CAREGIVING: This is really a post about the week or so before Kathy passed away. I’m writing so I can remember. I need to go a few steps backward. Then maybe I can move forward. The indications were all there. Kathy was starting to have digestion issues again. Besides having diarrhea, she was regurgitating food. She wasn’t vomiting but when… Read more →
Tag: hospice
House Call: Back from the Hospital
CAREGIVING: Last Thursday my main task was to get Kathy back on hospice again. Because she went to the hospital for a procedure to “extend her life” – the feeding tube – she had to be discharged from Mercy Hospice. Now that she was back home she could be readmitted to hospice. I had called the hospice to let them… Read more →
Wednesday in the ER
CAREGIVING: Last Wednesday started out kind of normal. Louise arrived to help wash Kathy and help me change her. Since she arrives at 10 am on Wednesdays, that gives me a chance to give her her medicine and clean her teeth. And to take a shower, myself. Kathy’s nights have been restful since the last scare. It was probably a… Read more →
An Update
CAREGIVING: A quick update and thank you for all the support I have received. It means a lot. I received some lovely comments on Facebook. I realize this is therapeutic for me, but it makes other people sad. It hits close to home. Kathy has rebounded (a little) from last week. I’m not kidding myself about the future or anything. There seems to… Read more →
Second thoughts; and third ones too
CAREGIVING: This week was another wild ride emotionally. The big debate was whether Kathy should be taken to the hospital. I was having second thoughts and third thoughts and more. I mean, it isn’t like it is life or death… Oh, wait it is. These are tough decisions, and probably some of the toughest ones you and I have to… Read more →
Using the Hoyer lift
CAREGIVING: I wanted to show the process for getting Kathy into her wheelchair and back into bed. It is always easier when one of the aides helps out, but here are a few photos of the procedure. I used to use the Hoyer lift to go straight-ahead into the chair. But a physical therapist showed me how to lift her over… Read more →
Declining? (Part 2)
CAREGIVING: When we last checked in I was told Kathy was “declining.” That episode was probably related to medication issues – Atropine, in particular. By the next nursing visit, her vitals were pretty good. Unfortunately, caregiving is a rollercoaster. What goes up doesn’t keep going up. Each up is lower than the last up. You are lucky if you level out for a day. Or… Read more →