Dive-Down Days

 Don't you just hate it when the rollarc oaster plummets you 200 feet?

That's what a Magic Moutain Six Flags roller coaster does to you in California. This scary thing boasts seats off the track, and it dives, flips, and turns as it goes 76 miles an hour to earth.

Now, when you get on this monster, you expect to be scared out of your wits, right? You know it will happen.

But what about those unexpected plummets to earth caused suddenly by unplanned events?

Don't you hate those rides?

• Yep, Me too.

They may be common, but they aren't fun. From the peak of peace,  zoom to the bottom of emotions. Without expecting it, you take a nose dive.

I have days when the bed with cover over my head sounds nice. I don't do this, of course, but I sometimes sit in my chair and do nothing.

What a treat it would be to text someone to bring comfort.  Oh sure, I call upon God, and sometimes He answers quickly. Other times, not.

And when He does answer, it's a blessing, but human help is beneficial. After all, we people are God's hands, feet, and mouthpieces. We can bring solace to the needy in His name.

People can go to a therapist and pay big bucks for help, but few can afford the professional. I think it's easier, if one has the money, to go to a therapist and confide problems than it is to ask a regular friend. We have our pride, and we don't want anyone to know our hurt or pain. We don't want sympathy. We have no desire to play the victim card.

Those of us who are caregivers to loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer's need help often.  When our loved one takes a sudden turn for the worse, the rollar coaster plunges.

When that rollar coaster makes your stomach sick, ignore your pride and call on a friend. Darkness doesn't need to last forever. One word from the right person can change a life or an outlook.

I'd like to be the person to help another. What about you?.

Those Devil Bedsores!

 

As our loved ones with Dementia and Alzheimer's progress, new challenges come along for caregivers.

Here's one we don't like to see or talk about.

BEDSORES

Awful, yucky things. Devilish things.

When a person doesn't move around much, those abdominal fiends can materialize.

It's imperative to move your loved one around often. Get them up from the chair, or turn them in the bed. Those dreaded hellions often appear on a tailbone after sitting too long in a chair or lying too long in a bed.  

stiff articles of clothing might become a problem, and even soft sheets can cause skin conditions if a person is too dormant.

I watched a husband across the hall from Shelley, my daughter, as he sat with his dying wife. Every fifteen minutes, he asked personnel to turn his wife. She had merely a day or two to live, but he wanted her as comfortable as possible. Those sores add discomfort to the person who has them. 

They also disturb and cause pain to the person who sees them on a beloved. Sores on a loved one provide another reason to cry.

I sometimes think we caregivers hurt as much or more than the person we love who has the disease. Their minds are too far gone to realize the extent of pain and discomfort, but we see and know.

Personnel in facilities aren't always efficient, so we help them inspect skin. If an an area becomes red and is warm when you touch it, a wound may be on the way. 

A bedsore is harder to take care of when the skin erupts. Remove pressure or clothing from the area. Clean and protect the area with soft fabric. Ask the doctor about a medicated lotion for the area of concern.

Do what you can to send those red devils back to he##!!!

Bedsores

Cherish the Seconds

 

I heard a lady say, "I just wish today would be a day like the past when my husband was his normal self."

I replied, "I will pray for you to have normal minutes."

Shelley has minutes, and they are precious.

Seconds and brief spans are all we can hope for when a loved one has dementia or Alzheimer's. 

When Shelley was in the hospital recently, the medical personnel always ask her to give her name.  Once, I asked for them.

"Shelley, what's your name?"

She gazed at me like I'd lost MY mind. She paused and then said, 
"Shelley"

She used a tone to imply I was crazy for asking.  The nurses laughed.

"It's not funny. That's my name."  She responded.

A few minutes later, someone else asked for her name. She couldn't remember.

When your loved one has dementia, she/he will have normal minutes. They will resume their past self, and you will be surprised. Also delighted. You might smile or cry.

That's okay. You're normal. The disease isn't.