Merry Christmas from Our Caregiving Family to Yours

Valerie, Gladys and Fred

This is our first holiday season as caregivers - it will be a quiet one.  We don’t have much planned, just some family time and some down time for a few days.  Our oldest daughter, Nichole, who was Gladys’ first caregiver, is trying to fly down for a few days to spend a little time with us.  On Saturday Fred, Nikki and  Anita will drive up to Tennessee for the weekend to visit with Fred’s family.  Gladys and I will stay in Georgia.

When I was a child, most of my Christmases were spent with my god-mother, Lessie Belyeu.  Affectionately called Big Mom, she was Gladys’ mother and the woman who raised me until I was 11 years old.  I remember the Christmas trees that touched the ceiling, the smell of cookies and cakes permeating the air, the roasting turkeys in the oven and all of the people who would gather at our house on Cambridge Street.  I have wonderful childhood Christmas memories.

As my children were growing up we had lots of fun and created our own holiday legacies.  We still cook a big holiday meal but my children are adults and our family is spread out over several states. We keep in touch and visit when we can.

The Johnson/Rooney family wish you a safe and happy holiday season.  Enjoy your families and create many happy holiday  memories.

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Holiday Poem About Aging

I don’t know the source of this poem, Gladys’ day care sent it home with her on Friday.

My Favorite Things

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knittin’

Walkers and handrails and new dental fittin’s

Bundles of magazines all tied up with string,

These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillacs, cataracts, hearing aids, glasses,

Pollident, Fixodent, false teeth in glasses,

Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,

These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, when the bones creek, when the knees go bad.

Then I remember my favorite things and I don’t feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads and bunions,

No spicy hot food, no food cooked with onions,

Bathrobes and heat pad and hot meals they bring,

These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pains, confused brains and no fear of sinnin’

Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin’,

And we won’t mention our short shrunken frames

When we remember or favorite things,

When the joints ache, when the hips break, when the eyes grow dim,

Then I remember the great life I’ve had, and then I don’t feel so bad.

For all Caregivers and their aging loved ones
Happy Holidays!

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Avoiding Caregiver Sleep Depravation

For the past three nights I have been up somewhere between 2:30 and 4:00 AM attending to Gladys.  She is having trouble lifting her arms and has not been able to adjust her clothing very well.  As a result she wets her gown when she goes to the bathroom during the night.

Tuesday and Wednesday night I was able to go back to sleep for a little while but last night I couldn’t, so I got up and worked on my new blog, www.YourMinistryHelper.com. I know, that’s a shameless plug but what do you expect from someone who is sleep deprived?

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I am only working two days a week now so I am off today and can probably catch a nap after Fred takes Gladys to day care.  Otherwise I would have to go to work to get some rest :-).

Sometime today I am going shopping to see if I can find some night shirts that are kind of short to see if that will help. I hate to shop anywhere near the Christmas season, so that will be a traumatic experience.  I called Nikki yesterday about this and she said putting pajamas on Gladys is worse than the gowns.

Wait, I think I just had an epiphany - since I like to sleep in pajama bottoms and a tank top, I’ll just put Gladys in the pajama tops.

Wow, you guys are a great support group! Thanks!

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