Another Driver!

Aunt Amy is excited to have a backup driver now that Lincoln
is gone.  Congratulations Ruth for the 100% score on your
Driver's Permit test.

Eden-February 2020

 

50!

Just a year ago I started making baby quilts to donate to Hush-a-bye Baby.  Tomorrow I will deliver this stack to them.  My goal had been to have 50 done before the end of the year but I fell behind.  I'm excited to have finished them even if I didn't make my initial goal.  I am going to do something a little different now.   Amy told me about a friend in her ward who sews dresses for little girls that she donates to an organization.  My goal will be to make 100 in honor of Sister Palmquist who loved the book 100 Dresses.  I'll keep quilting too!

Third Time's a Charm

This is what Grandpa looks like when his hair is clean!
My next project is to give him a shave.  But not today!

I am so pleased to tell you that Grandpa actually took a shower this morning.  Of course it took me and the nurses aide to get him in the tub.  I kept him in while she soaped him off and shampooed his hair.  Bless his heart, he was yelling the whole time.  He still hates me but now our sweet aide is on his hate list!  I recently told Uncle Andy that I'd win a million dollars on America's Funniest Home Videos if I had a camera in the bathroom and sent a video of grandpa trying to get away from me while I am trying to get him cleaned up.  Today would have been another million dollar day!  I am so grateful for the Hospice program.  It has given me much needed support that makes all the difference.

New Career Path

I think Grandpa is going in a new direction with his career path.  It started in public administration, and in his 50's he switched to education.  Lately I am seeing an inkling of his future career.  Grandpa thinks he needs to be an interior designer!  Grandpa has been a wanderer as his Alzheimer's has progressed.  Now he's added a new twist.  On his travels around the house he picks various objects up and relocates them throughout the house.  This morning I went in our bedroom and found that he thinks one of our decorations looked better on the bed.  He has a need to challenge my skills as a detective when I can't find a dish or something that he has confiscated and moved somewhere else in the house.  I have to admit that it does bring a smile to my face when I happen upon his latest decorating trend!  The only drawback though is I am dealing with an increase in breakage in our inventory!  The mind is a magnificent creation and even when it slowly shuts down there is an incredible reminder that in spite of the losses there will always be a glimmer of hope and a reminder that there is amazing joy is the journey.

The Party

This party started out with a request for a Penguin Party.  But after a few enticements Eden decided to have a Unicorn party.  Thank heavens for Pinterest who came through with a very easy but very cute cake!  Aunt Amy made a wonderful lasagna dinner and I suspect the pinata was probably the hit of the party.  Thank you Eden for coming to celebrate your special day with Grandpa and Grandma!

Thanks Aunt Bev!

The Unicorn cake

National Anthem!

This weekend Jeremy was able to go with his school's chamber orchestra to play the National Anthem for the hockey game.  Good job Jeremy!!!  The whole family got to go and their local soccer team came through with a win in overtime!

Happy Birthday Eden!

6 Years Old

There's a Reason

I learned a painful lesson this morning.  Unfortunately, it was painful for Grandpa.  He takes an anti-seizure medication in liquid form.  When we got it I continually struggled to get the lid off.  I finally took it back to the pharmacy and asked if they could switch out the lid so I could open it.  They did and all was well--until today!  I always give him his medicines at breakfast time.  I brought the bottle out along with the other medications he takes and set them on the counter.  I walked over to turn the computer on so I could download pictures I took of Owen last night.  I barely sat down when I heard dad make a sound.  I turned around to see him finishing drinking out of the bottle!  He probably drank about 3 or 4 tablespoons worth.  Normally he takes a teaspoon twice a day.  I called the hospice people and a nurse showed up a few minutes later.  She checked him and talked with the doctor.  I am now on monitoring mode to make sure his breathing isn't labored.  If that happens we will have to take him to the hospital.  He is sleeping as I type which she said would probably be the case.  I think he will be okay but I won't use the easy open lids again!

Owen's Fan Club!

Last night Christian and Great Uncle Bill stayed with Grandpa so that I could go to a concert that Owen was in.  He sang in the choir and played in the wind orchestra.  It was a program of hymns and was beautiful!  It was fun to watch him going back and forth between the orchestra and the choir.  It was impressive and so fun to spend a few minutes with Owen.  A funny note:  As we finished up and prepared to leave, an elderly woman walked up to him and asked if he was Owen Duncan.  He said yes and she said "I'm from Fargo to."  His quick response was "I'm sorry!"  I think Owen has definitely become a California boy!

