bed time for mom down time for me

I just got mom to bed . It's a job but I am so relieved after I get her to bed. I can get online or watch TV for awhile and then hit the hay myself. Even knowing I have to get up in two hours to change and turn her so she won't get those nasty bed sores I am still so happy to get to rest awhile and be by myself. I have found that changing her is easier when you don't put a diaper on her . Just lay a pad or two under her . You can use baby diapers to put under her . I use three small ones . The top one is usually the only one to get wet so I reuse the other two.They are cheaper and you can 92 wal-mart brand for around $17.00. They might be cheaper at Sams but I have not checked.That way her bottom can get air and all you have to do is remove it clean her and put lots of Vaseline or what ever you use to keep the moisture off her bottom and than turn her and put fresh pads under her. Make sure you have a under pad on the bed to protect the bed from getting wet. It is a pain to change sheets in the middle of the night. You can get cloth ones that you can wash and use over or Sam's has over 100 throw away ones for around $20.00. I use both. Depends on what I am using them for. I have the cloth ones in her wheelchair and her easy chair. She also has a nice soft pad on her bed which helps keep those bed sores away. I hate bed sores. Good night. I am going to watch the CMT special on TV.

mom's got to have her protein

We just finished supper. It is so hard to get mom to eat. But remember seniors need protein. I fed her instant oatmeal with peanut butter. It is good I have tried it. You make the oatmeal according to the directions than add a spoonful of peanut butter. She loves anything sweet so I made brown sugar and cinnamon oatmeal. Protein helps keep the skin from breaking done. I am not going to let mom get any pressure sores.
Pressure sores are from sitting or laying on the same spot to long. So you got to keep her moving.And don't forget the protein. I use lots of beans . Any kind of beans has protein. She has no teeth anymore so it is soft food for her. If you want you can get baby food. But that can cost a lot of money. The blender does a great job on meat. But I am lazy and beans ,peanut butter and cheese is cheaper. Mac and cheese is one of moms favorites. Don't forget the eggs. They are all protein I think. Some days mom gets eggs three times a day. I also give her milk when I can't afford nutrition drinks. Can't beat milk products and eggs. Yogurt also helps with diaper rash. The live cultures kill the bacteria on the bottom. Now if I could only get her to eat her veggies.

thank god for hospice

This is my first blog so bare with me.
I have been caring for my mom who as Alzheimer's full time now for over two yrs.
First I went from full time work to part time work to no work at all. Needless to say money started getting short. We ended up living only on her s.s. check after all my resources ran out. No money at the end of the month after medicine, adult diapers , bills and everything esle needed to care for a patient with this nasty disease. Even with no money we still had to many resources for DHS to sign us up for elder choices or medi-cad. I now understand why poor people stay poor. They don't make enough money to feed there family but make to much for help. And the ones that don't work don't work so they won't lose there help. You can't win.
Thank God we have the resources we have we just can't tell that we have to many to be able to get help.Anyway I always thought Hospice was for end of life.
My cousin Nancy told me I had to make moms Doctor call Hospice. I think the Doctor's holds out as long as they can before telling you that you can get Hospice. Any way I called moms doc. and ask if mom could get Hospice and sure enough it worked. I was so mad that moms doctor did not tell me before . It would of saved so much of our lives. Hospice pays for med., adult diapers and all the other things needed for someone with Alzheimer's. A nurse comes over twice a week to check her out and an aid twice a week to give her a bath. We are saved . I now have money at the end of the month.If you need help caring for your loved one call DHS and ask about elder choices.
Now that we have Hospice coming it is so much better for mom.No trips to the Doc. Not as much stress. Thank the Lord and Thanks Hospice. Oh! and thanks Nancy