Newbies Nest

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hey Nesters,

Tuesday evening here & no one has checked in yet, hope everyone is OK.

Have a safe night in the nest everyone

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

I have not been able to login here for the past 36 hours or so. Not sure what was up, and I'm glad I could get on this evening. Tomorrow is the big day - I'll be moving my dad to his new home in the Memory Care Home. I'm excited and hopeful, and I think he's ready and at least open to the new place, so hopefully the universe will cooperate.

Good to see you Lav!

Will catch up with everyone again tomorrow pm. Hope you all are doing well :heartbeat:

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good luck, Wags! Hope you can get on and let us know how it goes. MWO has definitely been buggy lately!

Spring is supposed to finally show up here in the next few days. I am so much happier when I can be outside and not cold.

I'm almost done figuring out this Medicare mess. It really shouldn't be as complicated as it is :cuss:

This weekend we'll be visiting family. My SIL is really into cocktails of all sorts. I think I've told you about her before. That doesn't bother me at all because I never drank them. There will be red wine, also, which apparently had my fill of. So glad I don't drink.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings Nesters,

Still with the off & on showers here but now as the day is ending the sun is out - go figure haha!

Wags, I had difficulty logging in for a few days too but it seems OK now. So glad to hear you are ready for the big move & glad your Dad is ready too. I hope it went well!!

NS, I heard the temps are heading back up in the 70’s next week. It will be summer soon & we’re still waiting for spring Lol
Enjoy your weekend & I know you are grateful to be a non-drinker, I am too

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

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

NS - hope your weekend with family goes well. Those drinks don't sound tempting at all!

Lav - we're having some days with temps back up in the 70s too. Is that normal for early May in your area? It's pretty normal here, although not if we get a long stretch of those this early in Spring.


Well, I did it. I moved my dad into his new and probably final care home today. Everything went smoothly and he seems happy (although tired and a bit overwhelmed with all that is new). I'm ecstatic to have this day overwith and to feel like he's got such a great care team. I'll probably sleep REALLY well tonight!

Thanks to everyone for listening as I navigated this journey. Getting old isn't easy, and neither is caring for someone who's getting old.

Over the hump and heading onward!

[STEADFAST]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings, Nesters!

Like others I've found it tricky to get on to this site lately; maybe that's why there's so few posting here?

Thankyou so much for your congrats on my 10 years, it really feels very good indeed.

So glad for you, Wags, that you finally have your Dad settled. It sounds like you've found him a really good space, and I hope you can get that break at the coast or in the mountains soon.

It's starting to get wintry here now, but I'm not minding it as I find it easier to be active than when it's hot.

That's it from me today, stay well everyone,
Steady
:heartbeat:

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

What a relief, Wags - so happy for you!

Your winter must be gentler than ours, Steady. I never look forward to it! I do love spring, though, and am really glad it finally seems to be arriving.

Finishing off the stupid medicare business today and will be so glad to be DONE with it (at least until the next enrollment period...). This is the only "universal" part of US healthcare and it really isn't universal and it certainly isn't free. We need complete overhaul, I think.

Have a good one, NS

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

STEADY... 10 years!?!?!? Way to go!! That's huge! Rocks! Amazing! WOW! Nuckles, high five... I really can't say enough about 10 years sober. It's a commitment to a better life, and I'm so happy for you. :heartbeat:

Wags and NS... tying up loose ends with housing and medicare - also things to celebrate! Happy nest here!

Wags, you must be so relieved. I'm really glad that your dad has not fought this process and seems relatively happy. You deserve some time for yourself now... spa? Hike? Massage in the woods? Congrats

NS, after just completing a bunch of governmental business paperwork, I can relate to your pain. It does feel like it is all much harder than it should be. I'm glad you're making your way through. We all deserve health care. The people I know who have Medicare love it.

