65 Things I have Learned Caring for 89 year old Miss Kitty!!

DEDICATED TO THOSE CARING FOR THEIR ELDERLY PARENTS! 

I appreciate you and THANK YOU for all that you do!

Amazing smile!



1. Patience, patience, patience
2. To slow down and not rush with the elderly
3. To speak louder and slower
4. Awareness of the elderly around me in society
5. To have more empathy and compassion for those with Alzheimer’s
6. To have more of the same with the aging in general
7. How to communicate with Alzheimer’s patient
8. How to sit closer and look and speak directly to them
9. How to shop for groceries with senior choosing smaller store
10.  Managing the practical needs of the senior ie food, clothing.
11.  Managing the health care of the senior – Dr’s appointments etc
12.  Working with the Provincial Health System
13. How to pretend that the Alzheimer patient is right and play along
14. How to sneak into their room and organize and tidy up without their knowledge
15. How to deal with a pharmacy on an ongoing basis
16. How to pay for services ahead of time for the senior ie footcare, hairdresser
17. How to monitor senior’s hygiene
18. How to buy a walker and convince the senior to use it
19. How to counsel a senior into having their meds distributed by residence
20. How to encourage, inspire and motivate a senior who feels down

    

    Sad Face

21. How to encourage, inspire and motivate a senior who needs to exercise
22. How to move a senior across the country into a new province
23. How much the move affects the senior
24. How to shop for a senior’s residence facility
25. How much the facilities charge and what they include
26. How much the extra’s cost the senior
27. Seniors need to social and party and celebrate
28.  To appreciate the elderly for their wisdom
29.  To appreciate the elderly for their experience and history they have walked
30.  Learned they need antibiotics to visit a dentist if they have artificial knee or hip
31. To converse with many seniors at the residence
32. Learned that there are many in the same situation
33. Met many caring caregivers, and care aids
34. Where the Alzheimer's Society Office is and what they offer
35. What about the various medications available
36.  About urinary incontinence in seniors
37. UTI (urinary tract infection) causes symptoms similar to Alzheimer's ie. confusion
38. There are doctors who specialize in geriatrics
39. That I or my husband will be in this place one day

40. 

    Happy Face!

    Long term memory can still be very much alive
41. Seniors may be demented but are not stupid
42. About Pharmacare (Drug assistance) available in my province
43. Seniors don’t like to drink much water
44. Seniors are often dehydrated
45. Seniors love the old songs of their day and remember the lyrics
46. Music brings them together in community
47. Seniors still long for spiritual discussion and growth
48. Seniors who have Alzheimer’s think everyone else is crazy
49. Alzheimer’s patients are scared  and anxious
50. They still like to have fun
51. They all just want to be loved and respected as they have been
52. Family is very very important to them
53. They love to be included
54. They need to be stimulated and challenged with games, movies, audio books
55. They don’t want to lose their independence
56. They feel lonely and isolated and need connection
57. They can lose their filters and say what they truly think
58. They need their finances and power of attorney in place before Alzheimer's
59. There is still a lot of pride at any age
60. To appreciate anyone in this care giving position
61. Seniors often revert back to children with clicks and gossip
    
62. Seniors still can be interested in the opposite sex
63. Some seniors often still want an active sex life.
64. It is an honour to serve the elderly
65. I am modeling to my child how I would like to be treated