Newbies Nest

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

As hard as it is its important to hold your pops hand, now more than ever.

Thanks TJ - Thanks for your kind words and I'm sorry for your heart-wrenching loss as well. I've been doing more hand-holding than ever before. It's breaking my heart watching him struggle so much, so suddenly. He's like a sad lost little boy and I'm doing my best to hold him together, or to hold him while he falls apart.

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Steady, NS, Ava, Lav - I'm grateful you all understand what I'm going through as well. It seems lots of people here do actually. I'm taking my Dad to meet with a new Primary Care Physician tomorrow and I'm hopeful we can get him at least some relief for his emotional pain, possibly also some help on the cognitive decline front. Fingers crossed.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Cloudy & much cooler today but I’ve gotten my 3 mile walk done, grateful.

Wags, I sure hope you & your Dad got some real assistance today from the new provider. It takes a whole team to take care of another person, not something you can do alone. Will continue to keep you both in my thoughts & please let me know if I can provide you with any assistance from afar :hug:

Hello to everyone & wishing a safe night in the nest for all!

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Thanks Lav - I know you know both personally and professionally how hard care-giving work is! I'm grateful my dad is willingly accepting all of my help and he's really trusting me. Our appt today went well and we're getting two good referrals I think will be very helpful. Nothing moves super-fast of course and it might be a week before we hear from those folks, but the ball is rolling. My dad was a bit better today than yesterday, which isn't saying much but I'll take it. I'm pretty much at peace with the fact that he may not have a ton more time on this planet -- I just want that time to be as pleasant and high-quality as possible. Probably what we would all wish for ourselves or others.

I don't know how I ever used to drink. I haven't always had this same level of stress and responsibility but I can so clearly see now that drinking kept me from being my best self -- whether for others or for ME!

Take care everyone.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Can’t believe we’re getting freeze warnings just after having a few 80 degree days. It’s like weather whiplash, Lol
Managed to cook a little food tonight despite my kitchen still being packed in boxes in my living & dining rooms haha. It will all be done soon enough.

Wags, I’m happy to hear you did get some help yesterday. The fact that your Dad is accepting help now is wonderful, so many don’t ever seem to adjust. I’m with you in doing whatever is necessary to making their remaining days comfortable & peaceful. You are doing everything right, be kind to yourself :hug:
Taking care of another individual is the hardest job ever, be proud of yourself!

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning nesters

Wags, so glad that you are getting some help and support and as Lav said, make sure you take care of you also. I can see my mum slowing down and becoming more dependent on my son. i am so lucky he is there to help at the moment and i know at some stage i will hear from Home Care Services.

NS, my shoulder felt good for a few days but is now aching and trying to get comfy at night is just impossible. i am hopeful after a few visits it will settle down. Pulse therapy is where she attaches small electrodes to the needle and it sends pulses through them. she is trying to loosen up the muscle in my arm which is like a brick at present.

Lav it is cool here this morning, house is now being closed up, cant afford electricity these days lol, thankfully the dogs have 100 dog coats. when is your kitchen finished? I meant to ask is the mum of your kitten still around?

All good here, bindi's diabetes under control, Gucci sleeping a lot more so i am not sure of her outcome but she could bounce back, done that before, Carl still favouring his leg so hoping that sorts itself out as he has cost me a fortune. good thing i love him to bits.

Back to work on Tuesday, apparently a new person has started that is taking work off me and i am her "go to" person. dont even know her name. I love how communication is so open where i work. I will wait until i am contacted I think.

take care xxx - keeping you in my thoughts Wags xx

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy Easter & good evening Nesters,

We had a nice sunny day but coolish in the 50’s. Better than nothing I guess.

Ava, I hope your shoulder improves soon. I seem to be developing more aches & pains as I go. It’s all part of the game of life I guess.
Everything is expensive these days, food, fuel & utilities. It’s hard to pay everyone what they want, haha. I do still have Luna, the mama cat. She’s happy spending her days outside & nights inside for the most part. She’s very grateful for everything.I can see your dog crew is keeping yo busy & your wallet light. I hope Carl is walking better soon too.

Wags, thinking of you :hug:

Hello to all & wishing a safe night in the nest for everyone!

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi all,

Hope everyone had good weekends in your various corners of the world. I took part of my weekend for self-care, and part to visit my dad. The first thing he said when I arrived was, "I was about to give up on you finding me here." :sad: His memory has gotten noticeably poorer in just the past 2 weeks. He didn't remember I had just been there last Thu & Fri and that I'd taken him to the Dr, although when I reminded him of that he said "a woman?" like he had a vague recollection of meeting with her. I'm kind of stunned how quickly his cognitive skills seem to be changing. I'm no expert for sure, but it just seems really fast! His mind has always been exceptional (like a 160 IQ I think) and so seeing him not function well mentally is simply stunning.

Lav - your weather sounds crazy with such big temp fluctuations. Hopefully things will settle into nice Spring temps for you soon. I missed something though - why is your kitchen in boxes?

Ava - great to hear that your pups are all doing so well, but sorry your shoulder is bothering you. Not being able to get comfortable to sleep is the worst. I hope a few more acupuncture appts give you some longer-lasting relief.


Hellos and waves to everyone stopping by the nest. Hope your weeks start off well!

[STEADFAST]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nesters, and happy Easter for those that celebrate.

It's been cold here! Winter just barged in without knocking. I think Ava wanted rain, I just hope you're happy now, Ava
I hope your shoulder eases up, and that the new work person is nice.

