Getting Help.....yay!!!

[Janet]

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. A hospital bed will be delivered for Mom and then finally some help. It will take about 1.5 hours for them to get all the information about Mom, but there will be a therapist to get Mom's strength up, a nurse and a home health aide to help Mom with personal things. I really hope this works out, the other one didn't. One thing about this time is Mom is looking forward to it also. She finally sees that I can't do it all on my own and is even willing to pay for what Medicare doesn't. I am so hopeful that I can feel it in my heart.

Mom is in a wheel chair for now. She just doesn't have the strength to stand by herself without help. So she really understands now.

[gja1000]

Janet, I am so happy to hear that things are working out for you and your mom. And I am very encouraged to hear that your mom is amenable to accepting help and that she understands that she needs help, especially that she is going to use the wheelchair. I think it will make things so much better.

[JJJ]

I'm glad your mom is finally getting the help she needs. Hopefully she will gain her strength back soon. It's wonderful to hear she's actually happy to be getting the help.

[lynne b]

Oh Janet, I hope this works out for you, you so need the help and glad your mom is willing to accept it now. Good luck today!!

[judy]

This is wonderful, Janet! You and Mom both need the help. She may complain, but I bet that this will help her health a lot!

[Lindsey]

I am so glad to see this Janet! I hope it works out!

[Janet]

I really liked this nurse, everything about her. It took a little over an hour for her to record all of Mom's meds and her history. Then she spent time with Mom...evaluating her and getting to know her. She really has a nice approach, but I could tell Mom wasn't ready to be 'open' totally....it takes her time. After the nurse left I reminded her that she better get with the program because if she didn't then she was going to a nursing home. I told her I can't do it on my own so she better watch her attitude towards these people coming to help. I just had to be blunt...not to hurt her but to be firm on expectations. I think she gets it...lol

[gja1000]

Good for you Janet. Unfortunately, as we age, we lose our social graces - that part of the brain just goes. The other day my mom told a man she was going to hit him over the head with her cane if he didn't leave her alone (he was only trying to talk to her). AND THEN SHE TOLD ME SHE SAID IT. :eek: A few years ago she would never, in a million years, have said that to anyone. The point is that your mom really doesn't want "strangers" helping her, and she may say so, or act as such. Most nursing personnel understand that, but you can also understand that they get tired of that kind of attitude all the time. So telling your mom to behave is help her set boundaries on her behavior. It might not solve all of the problem, but it might help a little bit. And it is true - if she runs off the help, you may have to run her off (to the nursing home).

[DianaB]

I'm so glad that you're finally getting some help for your Mom. It is too much for one person to handle on her own. It's so hard to hear of how your Mom is losing so much strength. You're both in my prayers!!! Hugs!!!

[Janet]

Just an update....we love the nurse, Mom has really warmed up to her AND the Physical Therapist. She absolutely loves the Home Health Aide, but still not sure about the Occupational Therapist (he's a man and really nice). The first PT we had we both didn't care for but this one is a keeper.

I still have trouble getting Mom to do the exercises. She whines for me, but does great for the therapist. I'm glad they are here and helping and especially that they are so nice. I really like them all. The only complaint....I always know what day they are coming....but never what time of day. Other than that....it's so nice to have some help.

[DianaB]

I'm so glad that things are working out so well!!!

[Janet]

I'm so glad that things are working out so well!!!
So far so good. The PT projects that she'll only be here two more weeks. If Mom accomplishes her goals, then the PT can't come anymore.

[paula1961]

I'm so happy to hear that the new nurse is working out! I'm so glad you are getting some help. I pray for you and your Mom everyday.

[DianaB]

Your Mom really needs to work to get her strength back up and that means doing the exercises!!!! Glen's Mom wouldn't do them so she just sat in a chair all day long.....only getting up when she HAD to.......and had everything brought to her. That's no way to live!!!

[Janet]

That is exactly what Mom would rather do...just sit. I did tell her that if she became wheel chair bound that she would have to go to a nursing home, I just won't be able to lift her.

[DianaB]

That's what Glen was dealing with with his mother. She had lost strength and one night she got so bad that he could barely get her in bed. That was when she went to the hospital but IF she would have come home it would have been to a nursing home. People just don't have handles to help move them around and it's difficult.

[Janet]

That's for sure. The PT just called and said she would try and be here close to noon tomorrow. I told Mom and she gave that look and said she didn't feel like doing therapy....lol....I told her to get herself ready and in the mood because she was doing them tomorrow.

[DianaB]

:sidesplit::sidesplit::sidesplit:

[Janet]

She thinks that just because the time with the therapists is coming to an end that she won't have to do the exercises anymore.....they have left diagrams and instructions for us so she is going to be doing them. I have to be careful with her though.....she is getting weaker and tires easily and I don't want her to overdo it, but she just can't sit and do nothing all day.

She always has an excuse......but I know her tricks really well.....LOLOL

[gja1000]

Gary and my mom are the same way - drives me CRAZY! When either of them are in therapy, they do NOTHING at home. Why is that? I just don't understand when someone tells you that you can get better, or stronger, or have more stamina, or WHATEVER, that they just sit on their butts and do nothing. Do they think the magic fairy is going to wave her wand over them and they will be just fine. Drives me crazy, I tell ya!

Gary did the STUPIDEST thing this week. I don't know if I told you but he got in to bad trouble with a high potassium a few weeks ago because he had leg cramps and wanted bananas for them. He CANNOT have bananas becasue his potassium is too high. If it gets higher than it already is, his heart can stop (they use potassium for lethal injections in the death penalty - when your potassium is too high, your heart stops). He knows this, but he ate a banana every day for four days (unbeknownst to me). 3 different doctors were calling after he had blood work done because his potassium was dangerously high.

So, what does he do the other day while out fishing???? He eats a banana. I was so mad at him, I could have spit. He knows better - just like he knows he should do is PT exercises, or whatever he is supposed to do. He just thinks he knows best or can get away with it. Sometimes I just want to scream!

[Janet]

I don't know why they do it either Gayle and it drives me crazy too. Mom's problem is her potassium gets critically low because of the diuretics (?) and dialysis. The last two times she was in the hospital it was critical. She has to take the pills but has a very hard time with them. She doesn't eat very much anymore and could easily keep it good with diet, but she won't.