Happy Birthday, Bill.

Happy 

Birthday

Bill

Despite the cold single digit temperatures and a foot of blowing snow, my nephew, Daniel, and I eeked our way down the back roads toting an angel food cake, strawberries, and whipped cream.

Bill was so happy to see us once he realized Daniel and I were there. "Well, hello, honey!" he greeted me. It had been about ten days since I had been back due to a bout with the flu, a rebound of the flu, working, and weather. He was disappearing right in front of my eyes. He was a fragment of that man I married. He reached out and kissed me, then, after a long heart felt hug, he let go and reached out to hug Daniel. Dan reached to shake his hand, but Bill pushed his hand to the side, holding his beloved nephew close. And then he saw his cake. But boy did his eyes light up when he saw his cake.

I hate the changes I see in my husband. Once totally into his appearance, the man in front of me today is dazed and unruly. His hair is grown out, he dawns "bed head," and sits in a daze. His beard is scraggly, unshaven, unkempt, and this man is now unable to do the work himself; of keeping up appearances. His mustache dips well into his mouth as he tries to eat his food. He spits his food out in disgust, rubbing the hairs with his tongue. He frowns. He shoves his fingers in his mouth, trying to get me to look at the space which once held his tooth.
I reflect back to a couple of weeks ago when we had this aching tooth removed, hoping to help relieve him of some of the pain. I wince remembering as Michelle, the nurse, and I literally held him in the chair, him screaming and crying and begging us to stop. He smells of infection. "I used to do this, you know?" I knew what he was telling me. He was falling apart. He used to shave, polish his teeth until they glistened, and carefully dress himself with a pride and polish one would expect from a college professor.

The Staff in Bills unit are amazing individuals, but as is the popular trend in caring for special needs, they are spread too thin. And sadly, if these issues are brought to the attention of those, namely the supervisors who can assess the needs and sees the problems, they are often turned away by the bean counters. You, the staff, are often the ones who struggle, who hold the bag of blame when simply adding one more staff in the mix could have prevented a world of hurts. You see the pain, you feel helplessness, and you are left with the expectations to do the work of five men to make the changes to meet the increasing needs of these sweet individuals who depend on them. My heart goes out to you. You are my hero.

Thank you for making sure he brushes all the way to the gums, and massage them so they become strong again. How do you explain to someone, he can't tell you he needs help any longer. And even then he may not trust you to help him because, well, he has Alzheimer's and his paranoia interferes with the help he needs. He has new sensory issues, so at this point it hurts. It hurts to be touched, it hurts not to be touched. His skin is taut, rigid, sensitive. Maybe someone tried to shave him too quickly and he remembers

being nicked? Maybe he was scared because of the rush of water in the tub? Maybe it's just awkward, new, maybe he can't even process this at all. Maybe you are now the monster that used to hide under his bed as a little boy. Maybe there's not a solution at all. Maybe it's just the way it is and I have to learn to deal with it.

There's this fine line between encouraging independent skills as long as possible and making sure the job is completed right. God bless you for what you do for us, but please keep doing it with vigor. We need your help. You are our pathway to dignity. We love you. We need you. You are underpaid, under-appreciated, and you complete the jobs that many would struggle with. And in a flash a quiet, serene afternoon can turn into twists, falls, aggression, and a whirlwind of unthinkables.  Whatever the case, I thank you for what you do.

Dan, Bill, and I trudged back to the room. "Need to squirt the dirt?" I asked, laughing at the insane phrase of words that most frequently prompted him to use

the toilet. Without these prompts, he may recognize the sensation but frequently doesn't remember what to do about them. "You know where the bathroom is?" he says with an edge of excitement. I sure do, I tell him, pointing his way to the porcelain throne. It was too late, but we tried. Turning the tragedy into a moment of celebration, we stripped down to his skivvies and I pulled out his all mighty electric trimmer. We buzzed, we trimmed, we massaged, we came out looking debonair. He points to his ears; he opens his mouth wide and brushes the freshly cut hairs, pointing to two tiny hairs on the side of his mouth that I had missed. They must have felt like full grown trees to him, because as I whacked them away, he smiled a grateful smile. I tap the clippers... "you want me to trim those nipples?" I asked him in a teasing manner. His eyes lit up, he grinned at me with that Bill McLaurine grin, "yippee yi aye, cowboy," he responds. He liked that idea, lol. A lot. Slow down, cowboy... let's get a bath. His beloved staff gathered him up, and onward we marched to the whirlpool for an added dash of TLC.

