Caring for the elderly

I have been taking care of my Mom since March 4th, 2009, in Regional Medical Hospital with Dr. Harralson, and Dr. Wood, three floors of nurses now, the emergency room staff, and Dr. Fellows all involved in a team effort to make her better. Mom is the widow of a retired Methodist minister and lived alone until the ice storm evacuation. There Diana and I found she needed more help daily and had more health care issues. I ended up calling Wound center on some pressure sores and with Betty's help and Dr. Larson got them treated. We found out she had only 82 on oxygen and that lead us to the emergency room, Dr. Harralson a fine young man, and being admitted. She went from third floor, to 4th floor after surgery, to 6th floor transitory care under medicare rules. The surgery was to remove a ping pong sized stage II tumor out of her urinary bladder that has been making her anemic for days and since that was her 12th cancer surgery in her life at age 92, that was a lot for her to go through. The nurses have been good to her and physical therapy has worked with her to get her up to the hallway, to sit in a chair out of the bed, and to move around with even exercies in bed for range of motion. Movement like breath is life and she is still on oxygen. Working to have roles reverse, getting the care for quality of life the best I can, and trying to handle all of mom's business including the destruction of her meter, the yard trees, and fence damage while dealing with three insurance claim adjusters while Mom needed care has been hectic. I have learned the role of care giver includes having good days, bad days, and sometimes painful days of worry where you go in the room as sunshine no matter how much your mind whirls when you leave that room. I have used the time while she was in care to get feed her at meal time to encourage her to eat while working on getting projects here done. I have worked hard to get her direct deposit control, get her projects maintained, keep her home safe while getting my home prepped to have the front bedroom become her room near the guest bathroom facing the front for a view. I may need to center a hospital bed on an air mattress plugged in backing up the house with a generator, where I can help turn her on a turning sheet and prop her off the pressure wounds even in that mattress. Elderly care I am trying to learn how quickly. Thankfully I have family and friends that care about me and that helps make a difference. It is really a blessing.

Peyton