Flip Side-Bed & Bathroom Plan 1

He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother Is a son who causes shame and brings reproach. Proverbs 19:26 NKJV

I have been overseeing my dad's care for 3 1/2 years. When I broke my heel and couldn't walk on it for 90 days, Christ helped me develop a new perspective of care now that I was a caregivee. One crucial decision is developing a plan to make it easier for the caregivee to successfully make it from the bed to the bathroom, especially in the middle of the night.

 At first, when I came home after breaking my heel, I slept in my bedroom with lots of pillows to prop my leg up. Unfortunately, the weight of the temporary cast smashed the pillows down, putting pressure on my cast and broken heel. I invariably prayed my way through and ate lots of chopped ginger for inflamation.

 When I would get the urge, I would use my walker on the carpet to the sink area. There was a narrow pathway to the area where the toilet is. I used my crutches to hobble into the toilet area. Upon finishing, I would use the crutches to help me get up from the toilet, while pushing the opposite hand on the bathtub until I was standing. 

 This worked for a while, until the crutches got wobbly one night and I was afraid of falling. (I think it's funny, as I write this, that I said the crutches were wobbly and not me being wobbly.) Regardless, I was immediately prayerful about a different plan without crutches. I will share that plan in next week's post.

Since these are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my experience, they may not reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

I'm including You Tube Video clips on caregiving that I found interesting, inspirational, or might be helpful to others, but am not responsible for the content in the videos. Always check first with a physician before trying any suggestions mentioned.

Caregiving Video: Nursing:Transfer a Patient from Wheelchair to Bed
By: CTE Skills.com via Youtube

Flip Side-Pavlov's Dog

Cease listening to instruction, my son, And you will stray from the words of knowledge. Proverbs 19:27 NKJV

I had been my dad's caregiver for the first year that he moved in with us to help him take care of his medical conditions. Then the doctors said Dad needed more medical care and eventually skilled nursing care.  I've overseen his caregiving for almost three years and a half years, now. Then, Christ gave me new insight into caregiving, when I broke my heel two months ago and immediately became the caregivee, because I couldn't walk on my leg for 90 days.

 The part of being a caregivee that I'd like to address in this post is how I feel like Pavlov's dog on a daily basis. When I need to urinate, I have to grab my walker, or it could be the crutches, but I'm wobbly on them. I sometimes use the walker part way and the transport chair for another chunk of the way to the bathroom, because the palms of my hands get so sore from using the walker so much.
Anyway, I hobble to the bathroom the best I can by one means or the other and by the time I get close to the toilet to disrobe, the urine starts to flow. I usually try to hobble faster, but that doesn't always work. It takes a certain amount of time to remove enough clothing to use the toilet, which makes it even more difficult to get to the
toilet in time. 

 All I have to do is see that toilet and  invariably will start to urinate in a similar fashion to how Pavlov's dog would salivate when the dinner bell was wrung. This seems to happen even when I go to the restroom without much of an urge to urinate.

 This is embarrassing to talk about, but I've had to call for my husband to bring me a change of pants and underwear, because I couldn't make it in time. I now have a small overnight bag in the bathroom with changes of pants and underwear. At least, I don't have to yell across the house that I've had an accident. 

 The big point is, if I feel embarrassed by not making to the toilet in time, what's it feel like to caregivees like my dad who have to deal with this the rest of their lives, not just while a broken bone mends? How do they feel when they have debilitating illnesses like my dad, who has Parkinson's, and has to ask someone to come take them to the bathroom? What about those whom no one hears calling out and they have to lie in their urine until someone changes them? 

 If I feel embarrassed by having accidents, it gives me a new appreciation for the feelings of my father and others in facilities who are dependent on others to change their disposable under garments. It's something we all need to consider, since the vast majority of us will deal with some portion of this later in our lives. We should consider treating all seniors with the same consideration we would want in that situation.
Since these are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my experience, they may not reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

I'm including You Tube Video clips on caregiving that I found interesting, inspirational, or might be helpful to others, but am not responsible for the content in the videos. Always check first with a physician before trying any suggestions mentioned.

Caregiving Video: Walker: non-Weight Bearing
By: MGHOrthopedics via You Tube

Flip Side-Weight

Wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you xesire can compare with her. Proverbs 8:11

 I was very blessed to have my dad's transport chair here at our house when I recently broke my heel and immediately went from someone overseeing my dad's care at the Veteran's Home to being a caregivee.

My dad currently uses a wheelchair and only used his transport chair we keep at our house for when we take him on trips. The nice part of a transport chair is they don't weigh very much and they are easy to lift in and out of the car.

 We got a smaller transport chair, since he didn't weigh much at the time and it is easier to get through some doorways.

 I realized early on that I would have to be careful what I eat while my foot mends or I could gain too much weight to fit into the transport chair. The tricky thing is, I still have to make sure I get a healthy amount of complete protein, veggies, fruit, calcium, and carbs to aid in the healing process. 

 I was prayerful about all of this and talked with my husband to develop an eating plan while I mend. He would make a batch of beans, his specialty, followed by a pot of soup when the beans were gone. That way, I would have some variety and hopefully not gain too much weight.

For the most part, it's worked out well, except for two little things we've added. I asked my husband if we could rotate the types of beans, so that there's more variety. Also, he is very generous about putting crushed pecans on my morning oatmeal, because he knows how much I love them. On times where I think it's getting more difficult to get in and out of the transport chair, I have to ask him to cut back on how generous he is with the pecans.
Caregiving Tips Videos: SCI Gait Training with Walker
By: Pushing Boundaries via You Tube



Flip-Side-An Attitude of Being Gracious

The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him. Proverbs:20:7 NKJV
Although I still oversee my dad's care while he's at the Veteran's Home, I have a new appreciation for being a caregivee, since I've broken my heel and can't walk on it for 90 days.

 Having done lots of research on caregiving for this blog, I'm aware that caregivers quite often experience burn out. I tried to be prayerful about this, because my husband was immediately put into the roll of my caregiver, because I could do very little on my own.

 I don't want all he does to seem unappreciated, so I've prayed for a gracious, grateful and pleasant attitude. I try to remember to thank him for all he does, but I can still see that he feels overwhelmed, at times. I guess, it would much worse for him, as my caregiver, if I had a cranky attitude and complained all the time. I have to continue to remember on a daily basis to pray for a gracious, grateful and pleasant attitude.
Since these are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my experience, they may not reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

I'm including You Tube Video clips on caregiving that I found interesting, inspirational, or might be helpful to others, but am not responsible for the content in the videos. Always check first with a physician before trying any suggestions mentioned.

Caregiving Video: From sitting to Standing Using a Walker
By: Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa via You Tube
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