This is my first post. I have been reading the forum for awhile and it has been just what I was needing. Sometimes when I wake in the night, I go to the computer and read for an hour or so, until I feel sleepy again. Last night I sobbed after reading Sara and Autumn’s threads. Here’s my mother’s story.
My mother started having her first symptoms on November 3rd of 2003, limb onset, finally diagnosed in July of 2005. (Diagnosed as spinal stenosis by first neurologist, had lumbar lamenectomy (sp?) surgery.) She is 82, living at home still with my 85 year old dad, who has dementia. My mother functions almost better than dad, at least with her mind. He is as spry as can be, however and always adorable! Mother is a real warrior, having made it thus far living at home with someone coming in only from 9am to 12pm to help with meals, and until just recently, now someone else coming from 3pm to 6pm to help her take a shower and get in bed. No one on the weekends or at night. She is totally in a wheelchair, losing her right hand, still having some function in her left, with a scratchy sounding voice. Dad helps some, but not real attentive. Probably very stressful for him. He gets mixed up on days and if it is morning or night. Sometimes goes to bed at 4:00 in the afternoon. I have offered to take him in, but he does not want to come to Ohio because he says it is too cold. He gets cold feet in Texas, if you can believe that.
My husband and I live in Ohio with a 16 yr. old still at home, one just went off to college. Mother refuses to come live with me. Never one to impose, but is finally getter close to agreeing to go into a nursing home close to me. I think the weekends are getting to be too much.
I guess my question to Sara and Autumn is how did you do it? I want to be there for mother so much. Her biggest fear was to go in the local nursing home in the small town in Texas where they are from. She refuses everytime I say to come live with me. Part of me is worried, too, that I may neglect my teenager and not give her the time and watchful eye that I need to give her this next year and a half before she goes off to school. I have found a couple of nice nursing homes for her to stay, one within a block of our home.
Actually, this post is not to just Sara and Autumn, anyone… Al, you are such a rock! God love you all and thank God for this forum.
Kathy
My mother started having her first symptoms on November 3rd of 2003, limb onset, finally diagnosed in July of 2005. (Diagnosed as spinal stenosis by first neurologist, had lumbar lamenectomy (sp?) surgery.) She is 82, living at home still with my 85 year old dad, who has dementia. My mother functions almost better than dad, at least with her mind. He is as spry as can be, however and always adorable! Mother is a real warrior, having made it thus far living at home with someone coming in only from 9am to 12pm to help with meals, and until just recently, now someone else coming from 3pm to 6pm to help her take a shower and get in bed. No one on the weekends or at night. She is totally in a wheelchair, losing her right hand, still having some function in her left, with a scratchy sounding voice. Dad helps some, but not real attentive. Probably very stressful for him. He gets mixed up on days and if it is morning or night. Sometimes goes to bed at 4:00 in the afternoon. I have offered to take him in, but he does not want to come to Ohio because he says it is too cold. He gets cold feet in Texas, if you can believe that.
My husband and I live in Ohio with a 16 yr. old still at home, one just went off to college. Mother refuses to come live with me. Never one to impose, but is finally getter close to agreeing to go into a nursing home close to me. I think the weekends are getting to be too much.
I guess my question to Sara and Autumn is how did you do it? I want to be there for mother so much. Her biggest fear was to go in the local nursing home in the small town in Texas where they are from. She refuses everytime I say to come live with me. Part of me is worried, too, that I may neglect my teenager and not give her the time and watchful eye that I need to give her this next year and a half before she goes off to school. I have found a couple of nice nursing homes for her to stay, one within a block of our home.
Actually, this post is not to just Sara and Autumn, anyone… Al, you are such a rock! God love you all and thank God for this forum.
Kathy
