Thursday, March 26, 2009
Family is the best medicine
Bob got a treat from his daughter Tina this last weekend. Rob and I wanted to attend the bluegrass festival in Fort Christmas. Bob does not like country music at all and would have had a horrible time. Rob called his sister and asked if she would visit for the day while we went to the festival. She was delighted to help.
I told Bob that Tina was coming to visit Saturday evening when he was going to bed. He was happy to hear the news. He sat on the edge of the bed and said, “Tina Marie”. I said, “Yep, that’s her name.” He nodded his head yes, that was indeed her name. And he crawled into bed.
Pat and Tina arrived early in the morning with donuts and coffee. What a great treat for Bob. He came out all dressed and ready for the day and had donuts waiting for him. He was happy already. I ran through the typical dos and don’ts with Tina and then Sarah, Rob, and me got in the car and left.
I must confess I was a little nervous. I felt like a mother leaving her child for the first time. It was a silly feeling, but it was still there. Rob joked with me in the car.
At the festival the phone rang and I grabbed it after two rings. Pat and Tina wanted to take Pop to lunch.
“Do you have a spare key to they house anywhere?” Tina asked.
Silence, and then I started laughing. Of course there wasn’t a spare key to they house. Why would we think of such a thing?
“Leave the back door unlocked,” I said. “You won’t be gone long and no one ever goes to that door.”
I made a mental note…make a spare key for Tina.
It was a great day at the bluegrass festival. We heard great music, saw some crafts, and ate some scrumptious BBQ.
When we got home around 4:30 we entered a house that was full of happy people. Pat and Tina both said they couldn’t believe how fast the day went.
“It seemed to just fly by,” they both said. “We sat and talked all morning long about old times. We talked about Smokey, the cat, Rob playing his guitar in his room with all of his friends. We kept saying, ‘get out of my room’ which was a popular phrase when the kids were young.”
Bob sat on the couch with Christina grinning from ear to ear. He had been out of his room all day. They had lunch at Fire House Subs where Christina works. He had a full, fun day with family. It was the best medicine for him.
The funniest story Pat and Tina shared about the day was when they took him to lunch. Every time he eats his nose runs. His sinuses open up and it is like turning on a faucet. Tina handed him a napkin and told him to wipe his nose. He did wipe his nose and then he took the napkin, looked at it, gestured to Tina to look, and said, “Would you look at that, it looks like a man riding a horse.”
Bob had a full day and was in bed snoring by 9:00. Bob was in a great mood for the whole next week. Family really is the best medicine.
I told Bob that Tina was coming to visit Saturday evening when he was going to bed. He was happy to hear the news. He sat on the edge of the bed and said, “Tina Marie”. I said, “Yep, that’s her name.” He nodded his head yes, that was indeed her name. And he crawled into bed.
Pat and Tina arrived early in the morning with donuts and coffee. What a great treat for Bob. He came out all dressed and ready for the day and had donuts waiting for him. He was happy already. I ran through the typical dos and don’ts with Tina and then Sarah, Rob, and me got in the car and left.
I must confess I was a little nervous. I felt like a mother leaving her child for the first time. It was a silly feeling, but it was still there. Rob joked with me in the car.
At the festival the phone rang and I grabbed it after two rings. Pat and Tina wanted to take Pop to lunch.
“Do you have a spare key to they house anywhere?” Tina asked.
Silence, and then I started laughing. Of course there wasn’t a spare key to they house. Why would we think of such a thing?
“Leave the back door unlocked,” I said. “You won’t be gone long and no one ever goes to that door.”
I made a mental note…make a spare key for Tina.
It was a great day at the bluegrass festival. We heard great music, saw some crafts, and ate some scrumptious BBQ.
When we got home around 4:30 we entered a house that was full of happy people. Pat and Tina both said they couldn’t believe how fast the day went.
“It seemed to just fly by,” they both said. “We sat and talked all morning long about old times. We talked about Smokey, the cat, Rob playing his guitar in his room with all of his friends. We kept saying, ‘get out of my room’ which was a popular phrase when the kids were young.”
