Tuesday, February 7, 2023

I spent a huge chunk of the weekend on recliner project

 Took me a long time Saturday to get the backrest off of one of the old recliners so I could take it downstairs.  Sunday I got the new recliner with the power lift and water resistant faux leather upholstery set up and I even brought a nightstand down and set next to it.

So of course Dad has not even given it a test sit, sigggghhhhh.     But I have it available, if he gets weak again, I can tell him "you have to use the bed or the lift recliner so I don't have to help you stand up" and he has gotten stronger again and able to get out of his old recliner w/o me having to get my arm under his armpit to provide extra lift.

He seemed depressed this weekend so Sunday night I decided I should give him some of my blue Vervain, and then light bulb "I don't have to worry about dad sunburning, I can give him the St John's wort I bought  this summer and decided not to use because of the sun sensitivity warning on the label"  Knock wood, but I think they are helping a bit.   Last night I reset his preferred TV remote.  I don't know that it was messed up, I just had the slide on TV only rather than on the directTV but that remote is set now to work properly.   If I want to adjust the TV channels I can walk across the room to the other remote if dad's is driving me nuts with its stiff buttons for channel selection.  

Monday morning he was calling "Gail, Gail, get up"  at the head of the stairs to the basement.  Out of a sound sleep sounded like help and I thought he had fallen.   I was annoyed at him all day.  Dementia moment calling for mom when she is 10 years dead, but the rudeness of wanting to wake her up when all he needed was his tea and pop tarts irked me.   This morning he got his own pop tarts.  I'm glad he didn't try to handle the tea mug on his walker tray; high chance of spill and fall or burn but its good he decided to be self sufficient with the pop tarts.   Pop tarts is almost all he's eaten the last week.  He is drinking a protein drink most days and had a small bowl of turkey soup Sunday night when I heated it up and walked into the living room with it.  I was thinking he might be enticed if he smelled it, otherwise I would have eaten it.   I can live with the pop tarts diet, I just have to remember to buy plenty of them. 

Update.  He ate the salad Sarah made him for supper last night and said yes to to a grilled cheese sammich instead of 'just pop tarts.'  Knock wood I think he is feeling a bit better again.  But he doesn't want to go to the dr. appointment.   I told him he has to go.  Hopefully it is not a big fight when its time to get cleaned up a bit and get in the car for that.   I hate going to Dr too, but he hasn't seen his doc in several months and should get the bloodwork to see if medications need to be adjusted since he is on them. 

2nd Update.   I had to call and cancel the doc appointment.   I suppose I'll have to see if dad's regular doc will to 'tele-health' visits and just order whatever bloodwork he needs.   Wasn't a fight, dad flat refused to go and after a few attempts of "you have to, the appointment was made a month ago"  I quit trying to push him.   

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