chilly out so coffee and pancakes hit the spot.
Mom has a new hospice Chaplin  going to come visit soon. The old one has a different route now. I might tell him he does not have to come since mom's pastor is coming to visit too. We will see how I feel when the new one calls to make an appointment. I guess you can never get to much help. And having someone to pray with is nice.
Mom told me she was going to kill me the  other day when I was moving her around. It is not the first time nor will it be the last . She also said today after I took her water away . Come Back Here!!!! Those are very good sentences. And if she makes good sentences I am happy. Even if one of them is not so nice.
Happy May to All.

Home Safety

I wanted to post some more tips on caregiving. I never had any of these tips when mom started getting bad with her Alzheimer's so I like sharing these with the people out there just starting this long road. I never liked reading about this disease much. I never even liked it when people tried to give me tips. But here I am doing it to you. Only when I have nothing else to post about. Sorry.
1. Try to make your love ones  world simple.
2. Use plain -colored placemats, tablecloths , bath towels and sheets.
 Be careful about using tablecloths or even stuff on your end tables. Mom would put her hand on the table for balance and it slipped off and down she went with everything on the table coming done with her.
3. Block off stairs so they can't fall up or down them.
4. Have all of your house locks keyed to the same key.
6. Place safety latches up high and down low on doors leading to the outside.
7. Have her wear an Id bracelet if she wanders, and sign her up for the Alzheimer Association's Safe Return Program .
 I have told you this before I think but we almost lost mom at the mall once.  My brother saw her turning the corner way at the other end of the hallway . Good thing he had good eyes or we  would of  lost her. No more leaving her alone at the table while we went to get our plates at buffets anymore.
Mom did not like to walk much. She has always had bad legs. So when we went anywhere with lots of walking she like to find a nice spot and sit . She loved watching the people go by and visiting with others sitting close to her. At Wal-mart she would sit on the benches in the front of the store and we would get her on the way out. She had done this for years. Sometimes she would shop a little than want to go sit down. But she started getting up and wondering the store . Only happened a few times. I still did not relize she did not know what she was doing. I thought she just wanted to find us or look around . This was before the Mall thing. But after the Mall I stopped leaving her alone anywhere. Stuff like this is when your life starts changing. Having to be with her 24/7 . Not being able to just rely on her to take care of herself and you do what you need to do. It is the beginning of a whole new world. I keep thinking back to all the times she would be sitting at a bench some where while we were off doing things. It is scary because someplaces could of been very dangerous. If she had been wondering at that time. Thank the Lord for watching over her when I was not.
8. Use locked cabinets for soaps,cleaners, poisons, and medicines. I found mom trying to eat something weird once but I can't remember what it was. I think it was an napkin. She was at the finger food phase . Every thing she could pick up went in her mouth. I kind of liked that stage she still fed herself. Just had to make sure she was eating the right stuff.
9. Take up all throw rugs. We never had throw rugs . We have carpet in every room almost . Even in the kitchen for awhile. I pulled that up as soon as I could. It was nasty.
These tips are from Coach Broyles Playbook for Alzheimer's Caregivers

Geri Chair

First I have to thank everyone for supporting me in my Memory Walk . I reached my goal. And I am going for more but I am bugging other people now. Thanks again.
Second I have a new toy for mom it is a Geri Chair. Short for Geriatric I would guess. It is like a recliner on wheels. I am having trouble getting her in it because of you constricted legs. Which are getting worse everyday. But once I get her in it she looks comfy. Kind of. I can put her in it in her room and bring her to the living room or kitchen than let her relax in it for awhile longer than if she was in her wheelchair . The back is higher and she can lay her head back to nap with the help of a pillow. Her back is so curved that she can't lay back straight anymore. That sucks. It is almost has hard to get her in it has it was her easy chair but the good thing about it is you can put her in it in the bed room and than move her where ever you want. I don't have to lift her out of bed put in her wheelchair than out of the wheelchair and into her easy chair which I used to do. Not sure if I like it but I am going to try it for a week or so than send it back if I can't get the hang of it. Click on the title to go to a Geri Chair website. But I would not want to buy one . Hospice is letting me borrow this one. Thank goodness for Hospice again.

Hospice & Caregiving Blog

Saturday Oct. 10 is World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. Check out this web site. And remember it doesn't have to be end of life to be on Hospice. I used to think that but they will come to your home before End of Life . Thank goodness.

http://hfahospice.blogspot.com/