Grab your coffee and settle down and help me brainstorm. As many of you know I have been a successful caregiver for over six years now to my brother Reid. Before that my family is trying to have me declared a living saint for taking care of our Mom for 10 years. Next week the state, senior services, his case worker and I will be brainstorming to figure out where to go and how once Reid is home from the hospital. Now a lot will depend on whether or not his kidney function returns. So there are two scenarios to work from.
His function returns and we go back to prehospitalization mode. I already cook heart and diabetic healthy which should also be kidney healthy I would think. Just in case though any ideas and places on the net I can go to here would help.
We already have someone coming in to bathe him twice a week. That will need to be revaluated and I’m thinking maybe three times might be better. Thoughts?
I take care of the laundry, cleaning, taking out trash already so that won’t change.
He is wheelchair bound but since he has been in the hospital I have cleaned and performed maintenance on his wheelchair including tightening up his brakes.
I keep his TV tray, desk, and bed as cleaned up as I can.
He knows he is loved and wanted. I knew what I was getting into when I brought him out from California. I also have his permission to big sister complain since he knows he messed things up and as a result I have much more work in taking care of him. I am not Pollyanna. He doesn’t make enough to afford assisted living. The most important thing is that I promised him I would provide a real home for him with me. I need both of our social security to provide a clean and safe place to live for us.
I am battling pneumonia and running a fever. I not coming up with as many discussion ideas as normal. So ideas please. Also Reid is well aware of the groups here on Daily Kos and that by sharing what has worked and what has not in our discussion groups that I not only get ideas on how to make it better for him but can also share what works for me with others. Also it is NOT elder abuse to discuss with permission problems we are encountering and solutions to those problems. With COVID it is more difficult to get professional help and we caregivers are supporting our patients and ourselves through our discussion group.
And if you are wondering I am more than ticked off. I had a wonderfully productive diary highjacked by a couple who in pretending and note that word that they care try to flag down authorities about elder abuse when the state and the doctors and the senior services etc. have documented that none exists. They all have acknowledged that I do a superior job with Reid. They acknowledge that he would be dead without me. These overwhelming egos won’t allow that I have lovingly cared for a typical little brother that at times I throw imaginary nerf balls at and I tried to teach him to catch but no dice. Maybe it is more than time to put them on the hot seat. Why are you slandering Reid? Why are you ignoring the overwhelming evidence from State, doctors, social services, etc. and their certification that Reid is in a safe home situation? Why did you come into a perfectly productive diary where were were sharing advice, asking questions, getting the help we need and support from fellow caregivers? WHY?