Bob sat on the couch with Christina grinning from ear to ear. He had been out of his room all day. They had lunch at Fire House Subs where Christina works. He had a full, fun day with family. It was the best medicine for him.
The funniest story Pat and Tina shared about the day was when they took him to lunch. Every time he eats his nose runs. His sinuses open up and it is like turning on a faucet. Tina handed him a napkin and told him to wipe his nose. He did wipe his nose and then he took the napkin, looked at it, gestured to Tina to look, and said, “Would you look at that, it looks like a man riding a horse.”
Bob had a full day and was in bed snoring by 9:00. Bob was in a great mood for the whole next week. Family really is the best medicine.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Watching the game
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Bob can’t work the TV remote anymore. He is constantly changing the channel. He used to come out and ask us to find the ball game for him, but he doesn’t do that anymore. Now, he just keeps hitting different buttons until finally he stops and waits for someone to come to his room.
A few nights ago I entered his room to find him watching a drama. A lady was in a hospital bed hooked up to all kinds of tubes and she was clearly dying. A man was at her side and they were sharing her last moments together. I asked Bob, “What are you watching?”
“The ball game,” he relied.
“Really!” I answered, as I grabbed the remote to change the channel. “What is the score and what is going on?” I asked.
“Well, you see, that lady that you saw she had to guess the score of the game, and if she gets it right she wins all kinds of money.” He said.
“How cool is that?” I replied.
“Yeah, I thought it was good also.” He said, and at that moment the ball game came on the TV. “You see, there is the game now, they are starting to play again.”
Now remember, I just changed the channel to the sports network.
“Yeah, let’s see what the score is…” I told him.
He got up, moved closer to the TV and pointed to the score. “That 48 is one of the numbers that lady picked and I think she is going to win now.” He said.
“Maybe, it is only the third quarter, so she may loose her numbers, but who knows. Let’s hope she wins. She looked like she was in the hospital so she probably has a lot of bills.” I told him.
“You know, I think your right,” he said.
I left the room and went in our bedroom to see Rob, I told him we had a new game to play. We turned off the sound on the TV and clicked on different channels and linked all of the shows together into one story. The problem was that our story wasn’t as nice as Bob’s. Maybe we are too connected with the world still and can’t detach ourselves from it.
Sarah and I detached ourselves on Friday and went to Sea World for part of the day. Rob stayed home with his Father and let Sarah and I get away. We need some time without him.
Bob went to the dentist on Thursday. He has to return to see the doctor. He has a filling that needs fixing and a wire on his dentures needs adjusting. Other than that he had a good report.
Well with the government in the shape that it is I am glad Bob is detached from it. It seems with all the gloom from the news and the rest of the world I don’t know if I should look towards the heavens, or crouch to the ground waiting for God’s wrath to pour out. Maybe I am to do a little of both.
Whether you are standing tall or crouching down, give him a call this week end, he would love to hear from you all.
Bob can’t work the TV remote anymore. He is constantly changing the channel. He used to come out and ask us to find the ball game for him, but he doesn’t do that anymore. Now, he just keeps hitting different buttons until finally he stops and waits for someone to come to his room.
A few nights ago I entered his room to find him watching a drama. A lady was in a hospital bed hooked up to all kinds of tubes and she was clearly dying. A man was at her side and they were sharing her last moments together. I asked Bob, “What are you watching?”
“The ball game,” he relied.
“Really!” I answered, as I grabbed the remote to change the channel. “What is the score and what is going on?” I asked.
“Well, you see, that lady that you saw she had to guess the score of the game, and if she gets it right she wins all kinds of money.” He said.
“How cool is that?” I replied.
“Yeah, I thought it was good also.” He said, and at that moment the ball game came on the TV. “You see, there is the game now, they are starting to play again.”
Now remember, I just changed the channel to the sports network.
“Yeah, let’s see what the score is…” I told him.
