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This is going to be the start of some writing that is necessary for me. I will head all my writings as
mother care , so if in the future you would want to skip these segments, I wouldn't blame you.
I am caring for my elderly mother. She is 85 and quite overweight and extremely out of shape. She is also in the throws of dementia. All in all, it is difficult mentally and physically for me and I need to vent as well as document some of the things I am learning, because I am sure that as I am much like my mother, I will be experiencing the same things she does. Hopefully I will be as fortunate as she is to have family take care of me. I don't have biological children so I don't know where I will be if I reach the state my Mom is in. Let it be said here and now, I would not blame any of my family for putting me in a home where people are trained for this kind of care. That being said, I also hope I never have to experience the care of someone who does not love me.
We went for a ride today up the Parkway. Getting my mother in and out of the H2 is a problem. She can barely lift her foot up to a stool, then on to the rail and up into the floorboards. Once she does she falls into the seat and cannot lift her own butt with her legs and arms, to get properly into the seat. Then we have to stretch the belt full out, and I have to get into the back seat and buckle her in. She rides in the front at all times, since she doesn't fit in the back. Every time there is a stop to be made, the same procedure begins anew. After a day of riding and stopping , I am more exhausted than she. Today she made the comment,"Gee's, its like having a 200 pound baby to care for, huh?".
I couldn't have said it any better.
The problem is, with a baby, you can do what you please. With mother, she still has a say. She can be quite snippy. We took a short walk down to the pond at the Peaks of Otter. I am trying to get her to move. I thought the walk would be nice, it was such a pretty day. She was huffing and puffing after a short way, and stopped and said ,"Is this the way to the truck?"
I said no, its back there, I thought we'd have a walk and set out there by the water for a bit.
She went on and then before the benches, she said,"Are we going to sit there? There aren't any backs on those."
I said, I thought we just sit a bit, and then go back, is that ok?
She said,"Well, I guess it will have to be, won't it."
Lunch was at Dairy Queen, because the bathroom is accessible, and she can eat the bland food. Plus she wants icecream. Just try saying no to her.
There are times when she is like my mother used to be, but thats not often. Most times its all about her.
There will be segments on bathroom tatics, and the tissue and papertowel thing. She reminds me of a bird I had that was mating. It tore bits of paper and stuffed them in its feathers. My mother does this. When you remove her clothing, peices of paper fall out from everywhere.
Everything is explained, only to be re-explained again and again and again. Repetion seems to be her only foothold on life, and even that is slippery. The groveling bothers me alot. When I go in to wake her and get her to the bathroom, she kisses my hand and says, "I love you so much."
Usually thats when she is very wet and needs cleaning up, like a child who has done something wrong and diffusses his mother's wrath by saying, I love you Mommy. It makes me very sad when she does that. Maybe shes thinking back to when I wet the bed and she would yell at me.
Well, thanks for letting me vent. I think this will help me through these next months, and if I help just one person who has become their parents 'parent', then great. If not, I feel better, anyway!
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She is near the edge here and it was making loud cracking noises so she wisely climbed the bank . It's not but knee deep, still I'm glad she is that cautious because her next experience might be deeper water.
Tonight the dogs were whimpering to go out, so I opened the door and looked out into the yard for critters before letting them out as I always do. They flew off the porch and scrambled around the weeping cherry, so I stepped out to see if they were after deer. I stopped short and looked down to see a possum eating the waffles I had left out to feed the horses!
It was not intimidated with the stick I prodded it with, nor me clapping my hands. It seemed to actually 'play possum'. It acted like I couldn't see it behind the tub of bird seed ( in the tidy cat bin).
Bob came out with an umbrella, so naturally I said "you'll need something stouter than that."
