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Oneandonly, I'm with you on the dentures! Gag my way through them in the morning and again in the evening. At least Mom doesn't take them out of her mouth anymore!
Meanwhile!!! Sorry you need to work 2 jobs. Thinking of looking for something part time myself. A new Michael's craft store is moving into the area and I may apply for weekends when I have all day help. I need to get out of here, but also the extra $$ is very much needed! I came home from paying a $715 tax bill and paying off my husband's last 8 months on his car loan, only to find another $520 gas bill and a $400 water bill!!! It just keeps getting better!!!
Stormy. Mom has PD, but the worst she has done is grab my boobs a couple times and that was because she didn't have any idea what she was doing. Or... maybe she did?
Dewey, welcome to the world of care giving and all it entails!! I have been at this for 5 years. Mom has Parkinsons and severe dementia.When the small stuff starts occurring repeatedly every minute or so, we definitely start to sweat! Care giving is a challenge and very hard work, but when you add alz. or dementia to the mix it becomes a real circus!
Barb, Mom is both on Namenda and Aricept. It takes a while for both of these to show any results. How long was she on Aricept? Her agitation and sleep problems may be from stopping it cold turkey! I know when we took Mom off of it once, it took a full week for us to see that she was completely gone from us without it. Take it from someone who has been through all of this for over 7 years including the time I was still at work, you cannot care for your mom if you don't get meds to calm her down. It's going to progress more quickly without them and it will drive you over the edge without lots of help. Mom is still with me because I don't want her over medicated. That's what they do in facilities because of the "no restraint" laws, so they chemically restrain them.
Mom is a ball of energy all day long. She runs out of steam occasionally
, but for the most part, she never stops! We wash her while she is on the toilet and if she tries to stand up every other second, that's a good day. She still hallucinates, but is no longer afraid of them, just fascinated. Trust me, have your mom seen by a neurologist or geriatric doctor. She needs something for depression, anxiety, sleep, and especially memory to help her hold onto what she has left a bit longer. You also need to get her a wheelchair right away. A transport one is fairly cheap and you can use it for doctor visits, etc., but mostly it will keep her safer at home. She can sit and watch you cook etc. and not wander off when you are not paying attention. Also, get a gait belt and use it around her waist when she is in her chair, so she doesn't get up too fast to follow you, and fall.
Not trying to scare you, just want to make you aware of what you are facing ahead if you plan on keeping your mom at home. She is scared and suffering because she doesn't know what is happening and she will get more scared as she loses control of her mind. After 3 years of Mom suffering through no meds to bad meds, when we finally got the right combo, things got easier here for her.
My sil researched the cameras and necessary accessories for me. I will get the info from him this weekend and get back to you with all that. they are a lifesaver for sure! One quick look at the laptop screen and I know Mom is sound asleep. Oh yeh! The sound is top notch too. I can hear her snoring no problem!
Do any of you remember the movie "Murphy"s Romance"? One of my all time favorites with James Garner and Sally Field! It was on earlier and put me in a much better mood than I was in after the mail!
Jen, Lots of snow still? Cold here again, but the rain and warm temps melted all the snow!
Mame, Lake affect even reaches us here in central Mass. during really cold winters. HoHos? Wow! My vice is loaded nachos. Could eat them every day! Oh and I can't live without potato chips. Always have been my downfall!
Bobbie!! How's that ankle doing? Is the boat coming along? If I get a part time job, I'm saving the $$ for my visit to "THE BOAT" and another trip to Seattle and this time around, Jen in Spokane! Jen, I'll definitely take you out for Chinese every day if you like!!!
Time to feed the cats and get to bed. I didn't get any sleep last night either, even though Mom snored all night! Damn Restless Leg Syndrome is taking me down!!!
Night everyone!
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Only1-my mom licks her dentures as she takes them out and I find that soooo disgusting! Acckkk....
Meanwhile-a 2nd job! God love ya and give you lots of energy!
Prayers for all! Mame
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Mom is loving watching the news today to see all the snow everyone around here is getting! She grew up on Lake Ontario-so she gets excited about Lake Effect Snow storms. We have had some white outs here but it hasn't accumulated that much. Don't mean to sound disappointed-but when you can be inside and not have to drive in it-let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! haha

Hope you can get some sleep Miracle! Have you even tried Tylenol PM or anything OTC? At least till Monday? Good luck.

Stormy-I got nothin. That is so strange. Definitely tell the Dr. And keep your distance and have Connor keep his!

