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Caregivers, Elderly and Prescription Medication
When I became a caregiver for my sister, I was not prepared for the number of prescription medications she takes every day. In addition to the prescription medications, the doctor prescribed three over the counter medications. Overall, she takes seven prescriptions, three over the counter medicines and one calcium chew every day.
To make sure Fred and I give Gladys her medications correctly and that we don’t over medicate her, we came up with a system:
- All of her medications are kept in a little pink hospital tub in the kitchen
- We wrote the dosage for morning and evening on the cap with a Sharpie
- A Weekly Pill Organizer, purchased from the drugstore, is used organize her morning and evening medications (we include the calcium chew so we won’t forget)
- Medication is given at breakfast and dinner so we don’t have to keep up with the time of day
- Medication for the present day is placed on Gladys’ dresser so we know that she has received her medicine for the day. After dinner, we take the daily dispenser back to the kitchen
- We put the empty daily dispenser in the pink tub to be refilled
- When we get down to two days, the empty dispensers are refilled for the next week
Another thing I wasn’t prepared for was always needing to know what medication’s Gladys is taking.
- Her primary physician requires patients to bring in all medications to every office visit.
- Since Gladys is diabetic, she has to have her toe nails cut by a podiatrist. He requires a copy of all her medications
- When I started getting her prescriptions filled here, the pharmacist required a copy of all medications
- The adult day center required a copy of all her medications
So, since I can’t remember all of them, I put a list in my PDA just in case I need it for an emergency. Since my PDA is in my cell phone, I always have it on my person.
Before Gladys’ stroke, she only had two medications. All these others were added after the stroke. Many elderly people take multiple medications of which their families may or may not be aware. If you have an elderly family member or friend, you might want to check to make sure they are taking their medications and when their prescriptions need to be refilled. Sometimes seniors who don’t have transportation go without their refills because they can’t get to the drugstore.
Living with MS: Taking Care of Mike
I want to give other caregivers an opportunity to share their experiences so I added a category called Your Story. If you would like to share your story please send it to me by e-mail. I will be glad to post it.
This post was written by Veronica Keyes.
I would like to share my story in hopes it will encourage others and allow me to vent and share my feelings on living with a spouse with an illness. I would like to make it clear I am so proud of my husband, Mike. I realize he is not the same person I married 22 years ago, are any of us the same as we were in our younger days. Although his change is not gaining 50 lbs, or sporting a bald spot in the center of his head or even mid life crisis. Sometimes I think all that would be so much easier for me to handle. No, Mike’s change is that he is living with Multiple Sclerosis.
In 2000 when he was first diagnosed I just took it as another obstacle in our marriage. We had contemplated divorce many times because we were faced with so many issues. We had so much love and respect for each other that we could not allow our marriage to end. We were really true friends. So we worked hard on improving our marriage. For so many years I didn’t think much of his MS because he was healthy and worked to take care of the family and treated me like the QUEEN I am.
In 2006 things changed drastically, Mike had no control over his bladder, he had seizures, his short term memory faded, he was confined to a wheelchair and worst he was admitted to a nursing home. WOW (forgive me, I need a moment for my crying spell). Now, without any warning I was in charge of the household, I had to discipline our 3 teenage children, cook, and take over the finances. This was a complete shock to my being. It’s no longer me and Mike as one, it’s me and Mike as individuals.
Who do I belly ache to when things go wrong? Who do I run to when I need attention? Who strokes my head to tell me they are glad we are together? Who pats my butt when we want to cuddle and share a moment of intimacy? Now the change is affecting both me and Mike.
I must admit it has been hard for all of us. The lessons I’ve learned has made it all necessary. I no longer take life for granted. Mike and I have been through it all and to this day I have no regrets. I will never speak ill of him. He is my hero, he never speaks bad about his situation. He is always in good spirits. He truly is a great husband. Sure he came up short in some of areas, but even that doesn’t matter. The good times truly outweigh the bad.
I plead, implore, beg for couples to embrace each other. The small things really don’t matter. Enjoy the warmth and love of your spouse. Use me and Mike as an example, if you REALLY love each other and want the marriage to work think of us. Think about a once strong 210 lb, 6 foot bald, full beard, 42 year old man now literally deteriorating, an aging invalid who can longer cook for his family or play ball with his boys and not able to comprehend that his 20 year old baby girl is now a teacher.
We are separated because of illness, yes its like a divorce. The hurt and loss is tremendous. We thank God for all things, he is truly our strength. Mike is not able to carry on an adult conversation because his long and short term memory is affected by the MS; however, the one thing he is consistent about is reading his Bible and giving God the glory in his life. Mike once stated he’s like “Job” and believes God will bring him through this season. I hope you all can feel the love Mike and I share.
Thank you for reading my story.
Dementia: Things she forgets, things she Remembers
In a previous post I mentioned that Gladys knows who I am but she had forgotten my name. In the past few weeks she’s had some moments when she calls me by my given name or by the nickname she gave me when I was a child. Both names come and go. Occasionally when she can’t remember, Gladys calls me Nichole – my daughter that she lived with for the past three years.
Other things that Gladys can’t remember or keep up with are the days of the week and time of day. She does not remember what year it is (if you ask her she will say 1999) but she remembers there is a “young black man” running for president. Gladys also doesn’t remember how old she is but she remembers the date of her birth.
To help her with the days of the week we put signs in her room. Fred typed out large print signs that say: Today is Monday, etc. Every day we change it to the current day and keep the sign on top of her television. Most of the time she remembers to look at it and says, “Oh, today is Monday.”
Sometimes I think her memory is selective. She can’t remember five minutes ago that I told her to get ready for bed; but she can remember that 30 minutes ago I said she could have some ice cream. She can also remember when the Adult Day Center is going on a field trip and she needs some money.
Fred and I often get a chuckle from some of the things that Gladys says, but for me it’s a little bittersweet. I remember Gladys when I was growing up and her mind was sharp and she was an extremely strong independent woman. It’s a little sad to see how childlike she has become.
Every day we are learning new things about Gladys and about ourselves.
