Eldercare
Eldercare
Eldercare
Eldercare
Cards
My dad gave her a card for every occasion, every holiday. St. Patrick’s Day, Flag Day, Thanksgiving, Easter, anniversary, birthday, Wednesday. You name it, he got her a card. She loved getting cards. Since she moved to Texas, family has stopped sending cards. Her family. My siblings. No birthday cards. No Christmas cards. Mother’s Day she got a card only from me; my siblings ignore her now. In June, with her birthday coming up, I decided to take action. I posted on my personal social Read more [...]Share on social media:
Eldercare
Honesty In Caregiving
Caregiving is hard. And I suck at it. There. I said it. I am not great at caregiving. Despite what you may think from some of my blog posts, I am not a very good caregiver. Some days I barely muddle through. Some days I don’t wake her up until ten so I can have an extra hour or two to myself. Some days breakfast is microwaved. Every two weeks I make a large casserole (hash browns, sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and cheese with eggs poured on top), so I can microwave some Read more [...]Share on social media:
Eldercare
Standing
Some days she will stand like this for an hour or more. Just staring. And sighing. She doesn’t want to do anything I suggest - read, watch tv, fold her laundry, sit on the porch. Nope. She doesn’t want to do any of those things. She just stands. It was strange, and a bit disturbing, at first. Then one day I realized how grateful I am that she can stand for an hour! Whether she’s staring down the hall at unseen things or looking out the window at the yard, it’s not a problem behavior. Read more [...]Share on social media:
Eldercare
Unraveled
Remember Mixtapes? Your favorite songs recorded off the radio onto one cassette tape you loved to play over and over. You knew the words; you sang along. Those songs were familiar and comforting. Remember when your favorite mixtape got stuck in your car radio on the way to school? You put it in and it started playing weird; the music was all wrong. You pulled it out and the tape unraveled. After school you try to rewind it with a pencil. It takes hours. Finally, the tape is back in the case Read more [...]Share on social media:
Eldercare
His Sweater Jacket
This happened back in January. I’m sharing in hopes it helps someone else. I saw how ugly my heart is that night. ~~~~~~~~~~ Yesterday morning I was tired, and it was a gray day. I had no plans, so I put on sweats, a long-sleeve t-shirt, and a sweater jacket that had been Andrew’s. It’s the only piece of his clothing I kept to wear. It’s big on me and very soft. It’s warm. I love it. I stayed in my comfy clothes all day. I’d taken the sweater jacket off after dinner and Read more [...]Share on social media:
Grief
Changed
"She has changed," they say.
As if I should be as I was.
As I was before.
But things changed.
Every single thing.
Everything changed that day.
In that moment.
When he died.
I will go on living.
But everything changed.
I am changed.
When temperatures fall or a freeze hits, an oak tree changes colors.
Leaves turn from green to red and yellow and brown.
It's the same tree.
Right where it's always been.
But the tree is changed by outside forces.
Never to be the same.
In spring, when temperatures Read more [...]
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Forgiveness
Popsicles. And Marriage.
Last night I posted this on Facebook: Would someone please explain to Ron Duncan that when I bring two popsicles to bed and offer him one, I don’t mean it? #yesisnottheanswer #dontliketoshare #hadtogobacktothekitchen Ron laughed. Friends who read it laughed. I got up and got two more popsicles. This morning I got to thinking about popsicles, my husband, and marriage. Yes. I like popsicles. I like skittles. I like that Ron keeps me stocked in popsicles and skittles. More importantly, Read more [...]Share on social media:
Eldercare
An Evening in My Life as Caregiver
A few weeks ago, I spent most of one day mowing our property. About six hours. That morning, E went on adventures with her new caregiver/companion then took a nap after lunch. I mowed before she woke up, while she was gone, and while she napped. While mowing I got something in my eye. It was painful, red, and swollen even after I washed it out numerous times. Despite the pain in my eye, I lovingly cared for E. I fixed her dinner, gave her her meds, and attempted to get her to bed. From Read more [...]Share on social media:
Eldercare