I've been working and working and working. I've also been going to the gym, dealing with a leaky faucet, and what's nearly sending me over the top are the last things that we have to do for our trip. It's all good... just keeping me quite busy. I'm getting sleep though, and enjoying time, so fairly balanced. I asked one of our AirBNB hosts to do a private wine tour for my husband, and told him that the rest of us don't drink. I know he would enjoy pairing it with food, and I don't want to deny him that experience. But I wanted no temptation for myself. I'm going to be fine. Can't wait to enjoy the other things Italy has to offer. Did you know that Italy has one of the biggest celiac populations in the world? Evidently it should be easy to be gluten free.

Best to everyone... SO glad I don't drink.

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

No rain today, yay! Just got back from a walk with the dog, my feet aren’t too unhappy. The trick is knowing when to stop!

Wags, that’s great news & I really hope your Dad enjoys his new residence for a long time to come. You did a great job, good for you.
Hopefully now you can relax & make some plans for a short trip

Steady, good to see you. Enjoy your changing seasons.

NS, I agree, getting started on Medicare shouldn’t be such a pita. We are fortunate to have good supplemental insurance paid for by my husband’s former employer thru a contract so outof pocket expenses haven’t been bad at all. It did take time to get it all set up & working though, you’ll get there. It definitely shouldn’t be so difficult.

Kensho, I learned about the Italian celiac thing from my son-in-law. None of us are gluten free but I do like having less. I’ve been using Italian farro in place of barley, makes my tummy happier. You should do fine on your trip. I’m sure you’ll find something else to do in place of teh wine tour

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

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Well, we haven't hit smooth sailing yet. :sad: I went to visit my dad today to see how he was settling in, and he was in a mental space very similar to the delirium we first saw about 6 weeks ago. Maybe I just don't understand all the ways that dementia can present (or be experienced). In these periods of delirium he also gets pretty emotional (crying) and he was never an emotional guy mainly cuz it makes him very uncomfortable and he doesn't have good skills for working through difficult emotions. I don't think that's all that unique in men of his generation, especially in the U.S. but probably in a lot of cultures. He wasn't sad about being in this new place, he was sad and scared about things that weren't real but that he was sure he'd read or seen or heard in the past few days.

This is a very difficult time in my life, not gonna lie.

NS - We recently signed my wife up for Medicare and it was astonishing how complicated it was. And now, especially for more holistic care such as chiro or acupuncture, so many providers only accept certain Advantage plans and of course not all accept any single one so grrrrr.... I agree we need a total overhaul and not just Medicare but all health insurance.

Kensho - I think you'll be fine diet-wise and honestly there is a ton to see and do that doesn't involve wine, but very good idea to get in the right mindset before you go and set yourself up for success.

Lav - great to see you as always

Steady - you make it sound so pleasant to have wintry weather coming on! I hope you enjoy your cooler temps.


Take care everyone.

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

morning nesters

Damn, i have been slack, i did also try and log on and couldnt so went off on my own tangent.

Wags glad your dad has moved into care but sorry to hear he is upset. Old age is not something i look forward to. I called the aged care people to try and arrange a meeting with them, they called and left a message to say her application is on hold as she did not answer 4 phone calls or an email. She is f'n DEAF which i put on the paperwork and suprisingly no email to either of us. So i called them on the number they left and it was the number to their IT department. I am not feeling good about this process already. Then they could not talk to me as i didnt fill out a form to say i could, so i downloaded that emailed it to mum and she signed the wrong bit. Give me strength and i am only up to the paperwork lol. Oh ANZAC day involves a lot of people getting pissed, after the dawn service that is!

Kensho, i hope you have a lovely holiday, I would definitely love one of those atm.

Lav, i cant believe your g-children are getting so old lol. Time flies and i am still waiting patiently! We are getting rain now so i am growing weeds and not sure what else. Everything is so expensive so anything is good.

NS, you need some raised garden beds to plant vege's in. I find for me the bending over constantly is a killer now. Hope you get through your medicare forms.