This is our life, today. We have had our ups, our downs. The definition of my relationship with Bill has been tried and there are times I wanted to walk away. Today I look at our situation. 

I cannot imagine not staying. I stayed and I stay because I made a promise to love, to cherish, for better, for worse until death do us part. I have been tested, but my word is my promise. It has nothing to do with love. We all fall in and out of love. This has to do with promises. It's not how I would have had my life turn out, but it is how it turned out.

The New Year's Resolution

The New Year's Resolution: 

I'm a sentimental old fool, but I like to be happy. Although I know this to be true of every day, today above all days is a chance for new beginnings; a fresh slate, so be it.



The life of a caregiver can be pretty complicated. My  responsibilities are immense, the bills are overwhelming, and the tiny voices


in the back of my mind can be very convincing that that my inability to fix everything makes me inadequate and unworthy.

Then I am reminded that the whole world is mine. I crush through the imaginary glass ceiling of self doubt. I call on the One and force myself to remember through meditation and prayer that I am safe.
I breath in the breath of life,
and remember there are no limits, no worries of being good enough, smart enough, brave enough.

I am enough. The Superwoman cape and the WonderWoman super power wrist band comes out, and I let myself dream that there are no limits. I turn my back
to the voices and embrace that I am to be loved and to succeed and that my experience can be a lighthouse for others. Let me say it again: I am enough.

When I was a little girl I used to dream that I could fly. Walking down the blacktop, the winds blowing fiercely through my hair, I lift my arms, close my eyes, and feel myself lifting. There are times I swear that I can almost fly.




This year I will:

remember I do not have to be perfect;    
                 remember that others are human also;
                        remember the universe does not need me to control it;

take time for me;
                 write the word no in my calendar so I do not feel guilty when I need                                me time;
                                 

let go of the things that no longer serves me;



take more risks;
           try new things;
                  say yes more often;
                            allow my heart to be open to love;








free myself from trying to be the person I think I ought to be, and concentrate more on the person I am;








give thanks each morning
                      and again at night.







This year I will practice flying in my dreams.

Early morning phone call

The Early Morning Phone Call

The river stream flowed softly over my feet, soothing my tired body. Stretching my toes, I could feel the cool rocks. As I stretched out in overwhelming gratitude, the grass tickled my bare legs. I gently rolled the soles of my feet over the rocks, concentrating on feeling every inch of the bottom of my feet. It felt invigorating. I took three deep breaths, soaking in the warmth of the sun, the motion of the flowing water, feeling my body melting into the sensory sensations surrounding me. 

I stretched, sighed, and looked up at the beautiful blue sky and soft white cottony clouds floating towards the east. Suddenly, I hear a screeching clangor. I turned to the left, to the right. I could not find the source. I try to sit up but find myself swaddled by... by... by sheets. I am tangled in my bed sheets.

And the noise? My heart pounding, I look quickly around the room to identify the shrilling noise. The phone. It was the phone. What time was it? Had I overslept? Was something wrong? My heart fell when the caller ID indicated "Bill." That meant either something has happened to him or he was in a state of awareness and had asked to call me. 

