Signs of life from dad today.

Hopefully this continues.  When he plants himself in his chair and doesn't get up for 18+ hours it is gross even with the pads.   When I buy them they always show re-usable ones as well.   I suppose maybe if you only have the odd accident that might be workable but I always shudder.  I'm doing a bunch of extra laundry as it is.  The landfills will just have to get the disposable pads. 

I felt like I might be coming down with a bug earlier but feel better now.  I'll have to monitor.  I don't want to be taking IVM every other week because of a tiny bit of coughing or other cold symptoms, but don't want to risk getting more than slightly sick either.   The neighbors would cover for me if I did get knocked on my butt with illness, but I'd hate to add it to their busy lives. 

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.   

Yesterday I ordered a lifting recliner for dad

 I suppose I should have done so sooner, but he had been getting stronger before he caught the bug.   I guess the aging boomers have created a good demand,  there were a variety of vendors, some with chairs that were only $400.  I didn't want to end up with cheap junk that would break or not work properly so Ichose one that was 6xx with many good ratings.   Hopefully it works out.  

The MaidesSite Electric chair lift I bought has been getting too much use 

That chair lift I bought has been getting too much use, but it works well and I bumped my rating of it up to 5 stars.   So my gizmo craze worked out well with that.   I'm not so sure about the gizmo for getting into cars.  That works and does save me worrying about hitting dad's head getting into the car, but with what the health care aide showed me I probably wouldn't have needed it.

Ugh, I think dad has a respiratory virus

 He hasn't said he feels sick, but he has been coughing more and sleeping extra, when he had seemed to be doing better on being awake/alert for a bit more of the day a week or so ago.   I'm giving him ivermectin in his morning juice with his vitamins w/o telling him cuz if I told him I think he'd decide the juice tastes off and refuse to drink it "cuz it doesn't do anything anyway"   Well its not a symptom reliever its supposed to help the body fight off the virus so you feel better from that in a few days.   Back to feeling lonely.  No one wants to hear that I am nervous about dad having a bug at his age and state of health.  

Two months ago I thought I wanted him to just die early in 2023 rather than me having to figure out how to set up an aide to come in so I could go off and ride but I've gotten used to the care and I have the service now and I'm fairly sure that settling the estate will be even more of a drag than feeling like dad needs a caregiver if I'm gone for more than 2-3 hours.  

And I feel like I just have to figure it out alone, cuz folks would either think I'm out to kill him, not insisting on a Doc visit to get a diagnosis when dad is under the weather or just think I'm being a bore wanting to vent about my little neurotic worries.  

I took put the pulse oximeter on him.  90 to 92.  His normal had been 94 or 95.  Not super super scary low, but low and most articles say you need to worry below 95.   Now I'm even more unsettled.  Should I ask him if he feels sick and want to go in to doc?  I suppose I should at least ask.  

p.s.  I did ask,  of course he said  "no I don't need to see doc"  and then it snowed.   He is somewhat better, improved appetite and seems more alert when awake but still sleeping all the time.   

Dashing through the snow

 Well wasn't much snow on the roads but I dashed to town in my car to buy horse feed and try to find wide shoes or slippers for dad and a gait belt the HHA agency said should be used.   I got a yoga belt, perhaps it will work as a fill in and I bought some cheap size 11 wide sneakers. 

Got home and dad was thinking it was Monday and he had to rush to get ready for his appointment.  I think he may still be thinking its Monday morning but got reminded that the appointment is not until 3 pm.  Ughh.  I hope the ear and eye docs can restore some hearing and improve his vision.  

p.s.   The health aide brought out a gait belt and left it.  I will see what the charge for that is.  The cheap sneakers worked.  I probably need to buy dad some diabetic socks.  

Dad heard the doorbell yesterday

 Good news for me, hopefully the hearing aid place can repair his aides so he can hear me again.  I need to turn his car around and set up the slide and ride to see if he can get in/out of the car with that help.  I should call 211 just in case he can not.  It would be good to know just what it takes to get a handicap van out here with someone who can get him down the two steps and into it. 

Yawn,  I wish I had a knack for getting in short naps.  Usually I don't actually fall asleep, or if I do doze off I better have an alarm set or else I'll sleep for a couple hours instead of just 20-30 minutes.   I need to run down and see if dad's car tire that was flat is holding air and if so turn it around and set up the slide and ride gizmo to get the leg heights correct.  Else need to pull dad's car out and set up my car.  Plus need to call insurance company.  The paperwork details seem to take so much time trying to handle both mine and his now. 

Jan 4 update.  211 was a bust.  I gave up staying on line and went to the colorado 211 web site like they recommended.  I guess I need to contact the via outfit.  Its not really what I need, it is a free ride system, but perhaps it could help somewhat.   I'm going to punt on trying to get dad to the hearing aid doctor and just take his hearing aides in.  His car was bricked yesterday.  I need to see if charging the non hybrid battery will get it to where it will at least start with a jump start.  My Volkswagen is bad on slick snow pack plus I didn't get the agency called to send someone out to help.   The neighbors would probably help me, but dad will hold a grudge for ages if I get stuck with him trapped in the passenger seat.   I just can't risk it.   I ordered checks for both our accounts yesterday.   One thing that needed doing but I need to buckle down and catch up on the paperwork and 'admin' tasks.   Neighbor gave me website for her BILs friend that does home health aide work.   I guess I'll try to contact the gal.   The actual 'health aide' tasks are not where I'm failing, it's the housework and making appointments with various docs plus lining up help to transport dad to those appointments that has me flummoxed. 

Ugh. Dad is on totally random sleep/wake schedule.

I'm nervous his hearing is gone, rather than the hearing aids not working.  Without his core TV show watching this no schedule at all is very likely going to continue until he dies or I can't take it and put him in a nursing home.    And his sight seems worse too.  I write him notes in huge font and it takes him forever to read and comprehend them.   I think there is also some dementia coming on; it is very hard to tell what is just him not being able to hear nor see well and what is mental fog.    I really don't want to put him in a facility when he can't hear and process explanations of what is going on so I will try to keep on plugging and be more proactive about bringing in an aide more often.   I keep punting on calling to have someone come especially on weekends because I think "well I'm not invited to go ride or anything anyway" and its been too cold for me to even want to ride.  I'm a big weenie about cold anymore.