Our health system which used to be so good is atrocious now. I have to pay $80 each time to go and get $40 back but i was sick the past couple of days and found an online GP service and it cost me $25 and i was on the phone for maybe one and a half minutes. They would be making a fortune as there were 10 people waiting.

Steady, a huge belated 10 year sober birthday wishes. I was thinking to myself that i didnt think i was a year behind you but then realised it will be 10 years for me this year also.

Carl is doing great now, he has his xrays on the 19th to make sure everything is fine (just another $500+) for that and then back to life for us. Bindi has been back to the vets as she was yelping for no reason, she has 3 rotten teeth. her surgery is on the 19th also but she is driving me nuts as wont settle at night and i dont function well on little sleep. She is even on pain killers but nope not making her drowsy at all.

Still training the newbie at work, im not as frustrated now which is handy lol. I could never ever train people for a living, i would be out of a job in 5 minutes. Apparently work wants us all to go back into work 5 days a week. I told the PA i will start getting my resignation letter ready. i am not doing that.

Take care everyone xxx

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Greetings Nesters,

We had a real nice day here, sunny. No rain
Wags, I’m sorry your Dad is slipping back a bit. Have his meds been changed recently or is there a possibility of a new infection starting up somewhere? Seemingly unrelated issues can cause an increase in confusion. If his confusion continues have the nurses contact his doctor or you can make a call too to report a change in his behavior. Sorry, I know this is hard. Hang in there :hug:

Ava, I guess you can call me an old granny now that the kids have gotten so old Lol
They are all different but maturing quickly, no more babies around here. Sounds like all of our healthcare systems need a total reboot - they’re all a pain in the butt & it’s sad.
Glad Carl is all healed & hopefully Bindi will settle down after her extractions, poor thing.

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

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Ava - sorry to hear of the frustrations and challenges with the elder care system in your country as well. Why can't these systems and services just be clear and straightforward? I realize they deal with a LOT of people but so do many large companies who manage to make things fairly simple. I hope you find your way forward as easily as possible. Glad to hear things are going well with Carl and with having the new person at work. Stand your ground on not going back to 5 days/week going into work!

Lav - infection was the first thought I had too, and I mentioned it to the med tech on duty when I was leaving. My dad's PCP is going to see him (she does house calls!) on Monday and I'm planning to be there for the appt, so I'll be sure to mention it. I couldn't go see him today because I had to catch up on all of my work, but one of the staff there gave me an update that he was in a good mood, being very witty and sweet, so maybe it was just one way he experiences/presents dementia. We'll definitely keep an eye on it and get the Dr in the loop. It's just so hard to see him experiencing such anguish or similar. :sob:


On a happier note, I got caught up on a lot of my work with students today, and also made some headway on sorting my dad's stuff into keep/donate/sell categories. There's a ton more to do but it felt good to make another dent.


Take care everyone. Hope the weekends treat you all well!

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

We had another nice day here
We convinced our 14 yr old grandson to come over & help finish up with the huge mulching job. He worked hard for a few hours & made some $$. I miss having teenagers on hand for this stuff haha!

Wags, sounds like your Dad had a good day, that’s all we can ask for at this point, right?
Ifhe seems to continue having those low days don’t be afraid to ask for a psych consult. I’ve seen psychiatrists, familiar with geriatrics manage these mood swings very well with the right meds. I know it’s hard to witness this stuff but here we are. Great on getting your work caught up too

Hello to all & hope to see a few checking in this weekend. Wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Lav - thanks for the suggestion. I went to see my dad today but he was sleeping deeply and since he didn't respond to my voice or my hand on his lower leg, I decided he probably needed to sleep. But the care staff all said how much they like him and how sweet he is, so that's nice to hear. Great job putting your g'son to work, and great job him on making some money while helping!

Hope everyone is doing well. Catch you tomorrow!