With Hostess HoHos gone, my comfort food of choice went with it. I tried Walmart's brand of Swiss Rolls Snack Cakes-but they suck! A HoHo will never be able to be replaced. Sigh... :(

Have a decent night all! Mame
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Hi Dewey/Dennis,
I was reading your profile and I wasn't quite sure if you were taking care of your dad or your brother was. If you have someone to share this tremendous responsibility with it surely helps. I'm sorry to know your dad is dealing with cancer. The toothbrush incident may sound like a trivial event, but when your entire life has been overturned by becoming a caregiver for a demented person, everyone of these :little" events can drive you the caregiver over the edge. Your home and life is no longer your own. I know you are new to AC but you might notice this is a long running thread for nearly three years and 26,000 posts later. Cancer and dementia are both terrible diseases but with very different behavioral manifestations. I hope you will stick around and let us get to know you.
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Was I sweating? I'm sorry...I thought I was crying....:)
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Hi Bobbie and Crew,
Yet another sleepless night. Mom didn’t have a great day yesterday. She started hallucinating even before her caregiver came. I told her S. was coming today to give her a bath. She agreed but was still a little agitated. When I came back home 3 hours later, S. told me she refused her bath, wouldn’t use her walker (she only uses it with supervision, I don’t trust her to use it by herself), about fell down and was still hallucinating. She seemed to settle down a little after I got home but still tried to get up every time I walked out of the room. She ate all of her dinner and even had snacks. At 9:30 pm she was starting to fall asleep in her chair. At 10:00 I helped her to her bedroom and got her ready for bed. By 3:30am, I just wanted to be able to go to bed and get some sleep. I made what I hoped would be my last trip upstairs to check on her. I changed her and her bed again and told her she needed to go to sleep, it was the middle of the night. Even though I knew she didn’t comprehend, I was so tired, I just had to say it anyway. After another 45 to 50 minutes, she finally went to sleep. So I finally got to bed about 5:00am. Of course she started waking up at about 7:30. So I maybe got 2 hours of sleep.
I called her doctor this morning to inquire about putting her on medication. We have an appointment on Monday. Hopefully, I can get some sleep between now and then. I’m not sure about medications; I guess I will need to do some research. Her neurologist put her on Aricept when she was in the hospital in November, but it seemed to make the hallucinations and agitation worse, so I took her off the medication. I let her GP know and he said that was okay.
I also plan to look into getting an infra-red camera for her bedroom and another for the living room. I saw one that I should be able to use on my laptop and even has an app available for my tablet and/or phone. I am still researching that. Deef, what kind of setup do you have?
Weather here is 7 degrees right now. Somebody should remind me again why I still live in Ohio. Oh yes, that’s where my kids and my grandkids live.
Hope everyone has a good day.
Hugs to all,
Barb
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Hey there dewey!
caregiving for dementia long?
haha.
lovbob
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Don't sweat the small stuff!!!!!!
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Hey Jen- I have read that parkinson's disease or people with it can display unusual sexual behaviors. Dad has not been diagnosed with PD, but his brother has it and there were times a couple of months ago that his head was shaking and his hands. And also hypothyroidism- they say can cause people to act strangely if the levels are off and he has hypothyroidism. He is suppose to have his levels checked some time soon. I just can't help wondering if it is a disease that would cause this to happen or if he is turning into a dirty old man. He better never try some s%$# like that with me. Love and Hugs stormy
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I understand about the nasty false teeth. Work for a dentist, and would rather help him pull a tooth, than handle some of those dentures. Have gotten so I don't gag anymore.
Hate to admit this, but started a 2nd job. Need the money, and staying busy is good for me.
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For me, it's my mother's false teeth that gross me out. I'm gagging just thinking about them. Cleaning them is absolute hell! The way they feel (through gloves!)...the weight...ugh! Can't deal! :)
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Lucy, can they give your mom something to help with the hallucinations so she won't be so scared? You sure got your hands full with helping your daughter, grnbaby n mom too. I hope u can find time to breath for yourself soon. Sending you warm cyber hug. Take care of yourself.
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I agree stormy ask the doc about it, the fact the stents altered the other forgetful, odd behaviors is telling, there can be sexual acting out in the elderly but it is good the verify if possible where it is coming from...as well as where it is going?....
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Diane, Jen and Deef- I am trying to think back to five years ago and some other things did happen, not in the sexual sense. Dad was forgetting things. Like he left his truck running one day at work, then he left a pot on the stove burning, he left the water running in the kitchen sink. Things like that and sis said that at Christmas 5 years ago he looked like he might be talking a little too long to some of the females or maybe being a little too friendly. I don't know. But since he has had the stents put in he hasn't had anymore of those instances of leaving things running. Just this thing with the neice. It really has sis and I puzzled. And I know sis will not say anything to a dr. because she doesn't want to embarass him. I am just wondering if it could be coming from his thyroid level (tsh) or maybe his heart again. Dad was first diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and then they took out his thyroid gland cause of the tumor, so now he has hypothyroidism. I was just wondering if it is the start of some dementia or alzheimer's what were the most earliest signs or symptoms that ya'll saw??? Thanks ya'll for the advice. I will talk to sis about him going to a dr or maybe just talking to the doctor and see what she says. But I know her and unless it happens again with someone else she is going to leave it alone. We don't have to worry about the neice going up there anymore I think she is done with him and that is sad cause she use to really look up to him and respect him as her papa. Hugs Stormy
