Saturday, July 14, 2018

3-1/2 weeks

At the end of week 2, Mom tried to send the caregiver home.  It just took a phone call home to sort it out but at least I didn't have to go home.  I did have to go home the other day. but it wasn't drectly care related.  My wifi was out at the house, after caregiver had left, so I couldn't keep an eye on Mom. 

I started the caregiver in the afternoons because that's when I was running home the most for dementia issues.  It was making a difference to me and Mom's quality of life but I was still always running late, and if I'm too late, I can't work the full 8 hour shift because I don't want to work past 5pm because that's when dementia goes up another notch.  I was worried about losing my job but then my boss started chemo treatments (so I'm okay--praying for him to get through his thing).  After that event, I moved the caregiver hours to the morning.  By this time, she's familiar with the house and Mom's quirks.   

One of the reasons I was always running late, Mom just wanted to sleep a little longer.  Now she can and I don't worry that she's stuck upstairs.  I don't worry that she's going all day without eating.  There was a little dementia issue this week but the caregiver & I came up with a prevention plan for that.

So it's still a work in progress.  We had wins this week with bathing. 

Today, the HOA opened up the gates for a community garage sale.  We have two a year.  They took care of the city permits and advertised in the local papers & Craigslist.  I put very little effort into it anymore, yet this year I managed to sell $12 and get rid of a couple bulky items while I was doing some yard work.  Last year I made $20 for less than a hour of effort, while I cleaned a corner of the garage.  I call that a successful day.