The Old Folks Home

[microchick]

You must have endless patience. I knew after a year of living with Mom, i would be in a looney bin. I just couldn't do it.

It was hard. Dad was happily confused. Mom was violent and abusive. I was glad I didn't have a third parent when I finally came to the end of my rope.

Only person I would ever be a caregiver to is my husband.

People who were in my position asked me if I would recommend them taking care of their parent in their home and I told them that next to raising their children it was one of the most rewarding undertakings they would ever do. It is also the most heartbreaking.

Only way I would recommend them doing it was if they had a lot of help.

And that the biggest hurdle they would have to handle was the exchanging of roles as their parent became the child because you can reason with a toddler a lot easier than you can a parent with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

 

[Nomadicus]

My only sibling was a brother 6 years my junior. As he was getting closer to retirement age I asked him what he was planning on. That's when he told me that he may not get to retire because he was having trouble doing his job a work. He was an embedded systems engineer for a major point of sale hardware and software company. A year later out of the blue he made a one time announcement of all places on Facebook to all his relatives that for the first time in over 4 decades he was unemployed. The company had downsized and that included him. He was given a great severance package from so many years of service that included all hours of the day and night. He never knew when the next call would come needed service from anywhere around the world. A year later he was trying to flush a toilet with the light switch on the wall. He passed a little over a year after our mom did a few months short of being 100. He was 69. He told everyone while he was still having some lucid conversations that he only hoped and prayed that he did not turn mean like some did that he had seen.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Most here are aware I cared for my Stepdad. Then Ma as they where about a year in part in death.
I would not have had it any other way.

 

[Cynthia12]

It was hard. Dad was happily confused. Mom was violent and abusive. I was glad I didn't have a third parent when I finally came to the end of my rope.

Only person I would ever be a caregiver to is my husband.

People who were in my position asked me if I would recommend them taking care of their parent in their home and I told them that next to raising their children it was one of the most rewarding undertakings they would ever do. It is also the most heartbreaking.

Only way I would recommend them doing it was if they had a lot of help.

And that the biggest hurdle they would have to handle was the exchanging of roles as their parent became the child because you can reason with a toddler a lot easier than you can a parent with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

I was certainly grateful for my youngest son and his wife to move in to help me with him. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to that last year.

 

[Cynthia12]

My only sibling was a brother 6 years my junior. As he was getting closer to retirement age I asked him what he was planning on. That's when he told me that he may not get to retire because he was having trouble doing his job a work. He was an embedded systems engineer for a major point of sale hardware and software company. A year later out of the blue he made a one time announcement of all places on Facebook to all his relatives that for the first time in over 4 decades he was unemployed. The company had downsized and that included him. He was given a great severance package from so many years of service that included all hours of the day and night. He never knew when the next call would come needed service from anywhere around the world. A year later he was trying to flush a toilet with the light switch on the wall. He passed a little over a year after our mom did a few months short of being 100. He was 69. He told everyone while he was still having some lucid conversations that he only hoped and prayed that he did not turn mean like some did that he had seen.

My husband was in quality control. He measured the most minute cracks..some couldn't be seen except with their special viewing. He measured them! They had to be a certain "small" before they would pass inspection inside these huge valves. I've found some of his measurements on paper around here. Looks Greek to me. Amazing talent, that kind of math. To see him lose "it" was so sureal to me.

 

[getaclue]

When I was much younger, I made an observation that old people showed their age in one of 2 ways: 1. Their mind was sharp, but the body was shot. OR 2. Their body was good, but their mind was shot. For the most part, that still holds true today.

 

[Nomadicus]

Good morning Old Folks. Hopefully just a knee injection will not be the highlight of the day. I have a small flock of White Jersey Giants and one of Dark Cornish that need therapy. They are not sick but are full of hormones. I need to ASAP get separate coops built for the boys until they settle down and one for the pullets until they start dropping their due. Then Individual Coed coops can take shape. Then a boy can cohabitant with up to 8 girls. Mean time me wife needs to go behind me and make sure I gave everyone both feed and water.

 

[sourland]

Good morning, OF.

Good morning Old Folks. I am fortunate to have the life I do.

penny - so am I. Lucky indeed.

 

[ronott1]

Good morning Old Folks. Hopefully just a knee injection will not be the highlight of the day. I have a small flock of White Jersey Giants and one of Dark Cornish that need therapy. They are not sick but are full of hormones. I need to ASAP get separate coops built for the boys until they settle down and one for the pullets until they start dropping their due. Then Individual Coed coops can take shape. Then a boy can cohabitant with up to 8 girls. Mean time me wife needs to go behind me and make sure I gave everyone both feed and water.

I need to make an appointment for a knee injection!

 

[CapricornFarm]

I want a jaw injection!