Lav, I hope it's the final touches on your kitchen now, and that you can get everything back into it and enjoy it soon.

Wags, stay strong. It sounds like you're keeping a good balance between care for your dear Dad and for yourself. I think the cognitive situation can snowball quickly sometimes, and it's very hard to witness. Good luck with the referrals. Continuing to think of you :hug:

It's been a good Easter. Bracing for winter now...

Hi to everyone flying by.
Steadfast
:love:

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings Nesters,

Sunny & mid-sixties here today, nice
I’m working hard to resist the urge to go plant something in my garden though. We could still have frosty nights & I’d hate to freeze my baby plants.

Wags, glad you took some self-care tine, it’s important.
In doing daily assessments on patients you have to determine if they are Alert & Oriented X3 (person, place, time). Just because someone looks OK at first glance it doesn’t necessarily mean they are totally with the program. It’s easy to loose track of time when a person has been in a hospital or nursing home. Gentle reminders are in order to help them. Please don’t feel guilty or anything, it’s not your fault or even your dad’s fault. My dad had the same issue, became very disoriented at the end. In his case it was an almost complete blockage of his carotid arteries & he wasn’t a surgical candidate. As long as he is safe. &comfortable you are doing the best for him :hug:

Steady, I’m glad to have winter behind us now & it wasn’t even all that bad. I just miss the spring & summer colors outside.
You should be all set with your knitting projects, right?

Hello to all & wishing a safe night in the nest for all!

Lav

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Wags, sorry I forgot to answer you question. We are in the midst of having our kitchen cabinets repainted, a huge job that we hired a painter to do right. Decided we are way too old to do that kiknd of work anymore LOL

Lav

[Mulburry]

Re: Newbies Nest

I took part of my weekend for self-care, and part to visit my dad. The first thing he said when I arrived was, "I was about to give up on you finding me here." :sad: His memory has gotten noticeably poorer in just the past 2 weeks.

Sorry to hear about your dad. My dad is in a much similar situation, in a care home with dementia, seems like about the similar level as your dad but the process was much slower (happened gradually over a number of years, and the deterioration isn't really noticeable from week to week). He's been in a home about 2 years and it took quite a bit of adjustment for him but I think he's gotten used to it now (and in some ways the memory issue is a blessing because he very much lives in the moment now; not like at the beginning when he would demand to "go home" etc. and be very billigerant and difficult with staff). It's definitely tough seeing the decline, but at least he seems to be well cared for there, and it is a huge relief for my mom who could no longer take care of him.

A bit better weather today after a miserable weekend, thankfully... Hope everyone had a great Easter!

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Thanks Lav and Mulburry. It sounds like my situation is unfortunately a very common one for "kids" like us to go through with a parent. I never thought about the possibility of arterial blockage contributing to or causing this. My dad has had minor memory issues for the past year or so but it seems that things really became noticeable and problematic in the past 3-4 months. And then the past 3 weeks have been shocking to witness.

Lav - sounds like a great idea to hire a pro for your cabinet painting project. There comes a time when that's just good self-care

Mulburry - glad to hear your dad eventually settled into his care home. My dad is in a place temporarily but I'll definitely need to move him at least once -- it's just way too far away for me to visit consistently and still manage the rest of my life and responsibilities. I'm hoping it won't be too disruptive for him but I HAVE to also make it work for me. Ideally we'll make the move later this month, and then he can stay put for the duration.

Tomorrow is my wife's birthday and it's supposed to rain all day. We're going to celebrate with a nice meal and then do something fun this coming weekend when the weather is better.

Hope all is well with all of you my fellow nesters. Hellos and waves to all of you :heartbeat:

[techie]

Re: Newbies Nest

Thanks Lav and Mulburry. It sounds like my situation is unfortunately a very common one for "kids" like us to go through with a parent. I never thought about the possibility of arterial blockage contributing to or causing this. My dad has had minor memory issues for the past year or so but it seems that things really became noticeable and problematic in the past 3-4 months. And then the past 3 weeks have been shocking to witness.

Lav - sounds like a great idea to hire a pro for your cabinet painting project. There comes a time when that's just good self-care

Mulburry - glad to hear your dad eventually settled into his care home. My dad is in a place temporarily but I'll definitely need to move him at least once -- it's just way too far away for me to visit consistently and still manage the rest of my life and responsibilities. I'm hoping it won't be too disruptive for him but I HAVE to also make it work for me. Ideally we'll make the move later this month, and then he can stay put for the duration.

Tomorrow is my wife's birthday and it's supposed to rain all day. We're going to celebrate with a nice meal and then do something fun this coming weekend when the weather is better.

Hope all is well with all of you my fellow nesters. Hellos and waves to all of you :heartbeat:

I will keep you and your dad in light and prayer. Blessings x

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

Has Covid passed quickly for all of you, Wags? I hope so! Good luck finding a nearby place for your dad to be. The whole process can be so challenging. I am thinking of you.

My house is pretty much back in order. Just need to wait for there to be 3 people here to re-hang some wall quilts, mirrors, etc. I love the new colors - everything seems so fresh and new even though nothing was changed other than the color. I guess I did minimize the "stuff" that is out so that helps.

Lav, I took the bold step of planting lettuce and other greens last week. When I returned from a weekend trip, there were tons of little sprouts! It is such an encouraging time of year. Everything seems possible.