AHHH moment.

Sweetie and her "Boys".

On the Dementia Facebook page have seen it, and we send our comfort to those who post it. My mom, dad, LO, got their wings today. With a short note of the length of time spent caring for that person. We say our good byes, and move on. 

I was watching a YouTube clip about death, and there was this AHHH moment. Those of us who are caring for their loved ones, waiting for that release, is a simple fact that is overlooked. It is very simple, our loved ones dies with Dementia, not that Dementia is the cause of death. 

The cause of death could be something else, a heart attack, cancer, pneumonia, broken hip, ect. That maybe the cause of death, but because they are also suffering with Dementia, Alzheimer's or some other form of Dementia, we assign the death to Dementia. 

With that in hand, my job is to make sure that Sweetie is as healthy as she can be. That she is eating good, kept as clean as possible, and getting enough sleep, so she can live as much of a productive life that she can. 

Saturday

My lady is coming over this morning to relieve me of my Sweetie duties. I'm ready for a break.   

She is late because of some family duties that she had to do, and that is all right with me. Later is better then no relief at all. 

Knowing that Sweetie is safe, and she is on her way, I leave to start my day. Phone in hand, I check and see that she has arrived and all is good. 

I had a very good round, the best in a long time. Missed my second hole-in-one by 2". I could see where the ball landed next to the cup and rolled back a couple of inches. Over all it was the best round in a long time. I had 2 birdies, which was another first ever. 

When I got home, Sweetie was glad to see me, and gave me a big hug. 

Wanting to do something different, decided that it would be a good day to get the car washed. So, loading the stuff needed to finish the wash, we headed to my favorite drive through carwash. 

I hadn't washed this car for a long, long time. Over a year, and so it needed to, not just washed, but vacuumed and windows washed, inside and out. Took a camping chair for Sweetie to sit in while I did the work. It works out well for her, and even with the noise of the carwash, she would nod off for a short nap. 

 

The tall one, in the picture above, in the white t-shirt is turning 17 soon. And as the desire of a young man, he want to get his driver's license. It is only fitting that to have that privilege, he will need a car. 

It was going to be Sweetie's old Mazda, but #1 daughter did what she is famous for, and we had to donate it to charity. So, dad found a 1995 Kia Sportage, is great condition, low, very low mileage and got it for him. 

He doesn't know it, and I suspect his parents don't think of it this way, but the weening process has begun. He is being prepared to leave the nest, and it will interesting to watch how they proceed. 

The car was a good reason to head over there and get some time away from the house, and I can get some adult conversation. When we got there dad was taking son out for a "shake down" drive in his new to him car.

As son was giving his son a tour of the car, I had to leave, for I wanted to add my knowledge of cars to what was being shared. I knew that this wasn't the time for me to be a big buttinski. 

After that, we head back to our side of town, for a meeting, and home. Sweetie was tired, and had a rough time eating. 

Something I'd learned about CBD. Sometimes, wanting her to stay at a good emotional level, I'll give her more CBD, more than she needs, and it may slip her over to a depression state, and that isn't good either. Always learning about how this stuff works, and add in the fact that each day her Dementia is different too. 

The Road to Dementia Town, had its curves today. Driver kept us in the middle of the lane, and off we went, Keeping our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv Ya, and God Bless.   

A lighting flash.

The forest

Can't see the forest for the trees? So close to what I'm seeing that I can't see what I'm seeing. Sounds confusing, and it is. 

Living with Dementia for as long as I have, sometimes the view from a mountain top isn't what it should be. The ability to see for miles and miles doesn't happen. I can be on the mountain top and only see that my boots are untied. I loose prospective of what is going on and what we are living through. 

I'm not perfect and yet I still try, as much as I know better, to control Sweetie. It is like telling the rain not to fall, or, the thunder not to clash after a lighting flash. It will happen, either right now, or a time after the flash. It will happen and there isn't anything I can do to stop it. 

What I can do, is wait. Wait for the storm to pass, the street to dry, and then the flowers to bloom. To smell the clean air, to see clearly, and if I'm lucky, see the rainbow afterwards. 

