I haven't blogged much about caregiving since restarting, so let's get to it!
Mom's dementia is progressing. When I first started caring for her, I liked to think that I was always a step ahead in preparing for what she'd need, but now I know that I'm always about two steps behind whatever ability she's lost. And when I realize that I've got to do something, actually finding the time to do it becomes even a bigger challenge. I'll share a few stories that show this part of caregiving. Please feel free to laugh, because you have to laugh or you'll cry your eyes out.
Mom loves being able to make coffee in her room. At first, she had a microwave, but after turning a dinner roll into a piece of charcoal, she had it confiscated. Then I got her a small drip coffee pot, and that was working really well for her. I got one that turned itself off after an hour, so that we couldn't have any fires.
First problem arose when Mom started saying that her coffee pot "quit working". I'd go upstairs and find that the GFI plug that it is plugged into had been tripped. When I asked her about it, she said that she had no idea how that would happen. Finally, I came by and noticed that she's unplugging the coffee pot when she's not using it. Then when she plugs it back in, she hits the test button on the GFI, cutting the power to the plug. We talked about how the pot turns itself off, so she doesn't need to do that, and I even hung a sign reminding her not to unplug it.
Problem solved!
Or not. Tune in next week for the next installment of "Coffee with Dementia"
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