On our local PBS station on Sunday morning, there a show called Second Opinion which covers a different health/medical topic each week. This Sunday the show is going to be on hospital delirium. The last time it was on, I took notes as fast as I could during the whole show, because I thought it was so important. Any older person who winds up in the hospital is at risk for hospital delirium--in other words, if not our spouses, it could be us. I cannot recommend this show highly enough. I think it could save lives, and gives us ammunition to not give in to doctors who tell us that hospital delirium is "normal in older people". (I'm getting really tired of that phrase.)

This same show also had a very, very good show on caregiver burnout.

If this show is not on where you live, you can find the video to watch at: https://www.secondopinion-tv.org/

Was looking for some way to spend some I have in my savings so bought the tags for the motorhome -had not been licensed in 4 years. Was leaving there and my car was acting up- shaking. Managed to get it going and hobble into Toyota 10 miles away, praying I make it. I made it on the electric engine mostly - the gas was misfiring they said- broken spark plug. Was trying to find out when they were changed - guess they were the originals from 2001. I vaguely remember at 100,000 they said they still looked good.

Update: made it home with the car. I asked how the hybrid batteries were since the diagnostics is suppose to check the hybrid system - computer gave no indication of problems which is good.

Stopped at Costco to fill up with gas since tomorrow hb has an appointment with his primary about that rash (he should actually have to do something other than sit in front of his computer). Then we head to Walla Walla VA for eye exam so I can get him some glasses. Anyway, got the hot dogs for dinner. Sent him to go fix his hot dog while I got my drink. Came back to him and he was filling his glass with mustard, catsup and relish. Asked him what he was doing - the glass was for his drink. Answer: I'll drink it! Took his glass to get a clean one while he fixed his hot dog - which he did this time. Filled his cup so would not have to worry about that. Now he is sitting in his chair snoozing which he usually does when he gets home from day care.

Took him to his doctor appointment here in town at 11. Left there, went to McD's to get drinks to for drive to Walla Walla (65 miles). Started the car and did the same thing as yesterday. Hobbled to Toyota 10 miles away. They couldn't believe it was still doing it especially since it was fine for the trip home and when they drove it. Nice of them to not charge me the $125 to scope it or labor. Say #1 misfiring - coil. Instead of just replacing one, I chose to replace all 4. You know the saying - one goes and they all go! I had a choice between after market with no warranty or Toyota parts for $20 more and a one year warranty. I chose the Toyota. If still a problem could be jets but hopefully this will fix it. Glad I had the extra money.

I let the Medicaid lady know the savings was going to be $400+ dollars poorer! She needed one more piece of info on a accidental policy I have through the credit union. She says the financials are all done. Once we meet with the social worker, who I have not heard from yet, then she can tell me exactly how much I will keep of our income. She said the minimum amount Medicaid requires is $65.00 a month.

Now home without a car. The parts will be in tomorrow morning so will have it back sometime tomorrow. No trips planned until I know it is running good. There is an antique and junk show in one of the parks tomorrow that I wanted to go to. It will depend on when I get the car back.

I agree. Many here have dealt with this behavior including peeing in the heat registers, garbage cans, shoes, closet, - anywhere else they can aim it. I would like to say this behavior is limited to men, but I have read of similar for men. The shoes - how do you ever get them cleaned?

He broke his watch band this morning or yesterday. Was obsessing over it today so dropped everything to run to Walmart to pick up another cheap watch to make the little boy happy. He trouble telling time and I don't think it mean much to him in relation to the day but it is something of the past he hangs on to.

Got car back late yesterday. They broke a fuel injector and replaced it for free!! So far so good. After almost $700 it better. Just thankful I had the money saved even though I was saving it for a new topper for the big slide.

My husband is at the stage where he understands little of what is going on in shows. Since he doesn't, he laughs at every thing - good, bad, sad, horrible, etc. He makes snide remarks about what they say - mostly always inappropriate or makes no sense. His filters are naturally gone. Getting really tired of it.

Sometimes I just don't know where to post my comments, but in following the most recent post from paulc... The following comment will also be part of the book I am writing, about the journey of being a caregiver to an Alzheimer's "patient"...

On the UTI situation. Yes, that one thing is the cause and very common one at that, of massive confusion, explosive behavioral changes, etc... Nothing new to those on this site, so I am not going to go into the details. What I am going to comment on is the dismal pathetic unacceptable "medical care" that is afforded to this patient population, as follows:

My husband at the time of his death, April 16, 2017, was into year four (4) of residing in a memory care facility. For the first few years he was still able to make visits to his primary care physician and the other medical professionals involved in his case (useless) but that's another subject. So, I received a call from the facility asking for my permission for them to call his doctor and get a verbal okay for them to have a urinalysis done, they suspected a UTI... Of course I agree, didn't think a thing about it until the next day when I got another call from the facility, they weren't sure what to do because the doctor's office would not "order" a urinalysis. I would not have believed the reason the doctor's office gave, but I checked it out and spoke with the director of the memory care facility and got three matched conversations with the doctors office, the doctor's response was: " I am not going to order a urinalysis for a possible UTI for a young healthy man." That's just the tip of the iceberg. Didn't the doctor's office see who the call came in from, A MEMORY CARE FACILITY, on a patient that has been under that doctor's practice for many years previous to his diagnosis, was prescribed dementia meds through that doctor's office, was known to this doctor's office, you get my point. We were not calling the doctor's office to order a PET Scan or a brain transplant, we wanted his pee to be looked at for a UTI and that's the response. It just defies any reasonable thought process and that was what I ran into from the first day of his officially being diagnosed. I worked in the medical field for many years, my mother was a nurse her entire adult life, I am not ignorant to the medical world but this years and years going through the dementia fire woke me up to how dismal and useless all the modern best medicine in the world is and the medical professionals that perpetuate the stupidity.

These types of incidents will all go in my book, names excluded of course, but this is the type of crap a caregiver faces when maneuvering through the "medical" community in search of care for their significant other.