A word to the wise that is what caregiver chat is all about. Speaking about any issue on caregiver chat we are discussing what our lives are like now and how we can move that forward in a practical sense.
Ray and I are going away for a few days, Trev and Edie will be using our house as they move into their new rental a few houses down. It has been chaos here for three days as we have all muddled in together.
Yesterday when Ray went off to Daycare Lukie and I went out in the car and d
Facing reality is always tough. I have been doing it a lot lately as I have realised that I am not as strong as I use to be and some of the heavy work I used to do is now not possible. That includes picking Ray up off the floor. Each time I have a massage the masseuse asks me if I know how bad my back is? It is not bones it is the muscles I pull from lifting Ray, they don
It is raining here and I am getting sick of being alone and looking forward to having Ray back home on Monday. It has been lonely without him. I have had a chance to catch up with my studies and providing Trev
Just back from my weekend away, it was so hot! And sleeping in a long low building with bunkrooms on these humid nights was not so much fun but it was a change, and a change is as good as a holiday, or so the saying goes. Pity we were kept so busy but I did get a walk along the lakeshore this morning so I mustn
I got up full of energy this morning so decided once I had showered Ray etc I would make us a quick breakfast and tackle the front garden. I did an hour
Lately I have been fending off people who tell me it is time to put Ray into care. Largely it is because they like me and want me to survive being a caregiver. I know what they mean about the chances being loaded against the caregiver and the posibility that the caregiver will die first. A lot of caregivers do here. And those who outlive their care recipient often don't go on to live a good life as their health finally breaks down from the stress and strain.
I'll go on looking after Ray fo
Time to feed some positives into my blog. So here are some good things about my life.
Trev came over yesterday and steam cleaned the carpets. He is busy with his new little family so I don
It is 3am,
A thud, a groan
Shine the light
He is gone
Down on the floor
Groaning
A pungent smell
Reason for rising
In the dark
Without the light
Crying out
Not again
Make the call
Which service?
Ambulance please
Man down
On his back
Gazing at the ceiling
Pressures and pulses
He seems okay
Previous damage
He's had strokes
Can he get up?
Turn on the shower ma
I hate to even think about it but the summer school holidays finish on Friday and it is time to go back to all the organisations to which we belong to start a new year again. This means the annual general meeting season is upon us with all the usual
Where do you get your inspiration?
I think this is a good question. It has been something I have wondered at all my life. I know where I get my inspiration, it is from the people around me. It is as if there is a vast pool of
5.30pm on Christmas Day, Ray is asleep and I have the house to myself again. The family have all gone and it is so peaceful. We started lunch late, as it was almost 1pm by time everyone arrived. Steve did one pick-up this morning from a nursing home. That meant the whole family arrived late as of course they waited for him to arrive home and change.
The mums insisted that the presents get opened first. It all went well, presents appropriate to size and age, no eye rolling or rude remarks.
I always feel so sorry for the third wife, the first wife gets the years of high energy and vigor, the second wife gets the middle income years and ends up with the money and the third wife gets the pain and suffering and learns the true meaning of:
I spent a few days last week trying to find out what the complaint mechanism process was for putting in an official complaint against my care provider for not sending someone last Friday. In the end I decided it was just too much trouble at this time of the year and I just haven
Some weekends are more like running a marathon than a relaxing time off. We had our grand daughter here from Friday afternoon. I was meant to mind her little brothers all day Friday but finished up only looking after them for a couple of hours late in the afternoon and when Tori came she wanted to stay so soft hearted Granma said:
If you have never been away for a weekend with 20 or so other women I guess you will not understand a lot of what I am writing about here. This was my fourth WAGS Women
Just this weekend to go and Ray is back full-time into my care. And from second week in December it is full-time as that is when all the services disappear until the end of January. That is when all the helping hand agencies take a heap of time off. I guess that is because the volunteers are all old and the Christmas period is full on for them without all they do as volunteers adding to that busyness.
I have spent a lot more time with Mum, which has been really good. I do so feel I negl
