Lately, I’ve noticed mom just sitting for long periods of time. I may have to call her more than once to get her attention and it scares me. This learned behavior comes from the couple of times when her blood sugar had dropped dangerously low. When I do get her attention, she seems confused and my mind immediately goes to, “Is this the start of dementia?” Jumping to … [Read more...]
Letters To Our Daughter – More About Life With Mom
A couple of weeks ago, I shared parts of a letter my dad wrote to me when I was in college. In it, he told the story of mom breaking a jar of spaghetti sauce while in the grocery store. At first she walked away from it, but then she went back to pull the coupon off the jar. Why she did that will make sense when dad tells the story about "The Coupon Volley." Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Letters To Our Daughter – Family Stories Keep us connected.
Happy 4th of July weekend! Mom and I have been reminiscing and retelling family stories this weekend. My favorites come from the letters my dad sent to me my freshman year of college - 45 years ago- and still one of my most treasure possessions. … [Read more...]
Suddenly A Fire Alarm Goes Off. My Worst Nightmare As A Caregiver.
On a Sunday afternoon not long ago, mom and I had almost completed a long list of things we needed to accomplish to get her ready for the day. Suddenly, an alarm went off in the basement. I ran out as mom was putting on her sweatshirt, grabbed my phone and started dialing 911 as I ran down the basement steps. I expected to find smoke and flames coming out of the dryer since … [Read more...]
I Feel So Isolated
I created this video two and a half years ago. No one could have predicted that a world wide pandemic would isolate our loved ones to a degree where there is a visible decline in many of them. We are not out of the woods yet and I have a challenge for you. How will you continue to reach out or reach out in new ways, to help an elder feel loved and heard? After a year it is … [Read more...]