Friday 

It wasn't pretty, getting Sweetie up this morning. She seemed happy to see me, that was a good thing. It was the getting her up and the attempt to get her started that proved to be the problem. She had a real hard time with her balance, and it seemed that any attempt to walk was most difficult for her. 

We were able to make it to the bathroom, and with great care, on to the toilet. Once there, she acted as if she was going to faint. She couldn't stand up, and those times she tried, I had to help her sit back down. 

We waited until she could muster enough strength to stand and telling her that she needed to go back to bed, and I needed her to help me get her back there. She seemed to understand and with her help we made it. 

She was out, and would stay out for quite some time. Turning on TV, for to give her something to watch, if she got up, off I went. 

Watching her on my phone, I saw that she was in bed until I was on my way back home. When I got back, she was back in bed and asleep again. Knowing that she needed her sleep, I let her alone until she woke up. 

This time, she was up, happy, and hungry. She hadn't eaten since last night, so first thing was her applesauce. It is turning into her favorite food. As she ate her applesauce, I made her her half sandwich and milk. 

She was in good spirits after that, so we headed out. Walk about and some grocery shopping. Got it done with smiles left over. She was a different person then yesterday, or this morning. 

We finished our day with dinner, a short walk to get the 'vette, and to a meeting. Back home, we finished the day with cookies and milk, and TV. 

It seems that Driver had a difficult time getting the car started this morning. "Not to worry yourself about this, I'll have it fixed in no time." He told us. Sure enough, He no longer slipped out of the driver's seat, opened the hood, and with a tweak here and a twist there, He was back in the car and we were off. Down the Road to Dementia Town, for another day of ups and downs, twist and straights, and as always, Keeping our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv Ya, and God Bless. 

We hit some loose gravel.

A Happier day.

Don't leave them alone. I've been told that from the beginning. I've been told so many things that over the years I've begun to wonder, under what circumstance? Does mowing the lawn, with Sweetie watching TV, is that the leaving her alone that was meant by that saying? Doing short errands? Is there a time limit? What if they do not want to go with you? 

As the only caregiver for Sweetie, I have to make those decisions. With a better understanding of what is acceptable and what isn't, through time and experience, I have come to this conclusion, it depends. 

There are times when Sweetie gets into a snit, and there isn't anything I can do about it. I know that it is an emotional expression of her being pissed at me for something that she cannot express. Leaving her alone, is one example of what I'm talking about. Even if it is outside for a time and she cannot find me in the house, is when I find myself at the end of her not being happy with me. 

Thursday

All the time I thought she was sleeping, turned out that she was clinging to the edge of the bed. Not knowing what to do, she just stayed there. 

When I came in, she was happy to see me, for I was going to rescue her from her peril. She was ready to get up. So, the day begins. 

The morning went well, but I could tell she wasn't herself, off just a bit, and as the day went on, the more edgy she got. 

After the lawns being mowed, and doing some work on Tweety, replaced hood supports, she even became more restless. Which was going to be the theme of the evening. 

After dinner, my plans were that we would walk to get the corvette, then go to a meeting, and then home. In her mind that wasn't going to happen. She didn't want to go for a walk, which lead to me going to get the corvette without her, which pissed her off even more. 

She paced the house, sat on the other side of the room, wouldn't sit with me. Then back to bed and up again, sit and then sit with me, only to get up and do it all over again. 

It wasn't until I was able to get some Stress Relief lotion on her hands that she was able to relax. I stayed away until it was my bedtime, and she was still tossing and turning, but it seemed like she was heading back to sleep. I know when she doesn't get much sleep, she can be like a bear coming out of hibernation. We'll see what awaits me as the morning and day progress. 

It looked like we hit some loose gravel today. Driver was able to skillfully navigate through the hazard on this, the Road to Dementia Town. We would loose traction, and the small stones sounded worse than they were, as they hit the bottom of the car. He found us a place to spend that night that was safe and comfortable. Soon the sun will be rising, and morning will begin another day, on the road, while we Keep Our Shiny Side Up. C'ya, Luv Ya, and God Bless.