He got up, moved closer to the TV and pointed to the score. “That 48 is one of the numbers that lady picked and I think she is going to win now.” He said.
“Maybe, it is only the third quarter, so she may loose her numbers, but who knows. Let’s hope she wins. She looked like she was in the hospital so she probably has a lot of bills.” I told him.
“You know, I think your right,” he said.
I left the room and went in our bedroom to see Rob, I told him we had a new game to play. We turned off the sound on the TV and clicked on different channels and linked all of the shows together into one story. The problem was that our story wasn’t as nice as Bob’s. Maybe we are too connected with the world still and can’t detach ourselves from it.
Sarah and I detached ourselves on Friday and went to Sea World for part of the day. Rob stayed home with his Father and let Sarah and I get away. We need some time without him.
Bob went to the dentist on Thursday. He has to return to see the doctor. He has a filling that needs fixing and a wire on his dentures needs adjusting. Other than that he had a good report.
Well with the government in the shape that it is I am glad Bob is detached from it. It seems with all the gloom from the news and the rest of the world I don’t know if I should look towards the heavens, or crouch to the ground waiting for God’s wrath to pour out. Maybe I am to do a little of both.
Whether you are standing tall or crouching down, give him a call this week end, he would love to hear from you all.
Friday, March 13, 2009
march madness
March madness is in the air and we are feeling it. Bob is having a hard time keeping up with all of the games, and we are having a hard time keeping up with activities. Between festivals, and every day activities we are going strong.
Last week Rob played with the band at a Wing Festival. I took Bob so he could watch Rob play. He may tell you that Rob sang, but that isn’t true. Rob plays lead guitar and Johnny is the only singer. Bob enjoyed watching the band, eating hamburgers and getting out of the house.
A few days latter I took Bob to a Chocolate Festival. Sarah was studying time management and wasn’t able to go with us. She stayed home with her father and it was just Bob and I. Bob loves chocolate and I knew he would enjoy this festival. It wasn’t very big and was a little costly, but the main thing is that he saw, he ate, and he was happy. He even called his niece, Lesa to tell her where he was and share the news with her.
This week we have had fun raking the leaves in the back yard. We have a lot of oak trees and when the leaves fall they cover the whole yard. We have been raking and filling bags for a few days now. Bob has tried to keep up with us. It hasn’t been easy for him. We have had to make him stop a number of times and rest.
I took him shopping with me today and he got his hair cut. When the hairdresser made a comment about how hot the weather was he told her not to fear because it was getting down to the thirties tonight. Oh, how I wish. I think the cold weather is gone and it went straight from winter to summer in one night.
One symptom we have been battling with is Bob has developed Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or better known as OCD. This isn’t bad; it is just something we have to deal with. One example: he had a small place on the back of his hand. It was a place that you or I would never even bother with. Bob however, fixates on this spot and rubs or picks at it until it becomes a sore. Once it is a sore, then he has to continue to pick or rub it until it becomes bigger. So, I have to constantly tell him to leave it alone, or I have to find a way to cover it up while still letting it scab and heal properly.
Another example: It may take him an hour to make his bed in the morning because he can not have any wrinkles in the bed at all. If someone comes in and sits and the bed, that is fine, but as soon as you leave he will be up and straighten the bed again.
And last: he may brush his teeth four times in one day. It isn’t that he has forgotten he has brushed them; he isn’t sure he has done it right and wants to make sure he has cleaned them properly. The same goes for shaving.
A good article on this is at http://www.caregiver.com/channels/alz/articles/ocd_in_elderly.htm
Bob has had a good couple of weeks, full of activities, and work. Give him a ring this weekend and share with him some of the things you have been doing and try to get him to tell you about his activities as well.
Last week Rob played with the band at a Wing Festival. I took Bob so he could watch Rob play. He may tell you that Rob sang, but that isn’t true. Rob plays lead guitar and Johnny is the only singer. Bob enjoyed watching the band, eating hamburgers and getting out of the house.
