Follow
Share
Read More
This discussion has been closed for comment. Start a New Discussion.
Find Care & Housing
Ah, yes, Mediator to Hallucinations. My mother tends to get hallucinations with insomnia or when coming off antibiotics. The time the bed was rolling downhill, I stuffed a couple of incontinence pads under the wheels of the bed, took a picture, then showed her the picture and told her the bed could no longer move. I once trapped lots of little animals that were running up and down the curtains around the nursing home bed by rolling up the curtains ... but unfortunately they kept getting out. But it was rather fun, the time the bunch of jolly people came into the room and held a party ... I just had to assure my mother that there was plenty of ice cream for everybody, when I got some for her and me.

I also never expected to become the Puzzle Lady. I got a couple 12-piece jigsaw puzzles for my mother plus a couple slightly harder ones, trying to get her to be social with other people while doing the puzzles. I discovered that helping the other MC residents with the jigsaw puzzles was something I liked to do, and sometimes I succeeded in getting my mother to interact with another resident. So I kept buying puzzles and now have several dozen of them. And now I'm the facility's unofficial Puzzle Lady.
(7)
Report

I did all kinds of things for my late mother --
#1 washing her entire body
#2 I had an 18 page list of things I did for her
#3 Helping her make fudge when she cried about it
#4 290 more things
(5)
Report

Cleaning out the electric shaver. The aids at his nursing home don't know to do this, and when I have seen them do it, they flip open the top and tap a few times in the sink. No, you gotta brush out the gunk around the blades too.

Also: Closet organizer (or Dad ends up wearing the same 2 shirts over and over and over again), music curator, pedicurist, manicurist, ear cleaner, and nose hair trimmer.
(4)
Report

I didn't realize that I would have to shave my father's ears. 
(6)
Report

I have to say that while I had to live with my mother out of state that I learned a new dance routine...called the "I have to GO really bad when I arise EVERY morning, but first I must wipe up poop on the toilet seat." Let me tell you that I almost decided to start wearing the diaper.
(6)
Report

My most recent unique and unexpected thing, and my dad doesn’t have dementia, was dressing him for a wedding. He’s physically so frail that putting on a suit, something he very rarely does anymore (and something he used to do quickly and with no thought) is a huge challenge, if not impossibility. He couldn’t do all the small buttons on a dress shirt, especially the one at the neck, couldn’t manage a tie, couldn’t get the suit coat on, couldn’t put on the thin dress socks, etc and I ended up doing all of it. I’ve helped many times in various parts of him gettting ready but this was the first time he was just totally overwhelmed and simply sat and had me do it all. It was another sad chapter in what we call “new dad/old dad”
(5)
Report

I want to thank everyone that posted here - I really needed the chuckles. I have had to find the tv remote (he sits on it) and the sweet look on his face when he says, "you're going to say I did it, aren't you?!"

I tell him no, I just hide things under you when you're sleeping because I'm mean that way, hahahah.

The day I can no longer find something to laugh about, that's the day I will start crying.
(6)
Report

Daughterof1930: God bless you and HE will 100 times over. Thank you for that kindness to your father.
(4)
Report

I never dreamed that I would have to give Mother shots by her belly button for several days before her hip replacement or that I'd have to insert suppositories everyday.
(3)
Report

Speaking of 'dressing up' parents, the last time I took my mother out to the thanksgiving buffet was 4 years ago, well, I arrived at her house at noon. She was in her nightgown, so I said, 'we have 2 hours, you should start getting ready.' I laid out all her clothes and went out and shovelled the snow off her driveway, it took me almost an hour (I am 66 and out of shape). Went back in, she was still sitting there watching tv! OMG. It took her an hour and a half to change and get ready, and I had to search and search for her boots and try to get them on her feet. We got there 2 hours late, there was still a little food left, and we were about the only ones in the restaurant besides the hired help, waiting to clean up and go home. And on the ride back, she had an 'accident' - luckily I had thought to put a plastic tablecloth down on her car seat and she was wearing a Depends....I really missed those restaurant outings ever afterwards, but she didn't really know what day it was, much less what holiday it was.
(4)
Report

Lassie: That was a real "doozy!" But you aced the test! Praises going out to you! 
(2)
Report

Here's one I never expected: picking out my mother's Christmas card and present to my brother!

He's getting gift cards. Too bad if it's lazy. I know he'd prefer them anyway. :-P
(3)
Report

Well now I have to go check my mom's 1 chin hair and nose hair too before Christmas company arrives lol!
(2)
Report

Your mom only has ONE chin hair?
Yesterday I gave mom her weekly shave and spent a little extra time on the nose hairs (a forest is growing there), I'd like to tame the eyebrows but that would be cruel! I also cleaned her eyelids and put in some eye drops (shh, don't tell), cleaned her teeth, lotioned her face and arms and readjusted the headrest on her wheelchair (it takes tools, how do they keep knocking it cockeyed?).
(4)
Report

I have chin hair(s) and I'm only 49! Thank you, menopause.

I wonder if I will grow a beard when I'm old and have nobody to monitor the hairs for me?
(3)
Report

Yep Mom has just 1 chin hair But it's a whopper! And 1 upper lip hair. Forgot that one!
(1)
Report

This discussion has been closed for comment. Start a New Discussion.
Start a Discussion
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter