Dementia: Just Another Day

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Yesterday I reaped the benefit  of a Team of people who provide support to us:

Kelly from Dementia Engagement:   For clarifying progress of the Gardening Initiative.

Sue from the Home Treatment Team:  For helpful advice and support.

Claire from Lindsey Hall Nursing Home: For confirming assessment visit today

Staff at Local Lloyd’s Pharmacy: For providing advice and TLC.

Gary our Social Worker: For advice and arranging to meet this afternoon.

Dianne (sister-in-law): For confirming visit today and willingness to stay with Maureen while I meet Gary.

 Cleethorpes Leisure Centre:  For good company in refreshing surroundings.

Neighbours: For keeping Maureen safe while she was on walkabout when I was out..

Specsavers Cleethorpes: For providing advice over Maureen’s optical issues.

Lisa (daughter): For telephone support.

Blog Followers: For helpful suggestions and support.

Charlotte:  For a supportive Carer Sit

Various Care Agencies: For clear information and advice

I realise that we are very fortunate with the level of support we receive here in Cleethorpes.  There is little doubt I wouldn’t cope without the Team of people who are always at the end of a telephone..

Maureen’s opening gambit today is: ‘she doesn’t want to go; has nothing to wear and doesn’t know what she is going to do to’ – just Another Day in my life as her Care Partner.

 

 

Dementia: On Target? (Week 2)

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Image result for on target ? picturesAs our move has now been delayed I am now reviewing how I did on the targets I set for last week:

  • To smile more and communicate clearly

I haven’t had a bad week on this front with the occasional lapse: particularly when Maureen tried to hang washing on a tree and ended up treading on a freshly set part of my vegetable plot.  I didn’t smile at this escapade and became frustrated that my hard work had been undone.

  • To visit family in Coventry
  • To have a day out together

No progress has been made on the above.

  • To go out and leave Maureen to her own devices for an hour on two separate occasions

I have left Maureen on a couple of occasions almost approaching the hour mark

  • To revise and dance our routines to the Cha Cha in our Lounge

We have had the odd smooch but no Cha Cha in the last week

  • To encourage Maureen to do crosswords or jigsaws

Thursday’s carer did a couple of crosswords with Maureen and I have bought a jigsaw

  • To attempt to resolve Maureen’s shortage of clothing

I have bought Maureen 3 pairs of joggers which are awaiting examination.  The pyjama trousers I bought are uncomfortable.

The question is am I doing a good job?  I think I have done well in the last week by exploring Day Care at Royal Court and a move into Lindsey Hall Nursing Home.

I hope to make progress on some of the issues that are outstanding in the coming week.

Three additional targets for this week:

  • To explore avenues for some form of immediate respite
  • To explore  moving into single rooms in Lindsey Hall on a temporary basis
  • To explore viable alternatives to moving into Lindsey Hall

Dementia: We’re Not Moving Yet

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It is going to be early October before we are able to move into our new abode.  I called in at Lindsey Hall Nursing Home today and accepted that it would not be practical for us to move in on Friday.

I’m pleased that we will now have a little more time to put our affairs on order before we embark on the next stage of our journey.  I feel somewhat relieved that we will have a little more time to ensure a smooth transition to living in a Nursing Home.

Maureen is extremely tired at the moment and her spirits are low.  Once again I need to provide lots of TLC and support her to find purpose in her life.

 

Dementia: Four Days To Go

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Image result for four days to go imagesI now have a strategy in mind if Maureen is reluctant to move to Lindsey Hall Nursing Home on Friday. If she is objects to moving there will need to be a Capacity Assessment of her care needs and residence.  I would be confident that it will come to the same conclusion as before: that she lacks capacity and has to accompany me.

A number of local people have agreed to assist us with the move.  I’m also hoping that some family members will travel to Cleethorpes to visit us in our new abode as soon as they are able.

This morning I hope to be able to spend some time in our room to consider what could be done to make it familiar to Maureen.  However, I have to be careful not to make a nuisance of myself with the Home opening its doors to residents for the first time today.

 

 

 

The long and winding path(way)…

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You can always depend upon George for saying it as it is.

georgerook51's avatargeorge rook

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It’s not all bad!

In fact, this week has been inspiring.

At our Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Dementia Action Alliance meeting members told us what they’d been up to. The list is impressive.

Telford schools have been emailed with an offer of dementia friends awareness sessions for PHSE.

Dementia roadshow held at PRH hospital.

Telford taxi licensing dept has been approached about including dementia friends sessions in driver training.

Over 500 people have attended church services which included dementia friends awareness, and 124 people have completed the church based 4 session dementia training course.

The Lichfield Diocese dementia worker is promoting use/creation of boxes.

T&W Senior Citizens Forum is delivering musical memories sessions.

Almost all fire and rescue staff have now done DF awareness, full time and retained.

Fire and Rescue provide home fire safety visits with support from the Memory Service re PWDs.

Shrewsbury Job Centre…

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Dementia: Five Days To Go

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Another troubled night has left me pretty worn out at a time I really need to be on my toes. With 5 days to go there is lots to be done in preparation for our move.  This isn’t quite the last throw of the dice but it is certainly an opportunity too good to miss.

I want our transition to Lindsey Hall Nursing Home to be as distress free as possible for Maureen.  Therefore the thought of ‘Fail to Plan: Plan to Fail’ is staring at me every time I look in the mirror.  Tomorrow I hope to circulate a Discussion Document as ‘Many Hands Make Light Work’.  Please feel free to comment on my thinking.

Once again I am grateful to Bill Malley one of my Line Manager’s when I worked for Coventry City Council.  His considered approach to managing staff was a refreshing change to the general approach within the Community Education Department.  Bill often circulated Discussion Documents to help determine Working Positions.

 

Dementia: Six Days To Go

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There are now six days to go before Maureen and I move into Lindsey Hall Nursing Home. Today’s post is the start of the countdown to the next phase of our lives: I’m very excited about what lies ahead.

My focus has to remain om minimising distress as I attempt the very thing that someone with dementia fears – CHANGE.   I have to tread very carefully in the next six days as we approach the next phase of our lives.

I risked it yesterday afternoon by taking Maureen to visit our new home.  Her diatribe about carers opened the door to changing our domestic set up.  I told her that I had an idea how we could work together as Activity Organisers in a Holiday Home that was about to open.  Her immediate reaction was ‘she had lost her confidence and doubted her ability to be able to do anything’.

She was very circumspect as we walked the corridors of Lindsey Hall.  The place resembled a building site with all hands on deck to get the place ready for opening on Monday.  She made it clear that she didn’t like the place or support my suggestion in any way.  

As our moving date approaches there is lots’ to be done.  I will have to tread very carefully in the next few days to ensure a relatively smooth transition to our new abode.

 

 

Dementia: A Double Celebration

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Next Friday the 23rd of September is the birthday of my son Steven.

It is now the provisional date for us moving into Lindsey Hall Nursing Home.

I am hoping that I will be able to become an Activities Organiser within the Home.

Maureen is always saying I’m too young to retire!

Dementia: Put On A Happy Face

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I went to bed last night with a feeling that something positive is on the horizon.  The prospect of moving into Lindsey Hall Nursing Home has put a spring into my step.  I have to admit with autumn around the corner I was becoming concerned about how we would cope when it was too cold to go outside.

One thing I have learned in life is not to count your chickens before they are hatched.  So as the arrangements for moving into our new home are processed it has to be business as usual.  There are so many what ifs at the moment that I have to stay calm and carry on as normal.

Chloe will be here at 10 am for a carer sit with Maureen.  I need to do the weekly shop to make sure we have provisions for the coming week.  However as I go about today’s business there are more reasons than ever to ‘Put On A Happy Face’. 

 

Dementia: It Really Is Amazing

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I hope Amazing Susan will forgive the title of this post but some excellent news at last.

Within a month I expect we will be in Lindsey Hall Nursing Home.  I have booked a double room in this fabulous place and am really excited about the prospect of our new lives.

As with anything there is a lot of water to go under the bridge on this journey but you can be sure I will keep blogging as things move forward.