Caregiving consists of a lot of waiting like to be sure they do not fall using bathroom, just standing, it's like slow motion...

Yes counting the squares of TP tooo funny! she does that too !and 100% right I am so happy she goes to the bathroom still THANK GOD!! You all make me laugh to hear all the same querkey little things .

My mom is not this slow yet and I don't usually feel irritated when she actually needs help, but I do sometimes feel irritated when interrupted from my own tasks when she just needs to ask me some question for the 10th time that day or just make sure I'm still in the house. I got a baby monitor with an intercom feature so I can quickly answer when she calls for me. Answering the intercom doesn't disrupt what I'm doing as much and Mom doesn't seem to make as many "extra" calls when I answer so quickly. I usually pick up stuff in her room and adjacent spaces while I'm waiting or even dust or sweep a little. I can't dust an entire room while I'm waiting but I can dust the table top and maybe it's contents on one trip and the legs on another. Big thing I work on is making sure my voice or body language doesn't show my irritation. I don't want my Mom to ever hesitate to call for me because I want the interruption to be Mom calling and not the sound of Mom falling. My Mom also spends a lot of time in the main common room with me when I'm working in the kitchen or playing with the kids. Some posters are bothered by their LOs being close so much of the time, but I think it works better for us.

I think being stressed by needing to get other stuff done or a sleep deprivation makes all the little irritations so much worse. So much of our "success" in care giving comes down to learning to deal with stress in the moment; the deep breathe, the count to ten, thinking you're grateful to being helping your LO to the bathroom instead of cleaning up when they can't make it, etc. Find something that works for you and things will get easier, but know care giving will never be easy.

I know where ur coming from but i would have waited 35 min for teeth brushing or using the toilet. I have no patience. What got to me was counting of the toilet paper squares. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8..

😭 Twenty minutes to eat the last French fry. That was what did my head in.

Learn poetry to say in your head, or songs to hum to yourself, or use worry beads, or just take a book. It is insane how long everything takes, but it is also normal. Insane is normal = caregiving. Hugs to you.