A few days latter I took Bob to a Chocolate Festival. Sarah was studying time management and wasn’t able to go with us. She stayed home with her father and it was just Bob and I. Bob loves chocolate and I knew he would enjoy this festival. It wasn’t very big and was a little costly, but the main thing is that he saw, he ate, and he was happy. He even called his niece, Lesa to tell her where he was and share the news with her.
This week we have had fun raking the leaves in the back yard. We have a lot of oak trees and when the leaves fall they cover the whole yard. We have been raking and filling bags for a few days now. Bob has tried to keep up with us. It hasn’t been easy for him. We have had to make him stop a number of times and rest.
I took him shopping with me today and he got his hair cut. When the hairdresser made a comment about how hot the weather was he told her not to fear because it was getting down to the thirties tonight. Oh, how I wish. I think the cold weather is gone and it went straight from winter to summer in one night.
One symptom we have been battling with is Bob has developed Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or better known as OCD. This isn’t bad; it is just something we have to deal with. One example: he had a small place on the back of his hand. It was a place that you or I would never even bother with. Bob however, fixates on this spot and rubs or picks at it until it becomes a sore. Once it is a sore, then he has to continue to pick or rub it until it becomes bigger. So, I have to constantly tell him to leave it alone, or I have to find a way to cover it up while still letting it scab and heal properly.
Another example: It may take him an hour to make his bed in the morning because he can not have any wrinkles in the bed at all. If someone comes in and sits and the bed, that is fine, but as soon as you leave he will be up and straighten the bed again.
And last: he may brush his teeth four times in one day. It isn’t that he has forgotten he has brushed them; he isn’t sure he has done it right and wants to make sure he has cleaned them properly. The same goes for shaving.
A good article on this is at http://www.caregiver.com/channels/alz/articles/ocd_in_elderly.htm
Bob has had a good couple of weeks, full of activities, and work. Give him a ring this weekend and share with him some of the things you have been doing and try to get him to tell you about his activities as well.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Refused to Bowl
We went bowling this week. Well, we went there anyways. Bob refused to bowl with me. So he sat and watched the kids bowl. This always makes me mad when he does this. There isn’t any reason why he can’t get up and throw a ball down the lane.
When we left the bowling alley, I started fussing. I told him that I don’t get upset because he doesn’t write anymore. I know it is difficult for him to write. He has lost the thought process on how to write. I don’t fuss about him not working word searches. I know that is difficult for him to do. I don’t fuss about him not being able to get dressed, or button his shirt. It is hard for him to work buttons. However, I do get upset when he refuses to get up out the wheel chair and move his body. There is nothing wrong with his body, other than the fact that he doesn’t move it. He sits in a chair all day long, and we have to make him get up and get on the exercise bike.
So after I finished my rant of about fifteen minutes on how I am upset because he doesn’t move and how because of that he is getting closer and closer to a home facility because eventually he won’t be able to stand and I won’t be able to lift him…..I paused in my rant and he says to me, “You’re right, I do need to start writing again, but I have to sit to do it.”
Sarah snickered in the back seat, which I promptly, shot her a mommy look. I sat in silence for about two minutes and then said, “You really don’t get it and you will never get it again. It isn’t you who needs to get it, but rather me.” You see, his mind and body no longer work together. Oh, sure he can still walk, stand, eat, all those things, but his mind no longer will tell him to get up and move.
I can fuss all day long to him about getting up and moving, but he will just continue to sit. I have to stop fussing at him, but rather tell him or give him commands of what to do. The days of asking him if he wants to bowl are long gone. His mind will always say no. For now on it will be; stand up, walk to the line, and throw the ball.
So, with that new information we went to Walmart. And we walked the whole store. Bob wheeled himself around in the wheel chair as he followed Sarah and I. He started fussing telling me that he couldn’t get the wheel chair going once he had stopped. Sarah and I had to give him a starter push. That was fine, until we went to the check out counter.
