AT this point this proud independent now dependent woman learned to ask for help and accept help when offered. I am just too ill to do it all . By now He-Who needs help to turn the TV on and change channels. I had already put labels on the TV remote and the telephone to distinguish them apart. On the table under the TV was taped a list of TV channels and their numbers but he has a hard time manipulating the remote.
Thank goodness our Brookdale independent retirement community offers the kind of support I need. For a price, grant you, but worth it and available. I hired someone to do our laundry....$11 a load and worth every penny. He-Who has a laundry basket in his closet but never remembers to put his dirty clothes in it. When taking off his clothes, he just hangs them back up so I have to go through every few days and try to figure out what he has worn. He would wear the same thing every day if I don't suggest something different. But with this help I just have to get the dirty clothes and sheets together..no more limping to laundry room down the hall.
Amazon Prime is my new best friend. Since I can't drive, I order lots of stuff online and it is here in a couple of days. I can order laundry detergent as well as books. I ordered some new underwear for He-Who as he is beginning to occasionally soil his underwear. I don't know if it is the medication he is on or he just isn't sensitive to the signs he needs to go or just isn't able to wipe well. Guess I better check with the doc on this.
The best help I have discovered from my friend, Rowan, is an apt called Shipt which delivers groceries from HEB, our local store, for a small charge. The website shows pictures of everything the store offers and details of size and price. Click on the picture, name the quantity and the time you want your delivery. My first delivery was by a delightful young woman who called as she was shopping to let me the store didn't have an item and asked if I would like a substitute. They don't deliver alcohol, darn it, but her pick of the produce was perfect. I will definitely use this service again and tipped her well.
The only drawback is that He-Who and I miss trolling the aisles of HEB. With short-term memory and problems with naming and word recall, it is pointless to ask him what he wants ahead of time but he always enjoys picking out cookies, crackers and beer. Alcohol isn't supposed to be good for Alzheimers patients but he so enjoys a bottle in the evening. I say "What the hell? He's 85 years old and has so few pleasures."
No comments:
Post a Comment