California Duncans

Last weekend Ava and Caleb went with their parents and grandparents to Pinnacle National Park.  They had a great time hiking and exploring the caverns and caves.

Bahia Blanca

Elder Whitney arrived in Argentina today.  He hasn't met his companion or found out where he will be serving but he is excited to be out in the mission field.

Hospice

Grandpa & Graham Watching Paw Patrol!

It has been an interesting week with people coming and going from the Hospice program.  Everyone who has come has been wonderful and very knowledgeable about working with Alzheimer's patients.  I'd like to say that Grandpa loved the company but that would be a gross exaggeration.  He didn't mind them coming but taking vitals, checking temperature, getting a shower was not something he was interested in and quite vocal in his objections!  He is very content to sit in the family room as long as we stayed in the living room.  . 
The Hospice program is for support in working with the family and patient who is in severe stage Alzheimer's as well as other people who require special help which will eventually become "end of life" care.  Sweet Grandma had a wonderful group of people who worked with her before she passed away.  Since meeting with the Doctor on Thursday I have had Carmen, Katie, Brittany, and another gentleman (didn't get his name because Grandpa was having none of it!).  Carmen did the initial intake information and talked to me about what the program does and doesn't do.  It seems to do everything.  Katie is our nurse (how can I not love someone named Katie!) and she was the vitals person.  She is a registered nurse and will work closely with the doctor on prescription needs and other medical issues that will occur.  Brittany is our caseworker.  I met Brittany almost a year ago when her father gave me her business card and asked me to call her.  She came and spent an hour with me talking about what to expect and where I could get help when it is needed.  Today she again came and went through the processes of what to expect and was wonderful with grandpa.  While she was here the practical nurse came to help me give Grandpa a shower.  I honestly knew that it wouldn't work and that he would not respond well to a man giving him a shower.  I'm not sure that a woman will be any better but I know that he is pretty good with Ruth and other women that he sees in stores.  If you've read my blog grandkids you may remember my post about his pointing out every pretty girl or woman he sees.  I can live with that if they can get him to get in the shower and get his hair washed.  Today that didn't happen although the CNA  did his best.  We did a little sponge bath but that was as far as we got.  They will start sending a female from now on. 

Brittany pointed out that I am steering the ship in this process.  I'm to tell them what needs to be done and how often we will need help.  At this point the nurse will come each week just to see how Grandpa is doing and the nurse assistant will come each week to help clean him up.  Today they left behind numerous items to help in his care such as wet wipes for adults, gloves, bed pads, something similar to depends, lotions, shampoo, and special cleaner for his private areas.  All his medication will be delivered to the house.  After meeting with me yesterday the nurse said that until we get the anxiety under control showering and other care he will need will be difficult to impossible.  Starting tomorrow I will be adding another medication that will hopefully help him calm down.  For a while they will be trying different medications that work with Alzheimer's patients.  The warning on this particular medication change is an increased possibility of falling so I will have to watch and stay close when he first stands up.  As I have learned from friends who take medication is that sometimes the medication we take for a problems creates other issues.  This is an example of that. 

All in all the process has been very helpful and has given me the courage to keep moving forward in providing the comfort care that an Alzheimer's patient will receive.  I have no doubt that Grandpa did have a mild stroke and I won't be surprised that there will be more in the coming months.  Keeping him calmer will hopefully prolong the inevitable and maintain a process where Grandpa will have some peace and calm.  I love kind people and I can now add a few more of them to my list of people to express gratitude for!

Update

I promised an update on dad after I went to the doctor.  We just got back and a few things have come out of the visit.  Dad as usual was in rare form so they couldn't check his weight or vitals.  He refused  to sit down the whole time and as those of you who have called know what I mean--the volume was on high! 

