Friday, December 19, 2008
More items for Mom's Christmas List
Thought I would quickly throw in another item for Emma's Christmas list. She needs long sleeved shirts!!! Fuzzy, thick, warm stuff. She can probably fit into XL or 1X. She keeps trying to turn up the heat and I have started telling her that it is too expensive to keep the heat up so high. She needs to dress warmer. Shuffling around the house with a skirt and no socks would make me freeze too! Maybe even some stretchy warm, fleecy pants in 1x. We tried on a pair of XL fleece pants last night and they were a no go. She has lost weight, but like I told her.....the last place we lose weight is in our rump! Some items like the above would help keep her warmer. Think of it as a "green" effort so we can keep the heater at a reasonable level! :-)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Pre Christmas Panic
Things have been chugging along in the Sias household. The kids and I have been sick with a cold but hopefully we keep them away from Emma enough so that she won't get it too.
Emma has been doing good. She doesn't seem to be crying as much as she was a few weeks ago. She still has her moments but all in all, maybe a little teeny weeny bit less. She seems to be sleeping restlessly. She has gotten up a few times in the night and sometimes early in the morning. Even before me at 5:30! Becky suggested that perhaps she is getting immune to her sleeping pills. Not that we want to be drugging her up, but we really like to keep her on a schedule. So when she is up in the night, she is tired during the day and sleeps late or takes naps which then make it hard for her to go to bed at a decent hour which then perpetuates the schedule problem. She does complain about ringing in her ear from time to time. Something we should mention to the doctor next time she goes in. It is important for her to stay on a schedule not only for her, but for us to effectively manage her day to day routine. What she has been doing this week is spending more time in the bathroom.
I haven't made much progress on the 36 hour day book. But I have learned a few things that make it easier for me to understand what is going on with her and therefore helps me help her. She does my not intentionally get ornery or difficult or forgetful. Part of the dementia is that the signals in the brain don't go where they are supposed to anymore. That is why sometimes they forget simple thing like brushing their teeth. Maybe she forgets she is in the bathroom for as long as she is. Maybe her brain signals are getting crossed when she is supposed to stop going to the bathroom. Maybe when she is done, the brain message isn't getting through. I don't know. But it gave me some suggestions on how to help and it seems to work. It just takes a little time. It even said that the brain signals for physical movement can break down. So if the brain says to move your leg, the message may not get there. So the dementia could have some to do with her mobility issues. It also said that the worst thing you can do is get angry at them. They can't help what they are doing. Getting angry just makes them feel bad and can cause the ornery attitude. Anyway....I will flag some of the interesting stuff so anyone can come over and read the flags without actually having to read the whole book.
Now on to some suggestions of things Emma could use if you guys are buying her some gifts. She could use some socks. She still complains about being cold. We will work to put away all summer clothes so that she only has sweater and warmer options but since she likes to wear skirts (easier to get on and off in the bathroom) she might as well have something warm on her feet. So knee high socks in black/brown. And even some warm fuzzy socks for when she is just sitting around the house. She could also use an electric lap blanket and even an electric blanket for the bed. If you would like to get her some new sweaters she wears 1X or she may even be down to a XL now. She loves to read and has been reading that book...Dancing in My Nightgown (maybe that book is helping her cope).
That's it for now. Must go pick up Peyton!
Emma has been doing good. She doesn't seem to be crying as much as she was a few weeks ago. She still has her moments but all in all, maybe a little teeny weeny bit less. She seems to be sleeping restlessly. She has gotten up a few times in the night and sometimes early in the morning. Even before me at 5:30! Becky suggested that perhaps she is getting immune to her sleeping pills. Not that we want to be drugging her up, but we really like to keep her on a schedule. So when she is up in the night, she is tired during the day and sleeps late or takes naps which then make it hard for her to go to bed at a decent hour which then perpetuates the schedule problem. She does complain about ringing in her ear from time to time. Something we should mention to the doctor next time she goes in. It is important for her to stay on a schedule not only for her, but for us to effectively manage her day to day routine. What she has been doing this week is spending more time in the bathroom.
I haven't made much progress on the 36 hour day book. But I have learned a few things that make it easier for me to understand what is going on with her and therefore helps me help her. She does my not intentionally get ornery or difficult or forgetful. Part of the dementia is that the signals in the brain don't go where they are supposed to anymore. That is why sometimes they forget simple thing like brushing their teeth. Maybe she forgets she is in the bathroom for as long as she is. Maybe her brain signals are getting crossed when she is supposed to stop going to the bathroom. Maybe when she is done, the brain message isn't getting through. I don't know. But it gave me some suggestions on how to help and it seems to work. It just takes a little time. It even said that the brain signals for physical movement can break down. So if the brain says to move your leg, the message may not get there. So the dementia could have some to do with her mobility issues. It also said that the worst thing you can do is get angry at them. They can't help what they are doing. Getting angry just makes them feel bad and can cause the ornery attitude. Anyway....I will flag some of the interesting stuff so anyone can come over and read the flags without actually having to read the whole book.
Now on to some suggestions of things Emma could use if you guys are buying her some gifts. She could use some socks. She still complains about being cold. We will work to put away all summer clothes so that she only has sweater and warmer options but since she likes to wear skirts (easier to get on and off in the bathroom) she might as well have something warm on her feet. So knee high socks in black/brown. And even some warm fuzzy socks for when she is just sitting around the house. She could also use an electric lap blanket and even an electric blanket for the bed. If you would like to get her some new sweaters she wears 1X or she may even be down to a XL now. She loves to read and has been reading that book...Dancing in My Nightgown (maybe that book is helping her cope).
That's it for now. Must go pick up Peyton!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)