Caring For Aging Parents Support Group
Caring for aging parents can be a difficul time as we become the caretakers for our parents. This broad responsibility can encompass such services as assisted living, adult day care, long term care, nursing homes, hospice care, and in-home care. Whether you have just started caring for your parents or just need a place to talk, we're here.
Well, I finally got to go out.
Mom's clinical depression is finally getting treated (with Cymbalta, that Papa and I also take--now all of us take it!!!). She started on 30 mg a day on Tuesday and is already feeling better. She goes up to 60 mg next week. I feel so relieved to see her spirits perking up. Being bipolar myself, I really understand depression.
Mom is also receiving home physical and occupational therapy and a home visiting counselor and a once a nurse's aid to give her a bath. I'm so glad for the help. Mom is feeling rewarded by the positive feedback form her visitors, too. I'm so glad. I'm just too close for her to really hear my feedback on a regular basis: it goes in one ear and out the other. She is finally doing really well. I am so proud of her.
Papa goes to physical therapy at a storefront place (ATI). Parkinson's makes him pee a lot, so sometime he gets dehydrated and I have to reschedule histherapy. But most of the time he is very motivated. Hydration is always a big issue for Papa, and getting him to drink enough water is always a battle. We have tried every kind of beverage, but he wants water. I see some slow changes in Papa, sadly, slow deterioration of his activity and his mind. But I made a promise to myself to keep him here with us as long as possible. And think he will still be here for a while.
I am doing well now too. I had the caregiver on Monday, to watch Dad while Mom and I went to her pain doctor appointment, and again today, when I went out to eat and to the synagogue. I looked forward to my night out, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Mom's clinical depression is finally getting treated (with Cymbalta, that Papa and I also take--now all of us take it!!!). She started on 30 mg a day on Tuesday and is already feeling better. She goes up to 60 mg next week. I feel so relieved to see her spirits perking up. Being bipolar myself, I really understand depression.
Mom is also receiving home physical and occupational therapy and a home visiting counselor and a once a nurse's aid to give her a bath. I'm so glad for the help. Mom is feeling rewarded by the positive feedback form her visitors, too. I'm so glad. I'm just too close for her to really hear my feedback on a regular basis: it goes in one ear and out the other. She is finally doing really well. I am so proud of her.
Papa goes to physical therapy at a storefront place (ATI). Parkinson's makes him pee a lot, so sometime he gets dehydrated and I have to reschedule histherapy. But most of the time he is very motivated. Hydration is always a big issue for Papa, and getting him to drink enough water is always a battle. We have tried every kind of beverage, but he wants water. I see some slow changes in Papa, sadly, slow deterioration of his activity and his mind. But I made a promise to myself to keep him here with us as long as possible. And think he will still be here for a while.
I am doing well now too. I had the caregiver on Monday, to watch Dad while Mom and I went to her pain doctor appointment, and again today, when I went out to eat and to the synagogue. I looked forward to my night out, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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I invited Bill to have dinner with me last Sunday. He wasn't willing to drive 7 hours to mid Michigan and teased me with his beautiful ribs!!! So, of course I ate alone and had cedar salmon
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check out that smoke ring. It tasted really good. I smothered it with Maulls BBQ sauce which is Local to St. Louis and one of the best I ever had.....
I did not know Parkinson's made you pee a lot. Could it be something else.
In my Dad's last few years he had to pee a lot which made his care a lot more difficult. He was on diuretics for swollen ankles and it did not help that much.
We took him off the diuretics and his life was so much better after that.
I was a bed wetter as a kid and these days there is not a week that goes by that I haven't wet my pants at least one time that week....LOL Well really Grrrrrhhhh and Ugggh....LOL
Sometimes, when I think his sodium is running low, I offer him some canned pea soup like Progresso (which is super thick, won't make him choke) or some mini ravioli. When he won't eat those, that's when we get out the magic lemonade.
There is also a packet of solution you can mix up called Drip Drop that doesn't taste too bad.
By the way, since I last wrote, Mom is feeling even better! Yes!
She should be meeting with her new home visiting counselor soon, and will be starting home occupational therapy this week.
And believe it or not my non-involved brother actually stopped in for the third time this week and volunteered to stay with Mom and Papi on Saturday when I have a doctor's appointment. This is a sudden turn around of events, he used to avoid us come hell or high water. With just the two of us siblings, everything had been mainly falling on me, but now my brother is actually being very kind and compassionate, which is much appreciated.