Monday, May 20, 2013

Momma Has Dementia and I'm Pooped



It has been one of "those weeks".  I know you have them, too.  Mine seem to come in groups.  Two or three weeks in a row where I give serious consideration to placing my head between the mattress and box springs and camping out there for a while.  
If you have followed SOMETHING TO PONDER for a while, you know my sweet Momma has Alzheimer's type dementia, and my mother-in-law has dementia from a vitamin B deficiency and an imbalance in her blood sugar.  This week has found both these ladies in the hospital.  I am here to announce, "That is not how I planned to spend my week."  It was suppose to be a week spent mainly in my office catching up on the 3,468 things I needed to get done.  Instead, none of those items left my desktop, and I spent my week caregiving.
You need to know this.  I am not complaining.  I believe we, as Christians, have a calling to care for the elderly and widowed in our world.  Both these women qualify under those categories.  I am pleased and honored to be their caregiver.  However, I was pooped. I needed a break!  So, Michael and I took off Friday night for a little R&R, spent the night in a deluxe hotel suite about an hour from home, ate wonderful vegan food, and just escaped for about 24 hours.  Those 24 hours flew by in a flash, but we are a little more equipped for life.
Caregiving can be tough.  It is better, however, when you turn some of that "caregiving" on yourself.  A 24 hour break may be just what you need to put a spring back in your step and a twinkle in your eye.  Hope that gives you Something To Ponder.
My book, Let's Talk Dementia - A Caregiver's Guide,  is available for e-readers.  http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Talk-Dementia-Caregivers-ebook/dp/B00CTAW7MS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1369051792&sr=1-1&keywords=let%27s+talk+dementia






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