Tag Archives: Alzheimer’s Love Story
Beyond Palliative Care – A Best Buy
The past week has been a difficult one for Cindy’s care. In the wake of her coming off hospice I had to make decisions regarding her Medicare coverage and procurement of a hospital bed. The bed we were using had … Continue reading
Beyond Palliative Care – The Difficult Choice
Shortly before Cindy was removed from hospice they asked me whether beating the odds for keeping her alive was really what she would have wanted. They were questioning whether choosing quality of life measures over palliative care actually gave Cindy … Continue reading
Beyond Palliative Care – Quality of Life
The VNA provided a “comfort pack” for Cindy when they placed her on hospice care. The pack included medicine deemed necessary to comfort a hospice patient during the final decline, with everything from suppositories to morphine. I only use lorazepam, … Continue reading
Beyond Palliative Care – Physical Therapy
Once Cindy struggled to walk, I requested that the VNA provide me instruction for physical therapy exercises to do with her. She receives these exercises to preserve the range of motion in her limbs 4-5 times a day, mostly from … Continue reading
Beyond Palliative Care – Feeding
Patients admitted into a hospice program have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Palliative care to make the patient comfortable then replaces curative treatment. As we neared the time for Cindy to come off hospice, my efforts to maximize her … Continue reading
A Change is Gonna Come
“There have been times that I thought I couldn’t last for longBut now I think I’m able to carry onIt’s been a long, a long time comingBut I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.” A Change … Continue reading
Emotional Decline – The Triumphs
Stages of Decline Outline: Final Installment Cindy and I agreed after her diagnosis to make our experiences public, hoping that our efforts to live well in the face of tragic adversity will benefit others. With that intention I conclude this … Continue reading
Emotional Decline – The Tribulations
Stages of Decline Outline: Eleventh Installment The totality of Cindy’s physical decline created some health and comfort problems for her care. Without any emotional or verbal feedback these Tribulations required guesswork that added to the Trials of her emotional decline. … Continue reading
Emotional Decline – The Trials
Stages of Decline Outline: Tenth Installment All previous stages of decline overlapped gradually with each other, not so with the final stage of emotional decline. In March of 2019 Cindy had her first ever and still most severe seizure. From … Continue reading
Physical Decline – The Triumphs
Stages of Decline Outline: Ninth Installment The lesson to be learned here is another life lesson which can be broadly applied. Perseverance and an active, positive social network are the keys to any kind of success, including caregiving. In particular, … Continue reading
Posted in Home Care Journal, Lasting Love, Stages of Decline
Tagged Alzheimer's Love Story, Caregiver Journal, Dementia Symptoms
Comments Off on Physical Decline – The Triumphs