Awareness is something I used to hope for. These days, awareness means sadness for Bill. I'm not sure what has triggered the difference. Maybe it's the holidays. Maybe it's seeing all the families coming and going. His clarity is incredible when you consider he couldn't even attempt a conversation two weeks ago. On the other hand, I haven't seen behaviors and haven't hesitated to take him home and on outings. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ended in agitation and in Bill swinging at Jack at the end of the night. He of course handled it better than me. It brought me back to when we had to make the decision to leave and to help Bill find a safe place to live. Here we are again. The brain is a funny thing. 

By the time I got there, his nurses and staff had all ready contacted the doctor for me and medication changes were all ready put in place. They had also given him a prn (as needed) for anxiety to help him for my visit. Bill is in an excellent home, but he is not capable of implementing his coping skills, and they don't have enough staff to help keep him busy enough to keep his mind off of things in his life that are out of our control. 

We ate a wonderful lunch. We laughed with the staff and other residents. I had to giggle when a little lady who has some pretty severe coping issues herself, and has targeted Bill on more than one occasion for her aggression walked up to visit with us. She read my sweatshirt, one that advertises Lake Superior State University. Carefully she read the words, "Oh, that's wonderful," she said. I pointed to Bill, and indicated, "Bill was a professor there." "Oh, my," she said, "that's impressive." Staff were starting to get a little nervous, as the only thing between Bill and this little 80ish gal was me. "Have you met my husband?"  "No," Dorothy stated, "I don't think I have." They shook hands, neither of them recalling past battles, walkers being thrown as weapons, and so forth. This looked liked the beginning of a wonderful friendship, if only for this moment in their memory capabilities. 

I took Bill into his room, and we changed his clothes after a brief and very dramatic moment of incontinence. I quickly cleaned him up and put him in his favorite tshirt (AC/DC) and pair of plush soft sweat pants. I trimmed his beard and neck, teased him,

and we danced up and down the halls to the silly beat of songs as they came to my head. I sang and he laughed and bopped up and down. 

Happy New Year, Honey. We made it to New Years once again! 

Holiday Perspectives from this Pollyanna girl

Holiday Perspectives 

from this Pollyanna Girl

There are so many perspectives from this life of mine. Sometimes we have to talk about the dark side of life: disappointments. lost battles, sadness, failures, broken dreams. These things are always difficult to face, and talking about them openly helps me to heal. Sharing my experiences hopefully helps us to know we are not alone. 

The days before Christmas was a special time. The kids came home for an extended visit. I greeted them with great joy as they came in carrying baskets of laundry and hungry bellies! We worked together diligently with two days to go before the big day.  

I filled the house with fabulous holiday aromas of family favorites: cinnamon rolls, hot breads,

and chocolate cherry candies.

Jack and Deveney shoveled snow, wrapped, and delivered our homemade goodies to friends.

Christmas Eve the kids drove to the nursing home to pick up their daddy. Bill was alert and talkative and was glad to be with us in our home. We spent the day as a family, sitting around the fireplace, watching television and peacefully enjoying our day together.

As the night began to set, Bill began to cycle and sun-downer's began to rear its ugly head. The kids drove Billy back to the nursing home. The day must have been overwhelming for Bill. He became agitated once they got him back into the home.  Bill had evolved from being alert and friendly to becoming upset. He swung wildly towards Jack, muttering words about illegal imprisonment. Nursing staff stepped in, helping Bill to safety  and allowing the kids to leave safely.  Jack returned
home, his sweet Deveney at his side.

Jack was matter of fact when he shared how his dad had gotten upset. He appeared to be strong and full of wisdom I hadn't noticed before. I looked at my boy with a realization he has changed. I felt so proud that he understood. I do understand, mom, he indicated. "Thank you, mom, for what you are trying to do for Dad and me," he said. "I know you are trying to make good memories. I do want you to know though, there are some (bad) things that he's done that I won't forget." Yes, son, there are things neither of us will forget. So for now, let's celebrate some of the good things.

Let's celebrate some good memories!

Oh, and the best part of my Christmas Day? My soon to be daughter in law put my hand on her tummy and I felt my grandson kick for the very first time. Merry Christmas. Life does go on.