Seven Tips

Mom has had a pretty good week. I call her every morning and she seems to be doing fine. Before I hang up, I always say, "I love you bunches." and she always responds, "I love you two bunches." :) I also send her a printed copy of the Sunday Sermons at church and she enjoys getting them in the mail. She has her "spot" out in the "Front Room" and is usually already in it by the time I get through to her on the phone. I had a bit of a stressful deal going on earlier this month with her Social Security and DSHS benefits due to people not doing their job in a timely fashion but eventually got it all straightened out. No need to bother Mom about any of the details. She becomes anxious easily but also can get over it before you know it. I guess that is one nice thing about AD. Found a good article on seven tips for Elderly Caregivers that you might like to see. Click Here.

Community Living

We are planning to pick Mom up for Church again this Lord's Day. She did well last time and we pray she will feel up to it again this Sunday. Here is a link to an article that brings out some positive things about Community Living and why Seniors now a days are liking it more and more. http://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/why-seniors-prefer-senior-living-communities/

Memorial Day 2012

Yesterday was Memorial Day. It turned out to be a beautiful day in western Washington. I went over to OAR a little after 11AM and picked up Mom for an outing to our church picnic. All went very very well. We had gospel music, a patriotic DVD, games, Cost-co polish hot dogs, BBQ ribs, tater salad and all the trimmings, etc. Around 4PM I took Mom for a tour of Lakewood and we saw the Clover Park High School "Arlington Cemetery Project" where the students created a miniature cemetery on the front lawn of the school with all the little tombstones of all the fallen military personnel from recent service. Then we drove through the grounds at Mt. View Funeral Home where the drive was lined with old glory on both sides of the street and hundreds of American flags were installed all over the cemetery. It was beautiful and very moving. Mom stayed in the vehicle and I took some pictures before we headed home. Mom said, as we got under way, "Where is home? I don't even remember where I live." We got Mom "Home" about supper time and time for her evening meds. She was tired but had a great time. A little later in the evening, Snickers called to talk to Mom and she didn't seem to remember anything about the day at all.

Mother's Day

Last May 13th, Ladybug went over to OAR and picked up Mom for church. It turned out to be a great day and Mom thoroughly enjoyed the day to the MAX. She was there for the Sunday School, the morning Worship Service, the Noon Meal, and in the afternoon she was able to take the Lord's Supper. She was a little disoriented as to where things were located (like the Ladies Room) but I was careful to mention everyone's name as they came in and hugged her and she appeared to "remember" them. Ladybug, Snickers, Popcorn and I were all out of State for a few days at the beginning of the month but we called Mom routinely as usual and all went well without her getting distressed about us being gone. It helped to have a couple of visits from grandchildren during that time too. I got a letter from DSHS May 23rd that stressed me out a little. It said that they sent me an annual review form on Mom's status and did not receive it back so they were therefore going to close her account effective May 31st. (Don't you just LOVE bureaucrats?) I called them immediately and said, "Kicking Mom to the curb is not acceptable." They said they would re-send the form and I told them that I would fill it out again and FAX it to them before the end of the day that I receive it. Praying that all will go well with this and there will be no problems or disruptions for Mom.

Spring Brunch

Snickers and Ladybug attended the Spring Brunch last Saturday with Mom at OAR. It was a beautiful day and they all enjoyed it. I was at a Tax Day Rally at our Capital offering the Invocation for the event and was not able to attend the Brunch with "the girls". Next Saturday we are planning a special day. The family is getting together at the Olive Garden Restaurant to celebrate Mom's 89th birthday. We've done this before and Mom liked it a lot.

When I talked with Mom on the phone this morning she said how much she enjoyed the visit Saturday. The Mariners are playing ball again and now she is getting back into baseball. I told her about the services in church and she always says how much she misses being in church. She sometimes watches Charles Stanley on Sunday mornings. We are working on a way to get Mom to church one of these times on a Lord's Day or possibly at a special fellowship meeting depending on how well she feels. I am going to start mailing her info from the church to help keep that feeling of connection.

Surprise visit

It has been a while since I've made any new notes here on the "Aging Parents" Blog. Things have been going pretty good for the most part with Mom. Snickers "texted" me the other day and said there was a speaker scheduled to talk on AD at OAR 7PM Thursday and asked if I thought I would be there for it. I said, "Maybe." Lots of things going on lately. Well, Ladybug and I were able to set the time aside to be there. We arrived at OAR about 6:30PM and went straight to the "East Neighborhood" of the facility where Mom lives. Mom was out in the front family (TV) room and I snuck up next to her and she smiled from ear to ear when she saw me. We got up and found a place down the hall where we could sit together and visit without interrupting the TV viewing of the other residents. We got out Mom's Family Picture Album and visited for about an hour. We told Mom we needed to go and she wanted to return to the TV room for a little while longer. We hugged and said goodby. The meeting with the special speaker was still in session in the Chapel area and we stopped off to see if Snickers was there. She was and we joined her for the last part of the presentation. Ladybug collected some of the handouts from the presenter and we headed home. It was a very good trip.

Support Group

Hello friends and family,

I just found out about a support group that has just began meeting at Olympic Alzheimer's Residence (OAR) in Gig Harbor, which I plan to attend. It is for caregivers of friends and family experiencing memory loss, Alzheimer's, and dementia support group.

The meeting time is 7pm the 2nd Wed. of the month in the Chapel @ OAR in Gig Harbor. 3025 145th Ave. NW GH, WA 98335 for more information call 253 851 5306 OAR is very easy to get to. If you have any questions please call.

In His Grace,
Snickers