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Deef your life is killing me and I am not even there. God how can you stand it!
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Stormy, I think both Diane and Jen are right! Talk to his doctors and see what they can tell you.
Sorry you have to go through this now! What next?
Had Mom by myself all day. She was pretty good for the most part. Kept the sugar intake down, which wasn't too hard as she didn't cooperate very much at meals. She was very agitated before and after lunch, so I asked if she needed to go to the bathroom and she said yes. I got her on the pot and she kept getting distracted and trying to get up. Finally I just said your done playing, let's get your pants up and try later. Well. that was a big mistake!! I didn't know she had dropped this humongous bomb in the toilet and another on the seat as I got her up!! She sat back down on it and I spent the next 15 minutes cleaning us both up!!! Needless to say, she felt better the rest of the day! Such fun!!
It was 55 today so I opened windows and the cats went wild! It felt good to let the fresh air through the house. Looks like some of you are getting or had bad storms today. Hope everyone is okay.
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It is not uncommon but you should seek some help about it, acting out sexually does happen with older people, and if it was never a part of their lives before, it can be related to the brain disorders as you mentioned. Talk to a professional about it like his doctor or a nurse... Lots pf age related services around depending on city size.
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Stormy, that is very strange. I think if your is dad behaving this way because of dementia he would be making inappropriate comments and actions to more than just your niece. I hope someone else can give you some answers.
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CALLING ALL CAREGIVER'S WITH KNOWLEDGE OF ALZHEIMER'S OR DEMENTIA OR ANYBODY ELSE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF BRAIN PROBLEMS!!!
Ok let me start back 5 years ago before my dad got sick with the thyroid tumor. Five years ago my dad was still working at our family grocery business, he was working 50 to 60 hours a week. My neice (my brother's middle child) was working up there also. Well, she came up one day saying that papa was saying dirty things to her and that he had showed her his penis. And that he made her touch him. Ok, now she tells me and sis and we are thinking "WHAT THE F***". Now, my dad has NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS, EVER. So me and sis just knew that something was going on with his brain because we knew that was NOT like our dad. My sis talked to dad and told him that he could not be saying and doing things like that with his granddaughter. He just said ok. Next 3 months later we find out that dad has a blockage in a vein or veins going to his heart. He has the surgery to fix it. During this time my neice stays away for two years and does not see dad. Well, she recently started working at the store again. And yesterday I was working up there with her and she told me that she went up to dads one day after I had left to go get connor from school. She was going up there to get dads truck keys to get his truck to get a load of bottle drinks. She said that while she was sitting in the chair next to dads chair that he unzipped his pants and pulled out his thing. And was talking dirty to her again and she said that she froze. She said that she kept telling him that she had to go and that she needed the truck keys which were in his pants pocket. Finally he goes in his pocket and pulls out the keys and she is holding her hand out to get the keys and he graps her and pulls her down on him forcifully. She said that he was not letting her go but she finally told him that she would come back and she said that he let her go then but he said, "No you won't".
Now sis and I do not understand what is going on with him. He has never tried anything like this with sis or I. Just this one granddaughter. Please if anyone knows of what could be going on with him let me know. This last time happened around Christmas which was like a month in a half ago. What could be going on with him??? Oh and the topper is this granddaughter is a lesbian always has been and she dresses like a boy. Big t shirts, baggy long shorts, no makeup, hair tied in a bun. Any ideas or advice, please. Love and hugs stormy.
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Ok I am sorry I have been MIA. Just getting over the bronchitis a few days ago, now Connor woke up coughing (sounded terrible) this morning. I took him to the dr and he has a touch of bronchitis is what the dr says. He said that it is going around bad. I kept Connor out of school today and I guess I will send him tomorrow to school. He is just coughing some no temperature and really he seems fine but that cough sounded awful this morning. I am going to send this to make sure it goes too. Hugs stormy
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Hey ya'll I am checking in. I tried to post the other day and it got lost. And it pissed me off so I haven't tried again until now. So I am sending this short message to see if it will go. Hugs stormy
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G'mornin! I am sooo tired today. Been working my butt off catching up from all I didn't do last week when sick. Mom is sleeping late today. Sipping my tea...ahhhh.

