1. Every now and then I tease hubby like this:
Me: "Honeeeeyyyyyy..."
R2: "What?"
Me: "I have something important to tell you." (serious face)
R2: "Yeeeess?"
Me: "I have to poo."
ROFL ROFL ROFL...
2. Went to a store today and found kiddies shirt on a discount. Bought two exact same kinds for Ken and his brother (because we're going to visit them next year). I LOVE LOVE LOVE collecting gifts for family bit by bit HE HE HE HE HE HE...
3. Raking the autumn leaves in the yard for about an hour and then took these pics.
4. Finding a forum for childless-by-circumstance women and I've enjoyed it immensely. :-D
5. Saying no without feeling guilty.
6. A coworker asked me how old I was and she said I looked younger than that HA HA HA HA HA HA HAHHHHH...
7. Being able to save more money this month (need to save money to buy our tickets to Indo next year). HALLELUJAHHHHHH!!!
When I found out that my FIL was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease about 2 years ago, I didn't know how it impacted my MIL. I figured it'd be hard on her (esp. since they've been together for over 45 years), but 'coz whenever we visit them, he always seems so functional and he always looks okay, I thought it was still okay.
Once or twice my MIL told us that she had trouble sleeping at nights 'coz FIL woke up during the night and went out. She also told us once that FIL peed in a bucket instead of in the toilet, so she even made a label on the toilet door. Other than that, though, I didn't know anything about her struggles.
Yesterday MIL asked us what to do to be able to comment on a "blog", 'coz it required registration or something like that. At first I was confused, 'coz usually if you want to comment on a blog, you don't need to register first as a user. When she showed us the webpage, I realized it was a forum for people who take care of their sick family member(s).
She found a thread about Alzheimer's disease and she wanted to comment on that, so we guided her on how to register and how to comment. What struck me the most was when I visited the thread at home after I got back home and read all the stories there, including what my MIL shared with them.
She said she took the diagnosis hard and she went into a depression (that I knew NOTHING about!), but gladly her doctor helped her to get into therapy where she could unload her burdens, so it helped. Now that he's been taking medication for the disease, it's helped somewhat (she said that the mornings are always so hard, but after he eats breakfast and takes his pills, he becomes "a different man" - in a good way). So that's why whenever we visit them he always looks pretty normal to me...except on two or three occasions when I saw him have trouble putting on his clothes (he looked confused on how to put them on).
Anyway, I shed some tears when I kept on reading the thread. One story that struck me was about this 97-year-old guy whose wife has been put in a nursing home 'coz Alzheimer has wiped out so many things from her brain. This guy drives his car and visits his wife regularly. He feeds her (even though she doesn't seem to recognize him anymore). His daughter died when she was 60 years old and his son died in a car accident when he was in his twenties, so he has nobody else in life.
God, I cried! Some people have such tough crosses to bear...My Mom always tells me that different people have different crosses to bear...
I'm GLAD that now my MIL has a support group to help her. As much as I want to help her, it's always MUCH better to find some people who've gone through similar problems who can really give her total understanding, support, comfort and also advice/tips.
This is one reasons I LOVE the internet...you can talk to people all over the world who've been through or who are experiencing what you're experiencing. A burden shared is a burden halved, agree?
Sending prayers for all of those people who struggle to take care of their sick family members...may God give them strength, joy, and serenity to go on...
Blessed are those who mourn,For they shall be comforted. - Matthew 5:4I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.- Philippians 4:11b-13
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When it comes to caring for the elderly, if we choose to care for them ourselves, we have to know what to do to take good care of them, especially if they suffer from some kind of serious illness. For Indonesians, sending elderly parents to nursing homes is considered something bad to do. It's like "getting rid of them" or something.
Personally speaking, I think if you intend on caring for the elderly at home, at least you have to find out as much information as you can get concerning the health condition of the elderly. As Michelle once told me, getting in touch with a specific health support group or forum can help. The above website provides such a forum and plenty of information about caring for the elderly, such as: recognizing the signs of dementia, Parkinson's disease, bed sores, how to prevent stroke, etc.
Since my father-in-law suffers from Alzheimer, I felt so touched when I read a letter sent to the above website by a man whose wife suffers from Alzheimer. If you want to read it, visit the site and click on "care discussion" and "your letters". In short, at first the man took care of the wife at home, but then she fell and broke her arm. Then she couldn't speak and had to use a wheelchair. Since he couldn't take care of everything himself, he decided to send her to a nursing home. However, that only made things worse. In the end he sold his house, moved to a smaller one and he has been taking care of her alone since then.
Anyway, if you feel that you're incapable of taking care of your loved ones by yourself, yet you don't want to send them to a nursing home, hiring a carer is a good option. This is what my parents did when my grandma's condition deteriorated badly. After all, my parents had jobs back then and they still had to take care of us, their kids. All in all, when there are sick elderly in your family, it's better for you to equip yourself with all the necessary information and options so you can choose the best option for your loved ones.
