TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 - MORE ON MY FIRST YEAR AS A CAREGIVER

 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 - MORE ON MY FIRST YEAR AS A CAREGIVER

This week marks my first anniversary as a Personal Care Assistant at a senior facility.

As I see it, facilities like this have four options:  independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled care.  The definitions are something like this. 

 Independent living means the person can largely take care of themselves.  Many use walkers (and a few have motorized carts) to get around.  Almost all are in the 80s or 90s (with a few of 100 or more).  They can get from A to B; they can do most things on their own - like showering, eating, and regular activities.  This facility has a nice cafeteria so residents don’t have to cook.

Assisted Living means that the resident needs some additional help.  Might need help with showers, maybe some physical therapy, and might have some major health problems.  Almost all will be using walkers or motorized carts.

Memory care is a pleasant term for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s.  

Skilled care is basically a nursing home - for those who need nursing care during the day.  

Across these categories is hospice - with those that have indicated that they are dying and to be allowed to die with dignity.

*****

INDEPENDENT LIVING.  

This facility has a large independent living group.  There are many activities for these seniors - a choir, movies, art club (and facilities), putting green, swimming pool, walking trail, two exercise rooms, two libraries, jigsaw puzzles, chaplain, transportation to doctor’s offices, community events, shopping, movies and more.

There are activities almost every day - including “bean bag baseball”, and golf putting competitions.

After my training, I had one two-hour period with one lady (more on her below) - that included taking her to dinner (and I ate dinner as well for $2). Then six medication reminders - 10 minutes each, then a man for an hour. (Note, the dinners for $2 were awesome, and … alas I enjoyed them too much and gained about 40 pounds!!  I have stopped eating them and have been walking more!!!)

Of those six medication reminders, they generally are in a locked large pill container.  The container has a three-digit code.  The concept is that “Mom” forgets if she took her pills or not.  So, in the past, she might think - ‘yes, I’ve taken my pills today - when she hasn’t; or ‘I haven’t taken my pills today - and she then takes them again (after she took them earlier in the day).  It also is a quick ‘meet and greet opportunity where they get somebody stopping by their room. (By the way, the rooms are really apartments - and are quite nice).  

Once a week a nurse comes around and fills the medication pill box.  As a caregiver, I take the pill box (once I’ve opened it), tip the appropriate day and time (like Tuesday, evening) into a cup or saucer, and hand the saucer to the resident and get them water to wash the pills down.  Caregivers are not to touch the medications - only nurses and medical staff can touch medications.  

My hour-long appointment is with a gentleman that has swelling in his legs.  I put compression pads on his legs and attached them to a machine that alternates pressure in different parts of his legs.  I also do dishes and some light chores for him.  Plus give him his pills.  This is bordering on ‘assisted living’ but he refuses to move out of independent living - if it is up to him.  (This also happens in the morning with other caregivers.)

*****

My two-hour appointment is fun.  Her family wants to keep her thinking and challenged.  She was (is?) a MENSA individual (high IQ society) but seemingly had a minor stroke at some point that affected her talking.  She can talk a little and can respond to direct questions (yes and no are the best questions).  If asked “do you want a salad, soup, or fruit plate” at dinner you might not get a quick answer.  

She was an artist and an art teacher.  (I found some of her work online).  

When I visited her first while shadowing an existing caregiver, she was watching television for the first hour of our visit and then going to dinner.  The existing caregiver said that sometimes she liked to play gin rummy.  So, when I took over the responsibility of being her caregiver, we played gin rummy.  (Not always successfully as I looked over her card and discarded something I had she could use and pick up from the discard pile - and she might or might not notice!!).

Eight months ago she was moved from independent living to memory care.  She had gotten incontinent and needed help changing her adult underwear.  I tried more activities - like coloring pages and other artwork.  At 96 years old, her motor skills were a bit atrophied. I also got art books from the library that we read - and she liked the books with impressionist paintings.  

Somehow, one day a checkerboard was set up and she wanted to play checkers.  WOW - she is actually a very good checker player.  It is challenging enough and gets her thinking.  There might be times when I have to give her some help - or make a stupid move - but rarely.  She seems to be thinking her way through the game.  

We also do some arts and crafts.  Last week we made headbands.  We’ve had ‘hat day’, ‘scarf day’, and valentine’s day.  I’m already thinking about what we can do for Halloween!!!  I don’t want to make her a witch or something wicked and have an idea.

I still take her to dinner - where I can cut up her food and help her with eating.  (She is now 96 and this helps her).  

Her family loves having me work with her.  They love that we are doing more than just watching television.  We’ll have more on her tomorrow as I talk about the memory care unit.

I have gotten to love and appreciate “my” people (yes, I’ve adopted them).  

I’ve cut back to working two evenings a week - plus symphony rehearsal and Bible Study, and then the occasional concert on weekend evenings.  This seems to be a good mix for me.  I feel wanted and needed. But there are times I feel inadequate.  I’d like to spend more time with some of the people, talking about their lives and experiences - and LOVING THEM!!

Yes, LOVE WINS!!!  And Loving older people in a senior living facility is a blessing to me, and (I think) a blessing to them.

Karen White, September 27, 2022, ©