A little background.  Dad is sleeping about 14 hours a day and sometimes more.  For over a week he takes a 2 to 3 hour nap and then is ready to go back to bed around 7:30 and sleeps all night.  The sleeping for me is a true blessing because that means I can sleep too.  He won't or can't get out of bed unless I come to help him.  Recently he fell and couldn't get up so I called Christian (it wasn't the middle of the night) to come and help me.  The bed and pad were wet so I took the covers off to wash and while doing that he sat up and was able to get the rest of the way up.  Fortunately I got ahold of Christian before he drove all the way over.  I then cleaned him up and put on clean clothes, changed the bedding and put him back to bed where he fell asleep and slept until about 8:30 the next morning.  Often when I help him get up he is very unsteady.  His speech is often slurred and he repeats words over and over and they seldom make sense.  He now refuses to sit on the toilet so is now completely incontinent.  It has been several weeks since I was able to shower him because he absolutely refuses to get into the bathtub so I can.  His eating is iffy at best and now even ice cream doesn't have much appeal.  The M&M jar is not emptying out near as fast.  He shuffles now and mostly when he is anxious he just stands in once place for large periods of time.

These are the reason for me making a visit to the doctor.  I had contacted the barber's daughter who had helped so much last year.  I emailed her and told her some of the things that were going on.  She told me that the first thing I needed to do was take him in to make sure he didn't have any kind of infection that may be causing the problems.  If there isn't then he would make recommendations.  After a 40 minute visit the doctor said he believes that dad has had a certain kind of stroke (it had a name but I'm not sure what it was.)  Because of that and other indications he is sending out Hospice to set up a program.  This is NOT end of life care.  They will come in and help me bathe him, update information for the doctor and monitor his behaviors and  make recommendations.  They are calling me in the morning to set up a time for them to come in and do an evaluation.  I will be calling our insurance to make sure that they will cover much of the cost of hospice.  I talked to a person in the fall who said that they would but I want to be sure.

Yesterday Amy and I met for lunch in the Shake Shack parking lot and she stayed in the car with dad while Graham and I went in to order.  When I came back out she said, "I can't believe he hasn't had a stroke!"  I hadn't thought of that before but it is kind of amazing when he is absolutely out of control and yells non-stop for hours at a time.  Apparently, he has had one!  Fortunately, it was very mild but realistically it could happen again.  I feel much better knowing that a nurse will be here on a regular basis to lend support and encouragement.   Once they come I will be able to give you more information about what will be happening.

Duncan's Valentine Box

When I was growing up, I, along with other classmates went to school on Valentine's Day with a decorated box for the valentines that we would be given.  I thought it was something that kids didn't do anymore.  I was so excited when I heard that Duncan had to decorate a box for his class Valentine's day party!  Didn't he do a great job?

Valentine Dinner

I loved decorating and preparing food for a Valentine Dinner with the Whitney's.  The menu was Spaghetti and heart shaped breadsticks.  I made a lettuce salad topped with heart shaped vegetables and cheese.  We had Shirley Temple drinks and heart shaped cupcakes with cherry frosting and a candy kiss on top.  I loved how everything turned out!

Hawaiian Ho'olaule'a

This weekend the California Duncan's participated in a special program.  Aunt Angela helped the people who were doing the program to decorate for it.  As you can see her decorations were amazing.  Caleb and Ava got in on the fun and did a little dancing. 

The Tradition!

Today the tradition continued at the Whitney house.  The family gathered together to make their Valentine bags that will be taped to their doors.  Each day they will recognize each other with notes of love and appreciation.  It will culminate in their special Valentine dinner and the chocolate fountain available to dip their fruits and cake in.  As you can see Eden is loving penguins right now and made sure she shared her favorite animal on her bag.  Pretty good for a kindergartener!

Happy Birthday Cathy!

Lincoln's P Day

Lincoln will be leaving the Mexico City Missionary Training Center on February 18th.  I was able to send him a package as a surprise before he goes south!  Argentina is getting a fine young man who is loved and missed by his family and his Grandma! 

Picture Day!

Duncan and Eden are ready for picture day at school! 

Happy Birthday to Me!

I had such a nice birthday.  It began on Sunday night when the Whitney's surprised us with a wonderful meal and birthday cake.  It was just a great time to be 70! 

I loved my two back up blowers!!!

Thank You!

I wanted to thank all of you for sharing what is happening in each family.  Right now I haven't had much time to do much on the blog.  I have a doctor's appointment for dad on Feb. 13th and then I will give you an update.  I want to keep the blog going so your help is greatly appreciated.

Good Job Ava!

Last weekend Ava's team participated in a competition of local junior high and high school flag teams.  Ava had a great time and was really happy when they came in first place in the Junior High division!  She definitely was a girl who "just wanted to have fun!"  Good job Ava!