Now, this is funny, the check out counter was empty of people so Bob was back behind Sarah and I. Sarah was unloading the cart. Bob all of a sudden starts the wheel chair moving on his own and heads towards a display unit. I went over to him and asked what he was looking at. He pointed to the CANDY and said, “I was just looking at some of this stuff here.”
“Would you like some candy?” I asked him.
“Can I have some?” he asked.
“If you can pick one out and get it over to the cash register without any help, then yes you may have some candy.” I told him.
He picked up the M&M’s wheeled himself over to the counter and dropped it on the belt. HA!!!! He will wheel for sweets!!!!!
The next day we went to the park and he wheeled himself around the park for chocolate cookies. I would walk ahead of him and stop. Then I would make some comment on how the weather was, how good the cookies were, the flowers were nice, and then say, “Oh, would you like a cookie?” Of course he did and he would wheel himself up to me and get a cookie. Then I would walk ahead of him again, stop, turn, and wait to offer another cookie.
He told me he felt great getting out and exercising.
He heard from some old friends this week. I am sure he shared with some of you his trip to the park. March is going to be a busy week for us with some fun activities coming up. We hope to hear from you all soon.
When we left the bowling alley, I started fussing. I told him that I don’t get upset because he doesn’t write anymore. I know it is difficult for him to write. He has lost the thought process on how to write. I don’t fuss about him not working word searches. I know that is difficult for him to do. I don’t fuss about him not being able to get dressed, or button his shirt. It is hard for him to work buttons. However, I do get upset when he refuses to get up out the wheel chair and move his body. There is nothing wrong with his body, other than the fact that he doesn’t move it. He sits in a chair all day long, and we have to make him get up and get on the exercise bike.
So after I finished my rant of about fifteen minutes on how I am upset because he doesn’t move and how because of that he is getting closer and closer to a home facility because eventually he won’t be able to stand and I won’t be able to lift him…..I paused in my rant and he says to me, “You’re right, I do need to start writing again, but I have to sit to do it.”
Sarah snickered in the back seat, which I promptly, shot her a mommy look. I sat in silence for about two minutes and then said, “You really don’t get it and you will never get it again. It isn’t you who needs to get it, but rather me.” You see, his mind and body no longer work together. Oh, sure he can still walk, stand, eat, all those things, but his mind no longer will tell him to get up and move.
I can fuss all day long to him about getting up and moving, but he will just continue to sit. I have to stop fussing at him, but rather tell him or give him commands of what to do. The days of asking him if he wants to bowl are long gone. His mind will always say no. For now on it will be; stand up, walk to the line, and throw the ball.
So, with that new information we went to Walmart. And we walked the whole store. Bob wheeled himself around in the wheel chair as he followed Sarah and I. He started fussing telling me that he couldn’t get the wheel chair going once he had stopped. Sarah and I had to give him a starter push. That was fine, until we went to the check out counter.
Now, this is funny, the check out counter was empty of people so Bob was back behind Sarah and I. Sarah was unloading the cart. Bob all of a sudden starts the wheel chair moving on his own and heads towards a display unit. I went over to him and asked what he was looking at. He pointed to the CANDY and said, “I was just looking at some of this stuff here.”
“Would you like some candy?” I asked him.
“Can I have some?” he asked.
“If you can pick one out and get it over to the cash register without any help, then yes you may have some candy.” I told him.
He picked up the M&M’s wheeled himself over to the counter and dropped it on the belt. HA!!!! He will wheel for sweets!!!!!
The next day we went to the park and he wheeled himself around the park for chocolate cookies. I would walk ahead of him and stop. Then I would make some comment on how the weather was, how good the cookies were, the flowers were nice, and then say, “Oh, would you like a cookie?” Of course he did and he would wheel himself up to me and get a cookie. Then I would walk ahead of him again, stop, turn, and wait to offer another cookie.
He told me he felt great getting out and exercising.
He heard from some old friends this week. I am sure he shared with some of you his trip to the park. March is going to be a busy week for us with some fun activities coming up. We hope to hear from you all soon.
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