JOAN’S WEEKEND BLOG – SEPTEMBER 12/13, 2009 – JOAN GETS AN A+ - from Sid!

Stop the presses! Hold the phone! The world is spinning. My Alzheimer’s Diseased husband, who has not exactly been Mr. Pleasant for the last 3 years, gave me a HUGE compliment today. He said I get an for moving us to these Independent Living villas.

He thought it was a good idea before we moved; he has been understandably confused, exhausted, and cranky, since we finished moving at 10 PM on Monday, August 31st. But today, it all came together, and he was pleased as could be with what has occurred in the last 11 days:

We have had a different supper delivered to our door every night. You would think “delivered” would be the operative word in this scenario, and for me, it is. But for him, “different” is where the enjoyment lies. I have been too busy, too tired, and totally uninterested in the job, to cook. If I cooked chicken one night, I made sure there was enough for the next two nights. More often than not, supper consisted of a salad with some kind of protein thrown into it, or call in, take out, or eat out. Each of the villa dinners is portion controlled (good for both of us), and balanced with protein, vegetable, starch, and a small dessert.

On Thursday morning, the cleaning man wheeled his cart down the street and into my house, where he proceeded to wash the floors, clean the bathrooms, wash the kitchen sink, counters, and appliances, and even supplied trash bags for every wastebasket in the house. Then cheerily announced, “See you next week, Miss Joan.”

On Friday morning at 10 AM, we walked across the street to water aerobics, which Sid thoroughly enjoyed. When we were finished, he and our neighbor sat, drying in the sun, and talking, which was when they discovered that both of them are going on the Men’s Club fishing trip Saturday morning.

After our showers, we sat with his appointment book, and I filled in his activities for the next 10 days. He was excited to learn that we are going TOGETHER on a restaurant trip next week.

On Friday night, as we were eating our stuffed shells, green beans, and garlic bread, he put his arm around me, and said – “You get an A+ for moving us here.”

I was thrilled, not only that he is happy and able to express it, but that he actually appreciated something I worked so hard to do for him (and me), to bring more quality and less stress to our lives.

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The Alzheimer Spouse LLC
2009 All Rights Reserved

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