I invite you to log onto the home page - www.thealzheimerspouse.com - and read today's blog. Another eye-opening day yesterday. Please post your suggestions for preparedness here. Thank you.
No suggestions right now, Joan, but I want to mention that your blog about "Sooner than later" some time ago stayed in my mind and encouraged me to go and ahead and look into day care for my DH, although I didn't think it would be needed for some time. But the place I was interested in just happened to not have a waiting list, and things got on a fast track so he started Monday and I HOPE he'll go back on Thursday.
Welcome to the real world. The things we prepare for don't always happen. Sometimes we just have to fly by the seat of our pants and take care of things when they happen.
Joan, The same thing happened to me after a spinal shot for back pain. The last time I had one I could not walk for hours. DH was still driving then and I went to the car from a wheel chair. When we got home I had to crawl into the house from the garage. No more lumbar shots for me
I have had over a doz lumbar shts ver the last 2 years and no problem whatsoever. I did receive a pill that was not considered to be anathesia but more like a pill that was more like amnesia. I did not remember any pain and was able to walk out on my own but did have a family member drive. The shots did work but not for very long. Now I have a spinal cord stimulater in the back and it does a good job of masking the pain which can be extremely bad without the stimulator.
But, didn't we read last week an article that said that anathesia did not have any negative effects on Alzheimer's?????? I was sure that my DW was adversely affected in the early stages of AD. I sure was convinced bu that and other threads on this board that anasthesia was a definite no no. ?????????
It's a chance, from everything I've read - but a friend's father, in maybe stage 3 or 4, just had surgery for stage ONE rectal cancer - I don't think it was a very complicated situation, and he came out of it fine.
Joan, this was a very unfortunate situation that you and Sid had to experience. I have one question: If Sid was having so much trouble getting into the car, couldn't that nurse have brought him back into the clinic (or whatever facility) and monitored his situation for another hour or so--to make sure he was indeed all right, and to make sure you would be able to manage him when you got home?
I hate to say this, but "drive through" day surgery centers are like assembly lines. Get them in. Get them out. Time to go - bye. You're on your own.
I don't know where my brain was - I thought of this tonight - I should have left Sid in the car in the driveway when we got home, walked over to the ALF, which is a 3 minute walk, and borrowed a wheelchair. DUH! If I ever need a wheelchair in an emergency again, I hope my brain remembers to go to the ALF and get one.
Joan--I had thought about that when I read the blog. I guess because you've been living there for such a short time, it didn't occur to you. Also, would they have had a staff member who could have come over to assist you get Sid into the house? I would have considered it an emergency.
Someone who had gone through a difficult dementia diagnosis with her mother told me that what she wanted me to know was that none of the things she feared most with her mother happened. I took that as a reminder that expect the unexpected can go both ways.
All of you - do know you can buy inexpensive "transport chairs" at many drugstores, I'm sure WalMart as well. I've found it invaluable to have one at the ready, usually keep it in the back of the car just in case.
If you can pick up one of those nice walkers with the seat (and brakes and big wheels), they can work as a wheel chair in a bind. You just have them sit on the seat and push them backwards. That is what my sister use to do for her husband.
Agreed, Briegull. DH's transport chair always stays in the trunk unless I am going out by myself and need the space for shopping. He doesn't always need it but better safe than sorry. It's been especially helpful when visiting a location for the first time and finding out there is a long walk he could not do with just the walker. As many have found out recently, our LOs abilities can change drastically in a very short period of time. I highly recommend considering the purchase of a transport chair or the walker with seat as Charlotte suggested -- before you really need it.
I recently had to leave town. We did have family to stay with DH overnight. He is safe during the day, but now can't do tasks and is bored, so I have someone come in and work with him or he goes to Day Care. Overnight...he cannot do. My back-up to family was several organizations who provide in-home as well as overnight services: Care Consultants for the Aging, Home Instead, etc. And I have a friend whose husband stayed at a memory unit overnight several days. That worked well for her as she did not have to worry. He wasn't crazy about the stay, but then does not like anything to change. We have visited facilities and DH has had a say as to which he would like to stay overnight at/move into. Of course final details will depend on the need at the time. They all are slightly different, BUT we picked three. However, you need to re-interview about once a year, as director change can make a world of difference.
Re Day Care, look around. The memory units run day cares, and these are not always older folks. My husband goes to an adult Day Care run by a a rehabilitation hospital here in town. There are some quite young (early 40's) people there.
What a good idea. I sure hope my brain works better during the next emergency. I could have very easily gone into the house and gotten the computer chair. Thanks for that tip.