5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was relaxing in his recliner watching TV.  He perused his mail as Stephanie and I discussed the day’s events.  He seems to have improved strength and memory with the increase in water and exercise.  He made his way to the bathroom shortly after she left and at least two more times before bedtime.  When he returned from the bathroom I took his dinner order and began cooking.  He ate slowly, but well.  His blood glucose level prior to eating was 125.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  At bedtime I gave him his evening medications and waited while he completed his night time routine.  I made sure he was safely in bed, tucked him in, and said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, baked teriyaki salmon, wild rice, peas, garlic bread, diet cherry 7up, and ice cream (Lactaid)

Visitors:     None

Note:     Fellow caregivers, recently I am having difficulty getting Dr. Vesper to go to bed in a timely fashion.  This is not uncommon as the days grow longer, but I am wondering if it might be helpful to get him up earlier in the morning?  I understand it’s not an easy endeavor, but I am concerned that he’s lying awake at night or waking frequently.  Stephanie reported to me there has been evidence of him actually getting out of bed such as urine in the toilet (even though the urinal is available)  and an unplugged TV ( he couldn’t find/operate the remote).  Thanks, ladies!

5:00-7:00     I intentionally arrived a few minutes early as the winds were high and I wanted to see if the lane was clear of fallen trees.  Other than a few small branches, there were no problems.  Just as I got there, Dr. Vesper made his way to the bathroom.  While he was gone, Stephanie M and I chatted about the days events.  After she left, I took Dr. Vesper’s dinner order and began cooking.  He made a second trip to the bathroom a few minutes before dinner was served.  He ate well, but it took him longer to eat than usual.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, set out breakfast items and morning medications, and replenished Kemper’s water bowl.  At bedtime, I gave Doctor his evening medications and waited while he performed his night time routine.  I made sure he got to bed safely and he requested that I turn his TV on.  I then tucked him in and said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, tomato soup, grilled ham and cheese sandwich, diet 7up, and ice cream (Lactaid)

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was in his recliner watching TV.  Michele and I chatted before she left for the day.  The house was in good shape with little for me to do.  Dr. Vesper alternated between watching a movie and reading his newspaper.  I took his dinner order and began cooking.  He enjoyed a healthy appetite, but was fairly quiet through dinner.  His blood glucose level prior to eating was 145.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen and microwave, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  He continued to enjoy the Smithsonian channel until bedtime.  I gave him his evening medications, then waited while he performed his night time routine.  Once he was safely in bed, I tucked him in and said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, crab cake, wild rice, peas, corn bread round, diet 7up, and ice cream (Lactaid)

Visitors:  None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was in the living room watching TV.  While he went through his mail, Stephanie M brought me up to speed on the day’s events.  Dr. Vesper stated he was hungry, so I took his dinner order and began cooking.  Just before dinner was served, Doctor noticed a bulb had burned out in ceiling light over his chair, making it hard for him to read.  I took a moment and changed it per his request.  Once at the table, he enjoyed a hearty appetite.  His blood glucose level prior to eating was 97.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  At bedtime, I gave him his night time medications and waited while he performed his bathroom routine.  I tucked him in and turned on the TV.  I reminded him that he had an early PT appointment, then said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, tomato soup, grilled turkey and cheese sandwich, diet cherry 7up, and ice cream (Lactaid)

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     Dr. Vesper was in the bathroom when I arrived.  Stephanie M brought me up to speed on the day’s events before she left.  When Doctor returned to the living room, he relaxed in his chair and watched TV until dinner time.  It was a quiet, rainy afternoon with little to do as the house was in good shape.  When dinner was served, Dr. Vesper ate well, but was quiet and didn’t seem very interested in conversation.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I joined him while he watched a Ben Stiller comedy.  It didn’t seem quite his style, but he didn’t want me to search for another program.  He still wasn’t up for conversation, but I think he appreciated the company.  At bedtime he took his medication, performed his night time routine, and I helped him into bed.  He asked for the TV to be on, but I heard him turn it back off as I was locking up.

Dinner:     Salad, chicken pot pie, jello salad, diet cherry 7up, and ice cream (Lactaid)

Visitors:     None

Note:     Kemper was very lethargic during my entire shift.  I had to coax him to go outside (it was not raining), and he never left the porch.

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was watching TV in the living room.  As he went through his mail, Michele brought me up to speed on the day’s events.  After she left,  Dr. Vesper and I chatted for a few minutes about local news events.  I then took his dinner order and began cooking.  Just as dinner was finished cooking, he decided to use the bathroom.  It was perfect timing and he came directly to the dining room table from the bathroom.  He enjoyed a hearty appetite.  His blood glucose level prior to eating was 110.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of my shift ran quiet, routine fashion.  Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  At bedtime he took his evening medications, then made his way back to the bathroom.  After he was finished, I made sure he got to bed safely.  He elected to watch TV, so I turned the set on for him before saying goodnight.

Dinner:     Salad, crab cake, peas, rice, toaster corn bread round, diet cherry 7up, and ice cream (Lactaid)

Visitors:     None

12:00-3:00     I came in to relieve Mossy as she had a family function to attend.  When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was sitting at the dining room table finishing his newspaper.  He returned to his recliner and alternated watching TV and napping for the first part of my shift.  He also received phone calls from Mary, Jennifer, and Jessica.  I made him a light lunch around 2:30 and he used the bathroom three times over the course of my shift.  I tried to take advantage of those times he was up and encouraged exercise.  I was only moderately successful as he stated, “Sunday is a day of rest.”

3:00-6:00     It was a beautiful, but quiet day with not much for me to do.  I spent a few minutes cleaning the bathroom where the farm kitties stayed, but did not get the floor scrubbed.  When I returned, I found an area on the wood floor where Kemper had vomited and cleaned that.  It was just water and bits of food, so I am not sure what made him sick.  This was prior to his supper, which he ate without incident.  I then set the table, took Dr. Vesper’s dinner order, and began cooking.  Mossy arrived just as the food was finished cooking.  She got Doctor seated and served as I said good bye.  I did check his blood glucose level which was 91.

Lunch:     Turkey and cheese tortilla rollup, assorted fruit, and diet 7up

Visitors:     None