Sunday June 27, 2010
173 days since accident
150 days in Colorado
The last week has been very hot, with the occasional afternoon rains, to cool things down. Unfortunately, the rain has done nothing to help with my MCTD flair-ups. Before my illness, I loved the summer because it meant fewer days with back pain (worst in the winter and early spring). However, the lupus-like condition doesn’t fair well in the heat, so I lose on both ends!
My father worries when I sleep a lot during the day, but sleep helps me feel better, and when I take a couple of naps I function better overall. I try not to tell my father too much about my health problems because I can see how much it scares him. However, the fact is, there are days when I just can’t get out of bed, period. I have learned a long time ago that it is best to listen to the signals from my body because when I ignore those signals, I always regret it later.
Besides, I have the greatest family in the world! I have been very fortunate to have two teenagers who just instinctively do whatever has to be done on the days that I am incapacitated. There have been more times, than not, when my husband comes home after working a long night shift, and rather than go to sleep, he would help me. I am a very fortunate woman and I never loss sight of this. Nevertheless, for dad, seeing me in pain can be difficult for him to handle. Ironic really, I am 50 years old, and on more prescription medication than dad is at almost 90!
So what do you do when the caregiver has more health problems than the elderly parent does? Nothing, as a family you must find ways to pull together and do your share to help. It doesn’t matter if my father was living with us or not. I still have my days when I can’t function as well as I would like too. Fortunately, I have figured out a system to circumvent the frequencies of my flair-ups. Still it is difficult for me, as a type-A personality I have always been able to multi-task and rarely ever put anything off for the next day.
I have had to discipline myself and accept the fact that it is ok not to finish everything in one day! I think this philosophy has also helped my father because he has many days when he is depressed because his mind is stronger than his body. My motto:
Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today
Has been replaced with:
There is always tomorrow…
Showing posts with label seniors on the go. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seniors on the go. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Dad and Bingo - A First Time!
Tuesday,May 4, 2010
119 days since accident
96 days in Colorado
My father loves to play cards and especially if money is involved. As a child I remember long hot summer days when dad would take us to the park for hours at a time, not to play with us, but to play cards with his friends from the
old country.
Watching him now, he seems so frail at times, not the card shark he used to be, my children, usually let grandpa win. It really warms our hearts when his face lights up as each time he pulls the chips towards his pile. I haven't been able to find a place for dad to play cards but I did find Bingo.
A local fast food restaurant provides a monthly bingo game for members of the Senior Center. I personally dislike the game, I find it to be quite boring. But I thought it would be good for dad - Anything that would help him use his brain is going to be an asset to him. Bingo really is a great therapy game for the elderly as it stimualates the senses, exercises fine motor coordination, and is a nice social activity.
Dad started our slowly, he had difficulty with coordinating both hearing and seeing the numbers on his board. But after about 15 minutes I noticed he was moving through the process and keeping up. As a matter of fact, he won the first game.
It really turned out to be a pleasant morning and a good activity for dad. I only wish they had it weekly instead of monthly. Trying to find activities for dad has been a challenge because of the infrequency of them all. I am looking forward to summer break because the kids will be home from school and can help me find things for him to do.
119 days since accident
96 days in Colorado
My father loves to play cards and especially if money is involved. As a child I remember long hot summer days when dad would take us to the park for hours at a time, not to play with us, but to play cards with his friends from the
old country.
Watching him now, he seems so frail at times, not the card shark he used to be, my children, usually let grandpa win. It really warms our hearts when his face lights up as each time he pulls the chips towards his pile. I haven't been able to find a place for dad to play cards but I did find Bingo.
A local fast food restaurant provides a monthly bingo game for members of the Senior Center. I personally dislike the game, I find it to be quite boring. But I thought it would be good for dad - Anything that would help him use his brain is going to be an asset to him. Bingo really is a great therapy game for the elderly as it stimualates the senses, exercises fine motor coordination, and is a nice social activity.
Dad started our slowly, he had difficulty with coordinating both hearing and seeing the numbers on his board. But after about 15 minutes I noticed he was moving through the process and keeping up. As a matter of fact, he won the first game.
It really turned out to be a pleasant morning and a good activity for dad. I only wish they had it weekly instead of monthly. Trying to find activities for dad has been a challenge because of the infrequency of them all. I am looking forward to summer break because the kids will be home from school and can help me find things for him to do.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Video: Bowling Grandpa get a Spare!
In this video you will see my husband showing dad how to bowl (at 89, dad has never gone bowling. Dad throws the ball and knocks down 9 pins. I stopped video-taping assuming dad would get a gutter-ball - with everyone in amazement, dad actually makes the spare!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s_HkaER5Z4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s_HkaER5Z4
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