VERY windy here in CNY. Possible high of 60 today! woohoo! Then, rain and temp dropping like a bomb and then-lake effect snow off Lake Ontario! Should be good for the skiers this weekend!

We gotta get out of this place! I vote yes! for it to be our official song Deef!!

Ha! Although the last post was 10 hours ago-I just got the email that there was a new comment on this thread! A little lag going on here I'd say.

Mentally feeling good this week-hoping it will last. Happy hump day! Mame
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Just thought I would stop by a minute before I get Mom ready to go out for lunch. The temperature is in the 50's today, but headed downwards pretty rapidly. I thought I would get Mom out since she has been stuck in the house for over a week. We will meet Mom's brother and his daughter. Mom really looks forward to these outings. She never says very much but she is happy to be there.
Deef, I have to tell you, I love the song "we gotta get out of this place," The first cassette tape I ever bought was by the Animals and had that song on it. It is so appropriate for our group.
Hope everyone is doing well. Will try to check in later.
Hugs to all,
Barb
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Looked up heat exchangers bobbie was very cool. complex, it said raw water harshest on the works.

Lil very sorry to hear you too are in the club eh. When do these people ever stop. Just Stop and not ruin someone elses life!

Great about the cash influx deef.

"we gotta get out of this place" know it, live it...


getting hammered with snow again...

Jen
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We have 57 degrees right now and rain but buy wed night it will be around 13 degrees and I will be stuck in the outhouse again.
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I'm lurking, and keeping up with reading all the posts. Have to work rest of the week, better get to bed early. Our warm weather is gone, 28 degrees and the wind is blowing 50 mph (gusts up to 70 mph). Put blankets on my 2 old horses tonight. They don't like to be shut in a stall, but the barn door is open.
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I'm in.
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Mom was a mess again today when I picked her up at daycare. Hanging her head back off the chair and feet straight out. Eyes closed tight and just hanging off the chair. By the time we got her coat on and headed for the door, she heard someone say goodbye and peeked her eyes open just enough to see who it was. Then she waved goodbye!!! I'm finding she is pouting like a kid and closes her eyes when she doesn't want to play anymore. Once I got her outside into the cold, she perked right up. I think she gets too hot in there! You know, all old people are cold, so goose the heat way up!!! I've told them before to take her sweater off if she seems too hot, but they don't always think of it. She was roasting!. She was fine when we got home, but I put her to bed for a rest anyway. She got up fine and had a good dinner and went to bed without to much fanfare.
Do any of you remember the 1965 song recorded by the Animals called "We Got to Get Out of This Place" if it's the last thing we ever do? It was sung by soldiers in Viet Nam a LOT!! My coworker used to break out singing that song when we were having a bad day. I say we make it the Care Givers official song!!!
I'm packing my bags tonight and heading out to the other side of the galaxy at 6 AM sharp! Who's joining me?
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Flex there are so many places that need donations -I have a list somewhere off the top of my head is the Lines project-will try to find my list I got from my craft group Birthright which suports women who want to have and keep the baby instead of aboration or giving the baby up for adopation-even where you live there might be places to donate handmade items-my sanity projects are laperobes shawls and baby blankets-if you can knit hats for the hospital nursery-or laperobes for nursing homes.
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Good Evening All

lildeb! that was awful, having that happen to you. Thanks for writing it out. What an amazing group of women.

lucy, it's great to see you and wow, what a full plate.

Yes you can use Namenda alone and don't take no for an answer. My mom was on Namenda for a long time before we started Aricept. Her first doctor wasn't proactive at all so I changed to someone who got it.

Hope you keep posting lucy.

DEEF! $$!! huzza!!!
If you talk to Rip tell her I said hi! Rip!!

Austin, good advice. Hope you're not going to freeze your patooties off.
You too Cuz! Nice picture of the ice/house!

Flex! Mame!! Stormy, Cat, where's judy?, Barb!, Meanwhile!! Jen! Frazzled what's going on?

Everybody!

love you guys,
lovbob
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