Tonight I'm sitting at the computer when hb comes in holding a spoon towards me: "Here; this is clean." Me: "Good; you can put it in the silverware drawer. Thank you." Hb: "You take it; I want you to feel involved." And he was quite serious! Nothing like putting a spoon away to feel involved. I ALREADY feel too involved. rofl
If I had only known it was this simple:::::::: yesterday was Memorial Day, we had some family over and was taking about me leaving for a few days...... just talking, not really happening...... I asked my dh how would he handle things if I were to go off for a few days? He said just great.... He would remember where everything was and take care of himself. I said you would? He said, Yes, if you leave for two days I will remember everything for one week. If you leave every week for two days I will remember it all again for one week......I am guessing if it were this simple there would be less caregiver issues. We would all get a vacation every week for two days......
Yes, Mammie, remember that thing called a "weekend" that we used to have? It was a sort of mini-vacation from your job and it came around every week. Also, whomever we worked for was nice enough to give us a paycheck in exchange for our hard work. For those of us no longer in the workforce, I think that was a better deal than our current "jobs"!!!!
There was an item in our paper today about a 90 year old man killing his wife with a hatchet. The picture they had of him I am wondering if he had AD...his eyes have that empty look. DH saw it and said something about it and I told him he better not think of doing that to me. He said "Oh no, your my ace in the hole." Alrighty then.
I've been aware for some time that dh can no longer follow the score of the tennis that we watch on TV: he doesn't even know who's winning. I'm just happy he's often willing to watch it for an hour. Today he was watching some obscure players on the first day of Queen's, this quaint little grass tournament in London. He usually doesn't say a word so when he said "That stupid jerk" (this is a friendly translation of what he said in Dutch) I looked up from my newspaper to watch the replay. Dh was right, the player had made a feeble attempt at a drop shot and got properly clobbered. DH sounded mournful when he said "And there -- he did it again."
A few minutes later we saw the same player slip on the grass and fall. I said "Look, he fell down" (pretty obvious but I try to keep up a running commentary to encourage his interest). "Yup," says DH a little later. "Twice."
DH and I went to church yesterday. We haven't been in several weeks. He can't follow the service very well, but about half way through the service he whispered to me, "This is a nice service and church. I think we ought to come here more often". He loved passing the Peace and greeted everyone near and far! Alrighty then!
I have an alarm on the door of our apartment to warn me when my wife tries to escape. Recently it has fallen off several times (it is held on by sticky tape) so I took it off and put it on the table in front of our sofa. My wife was checking things on the table and picked up the alarm. She then started pushing buttons. Suddenly it went off with a very LOUD alarm, which really scared her. She had pushed the panic button. For the next several minutes she kept apologizing for hitting it.
It is very seldom that I leave DH on the weekend but this past Saturday I was gone for several hours. On Sunday he asked me if I was going to leave again and was pleased when I told him I had nowhere to go. Later in the day he said to me "I like hanging out with you". Awwwwww wasn't that sweet?
I think this will qualify as an "alrighty then" moment. DH has been really good yesterday and today, not much - hardly any- asking the same question, etc. Very good natured, laughing.
He just got in bed and called me in there, said he wanted a kiss. I kissed him and then he said, "I don't hurt anywhere today, you need to kiss me more often!"
My DW had put her slacks on backwards and said “something’s not right”. I said I was sorry I wasn’t there to help her and she said “that’s what you’re here for”.
I got a call from the N. home this week informing me that DW had taken a fall. I went there to help figure out if she was ok. She doesn't hardly ever say anything anymore and you just don't know if she would be able to communicate if something hurts. After about 30 minutes we concluded she was probably ok. However, she was very out of it. I stuck around to make sure she was stable. After a little bit, out of the blue she pulled her shirt out away from her tummy and said to me "there's no baby in here".
A few minutes ago our CA Andrew came to change L. and put him to bed. As we left him in his room for the night we said, goodnight, L. He said goodnight L. - and then, pointing his finger in the air - That was a typo!!
Vickie, Your DH made a remark like mine does..When he is asked how he feels, he always says " I feel great! I don't hurt anywhere." It must be those kisses he gets for sure. Next time he says that at the doctor's office I am going to say he gets so many hugs and kisses there is no room for owies.
My DH asked me again tonight how old he was. I told him I was 40 (really 82) and he looked at me with a puzzled look then he said that's a good age. Then he said the way you are built up that sounds about right. Alright then.
Not sure this comes under the alrighty then or "My heart has just restarted" discussion. Was getting my DH ready for his shower when, just as we entered the bathroom, he hollers "RAT", "there's a rat in there" and shoves me in the bathroom and closes the door. After I restarted my heart I turned to see a millipede running across the floor! I said don't holler "rat" if there isn't one and he just casually said "same thing!".
