A Caregivers Vacation Reflections

Atlanta Floods

The Atlanta floods began four days before I went on vacation.  While at home, I was preoccupied with the damage and devastation resulting from the floods.  One of the hardest hit areas damaged by the floods was in Austell, Georgia; about 5 miles from my home.  Since that area isn’t in a flood plane, it was totally unexpected.

After I arrived in the Bahamas and had time to relax and reflect over some things, I began to wonder what we would have done if the floods had affected us. My main concern was how long it would take to get Gladys out of the house. We would not have had time to wait to see how much the water might rise.  Because Gladys moves so slowly, we would have to act immediately.  So I came up with a preliminary plan for flooding and just in case we needed to leave home quickly.

The Flood Plan

I needed a go bag for Gladys.  I already had one that I got into the habit of keeping when I used to travel frequently.  Now I have an emergency bag packed for Gladys that includes a night shirt, robe, disposable briefs, baby wipes, denture cleaner, a change of clothes and a copy of “How to Take Care of Gladys.”  Her medicine is already in a pink hospital tub that is easy to grab.

There is a Comfort Suites that sits on a hill about a mile from my house.  That’s where I would go for temporary lodging in case of a flood.

So, that’s my plan.  Any upgrades to this plan are appreciated.  I’m sure I forgot something.

Twitter and Facebook are Valuable Resources

Even though a lot of my friends and acquaintances think Twitter is nonsense, I find it to be a great networking tool.  The main reason I have a Twitter account is to keep up with what’s going on in caregiving, elder care and dementia.  However, I found a new appreciation for Twitter and Facebook during the floods and my vacation.  When the flooding started, our television, primary phone and television were all out (so much for bundling).  I was able to access Twitter on my cell phone and follow 11 Alive News to keep up with the latest flood information.  Facebook kept me updated about my friends and church members who were flooded out.

While on vacation, there were some problems with my Internet service.  I could receive e-mail but not send and the on-site IT was no help at all.  Obviously, I needed to communicate with my husband, Fred and be available to answer any questions for the caregiver I hired to help with Gladys while I was gone.  Fred sent me messages through Facebook’s private messages and my daughter sent messages through Twitter’s direct message.  My only other option was International phone calls (not an option).  I check messages several times a day so it worked out well.

Last but not least:

Stress can Cause Hot Flashes

This may not come as a surprise to some of you but it was a big surprise to me.  I didn’t realize that stress induces hot flashes.  How did I come by this realization?  On the last day of my vacation I had a “disagreement” with the front desk about a partial refund for my Internet service.  Almost as soon as I hung up the phone, a hot flash!  My first since I left home.  Of course, I didn’t want to rely on my own “realization” so I looked it up.

By far, the most common cause of hot flashes is a stress reaction that causes epinephrine and norepinephrine release into the blood stream. (Your Complete Guide to Menapause)

So to wrap this all up:  I have a plan (of sorts) to move Gladys quickly in case of an emergency.  I have newfound respect for Facebook and Twitter and I try to avoid stress induced hot flashes.  Not bad for vacation reflections.

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The Fraternity of Caregivers

Family caregivers form a fraternity that only we understand and appreciate.  Former and present caregivers are all a part of this fraternity.  We understand the time commitment and sacrifice.  We understand the effects of fatigue and sleepless nights. We know that Murphy’s Law is alive and well.  Those of us who care for adults with physical disabilities have thrown out our backs and used muscles we didn’t know we had.  And those of us who care for family members with dementia know the frustration that comes when they ask us the same question five times or tell us the same thing over and over again.  We also know how it feels when they no longer know our names or who we are.

Catching Up On the Simple Things

This past Saturday I had one goal:  to catch up on my laundry.  Sounds simple, right?  Nope!  Since Gladys started having incontinence issues at night, I spend a lot of time washing her sheets, mattress pads and night clothes.  As a consequence, the rest of the laundry keeps getting pushed aside and I end up with mounds of laundry that accumulates.  So what I end up doing is washing just what Fred and I need and putting the rest off.

Non-caregivers Just Don’t Understand

As a blogger, I try to participate in a few social networks so I put an update on my Facebook page that said I was spending Saturday, trying to catch up on laundry.  One of my Facebook friends, who has three stair-step children, decided to make light of my status. She pointed out that she washes 16 loads every week and wanted to know just how much laundry do I do.

Now, fraternity members know this really isn’t a big deal; we also know how easily we can get stressed out by little things and sometimes tend to over-react to simple things. But, since I stopped to think before I replied, my reply was fairly civil with a slight edge. Here’s the kicker, the comment came from a church member and I’m the pastor’s personal assistant. And cussing is unacceptable and frowned upon by the saints. It’s especially unacceptable on the Internet where comments never disappear.

Caregivers Get It

I put a similar update on Twitter.  One of my Twitter friends who is also a caregiver replied:  LOL, how exciting, that’s what I’m doing tomorrow.  She gets it!  It’s not glamorous or exciting.  It just is what it is.  Unless we want things to get completely out of control, we stop and get ourselves organized.  We do what we need to do to maintain control of our lives.

Rant Over

OK, now that I’ve vented I feel better.  Y’all have a good day.  Want to vent about something too – fill up the comments.  Bye

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