It was a nice day so I tore myself away from spider solitaire long enough to take a bicycle trip with Dh to his favorite restaurant on the river. The cycle path took us along our local golf court, and the golfers were out in droves. I called DH's attention to the colorful spectacle. He wouldn't look, stared straight ahead and his reaction was grumpy and a bit belligerent. "I've seen them before." Taking the advice of someone on here a while back who recommended praising our spouses for their past achievements, I thought I'd put him in a better mood by mentioning the day he once spent on this golf course, apparently quite successfully. Me: "Hey, remember when the Rabobank invited you to that corporate golf outing and you won that trophy for being "Rookie of the Year?" DH: (even more belligerent) : What? Today??? Me: "No . . ." Dh: "Well I didn't think so." and cycled on with great satisfaction, having put me firmly in my place.
Okay, I finally have an "alrighty, then" moment to share with you all. Please pardon my irreverance.
Friday, I went to the DMV to have the title to my truck changed over to my name alone (was previously the only piece of property owned jointly by John and I). John had signed the space where he would need to if he were to sell or retitle it, some time ago. The clerk took my title and went to talk to her supervisor. I had explained what my mission there was and that my husband was now departed. When she came back, she pointed to his signature and said, "So, you say he signed this before he passed?" ............... ALRIGHTY, THEN!
We were coming out of the bakery going back to the small parking lot. My DW had been good about getting into the passenger side; but, you know how these things suddenly change.
She'd gotten into the back seat. I was startled and said, "No. No. The other door." so she got out of the back seat, turned to the car parked next to us and pulled open the drivers door.
The look on the man's face sitting there still makes me smile!
Recently, I bought DH some new socks (which had wanted for quite a while). After he got dressed, I asked how the new socks were. He said they were great and he was so excited about them he tied his shoe before he put it on his foot!
Forget Reader's Digest....I think one of us should put the best of these together and publish our own little book of AZ humor (only AZ spouses or caregivers would even understand). Proceeds could go to Alz. Assoc.? We could title it, "I May Have Alzheimer's But At Least I Don't Have Alzheimer's". (and I don't mean any irreverance, seriously) Just think that's a good title for a book with that kind of humor.
Something for the book. We have been living in a travel trailer for over a month. We come home and I park the travel trailer next to the house while we unload. It is dinner time and I cook, usually while I cook DW will try to set the table. I noticed that she kept going outside . She had forgotten where the we keep the dishes in our home, so she went outside and took them from the travel trailer.
stunt girl I think we could all fill a chapter,one holiday as we sat down to dinner the phone rang an she said I'll get it,we all continued to eat an talk while she was in a heated conversation( with herself we found out later)she brought the phone to the table an handed it to me an said they won't talk to me,uh no wonder it was the remote control for the TV,I like the title,I'll stand back an watch for more episodes
My hb dresses in the layered look: up to 4 shirts, 2 pants, and 2 or 3 pairs of socks. Okay if it isn't too noticeable when we go out. Today he misunderstood me and thought we were going someplace. He has shorts on, (I think only one pair). Belt on, but not through any loops. A knee high white sport sock showing on one foot. (I can tell there's another sock of some sort under this one) and a little lower than mid-calf black sock on the other foot. Comes to the computer room where I'm working and says, "Okay, I'm ready to go." NOT I suggested he might want to match his socks, but we weren't going anywhere that he'd misunderstood. He gets angry when I suggest he wear anything that he hasn't put on w/o my "help." Yesterday he said, (after I'd suggested a clothing change) "You're always trying to make yourself better when you tell me stuff like that." I can't imagine not being happy when he'll wear whatever I lay out or suggest. I'm tired of his anger over this; not driving doesn't bother him. lol
Zibby don't sweat the small stuff. At least your LO put some clothes on. A sporadic matter here just get some underwear on him. If he had on mismatched clothes I wouldn't care a bit.
Thanks, carosi, for bringing me back to perspective. I don't care if he's mismatched at home or with family, our small church, but I still care how he looks when we're in the "general populace." I think of it sort of like our daughter has spoken of our profoundly multi-handicapped granddaughter: she *has* to look nice and behave appropriately when we're out because people look at her as a reflection of how we care for her. The other kids can have holes in their jeans and dirty faces:) Guess it's our hang-up:) But it is the "small stuff" w/hb; so I'll have to adjust.
Zibby, You're so right about the appearance of the LO as a reflection of how we care for them. That's exactly what I feel but have not been able to articulate it like that. Now that you have done it for me, it may be easier for me to think -- so what do I care? and not worry too much about what he looks like at the local supermarket.
Yes, proceeds to joan's site here. This is where the great stories came from, after all! Ummmm...how would one go about putting something like the book I imagined together? Besids simply beginning to collect the little anecdotes posted here. Wouldn't one have to get releases from each author?
The other night, when I had a hospice volunteer (male) taking care of my wife while I went to Rotary, he said that, when he went to take her to dinner, she walked to the door with him, thanked him for visiting, and then tried to shut the door with him outside and her inside. He had to shove his foot in the door to keep her from closing it and locking him out.