Saturday, September 22, 2018

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Dr. Vesper were napping/watching TV in the living room.  Michele and I chatted about the day’s events before she left.  Dr. Vesper stated he had an appetite, so I took his dinner order, set the table, and began cooking.  Rose slept soundly during the first half of my shift.  When dinner was served, she was alert and ate fairly well.  Though the going was slow, she completed about 85% of her meal.  Dr. Vesper had his usual hearty appetite and we enjoyed good conversation.  His blood glucose level prior to eating was 80.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of my shift ran in routine fashion.  Rose and Doctor returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen and microwave, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them their evening medications, then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed her teeth.  Fortunately, she allowed me to do a thorough brushing as I could only access a few anterior teeth for flossing.  While on the commode she urinated and had a large BM, which started in her Depends.  After clean up I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  She was snoring immediately after.  I waited while Dr. Vesper completed his night time routine, made sure he got in bed safely, and said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, broccoli and cheese stuff chicken breast, peas, and toaster corn bread rounds.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:     None

Monday, August 27, 2018

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Dr. Vesper were relaxing in the living room.  As always, Stephanie brought me up to speed on the day’s events before she left.  Dr. Vesper and I chatted for a few minutes when he stated he had an appetite.  I took his dinner order and began cooking.  Rose napped lightly during this time.  Once dinner was served, Dr. Vesper ate heartily, but Rose less so.  The going was quite slow requiring much prompting.  To be fair, her lack of appetite could be contributed to a fairly substantial lunch.  She ultimately ate about 75% of her meal.  Dr. Vesper’s blood glucose level prior to eating was 95.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of my shift ran in quiet, routine fashion.  After dinner, Rose and Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them their evening medications, then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and (minimally) flossed her teeth.  She was extremely rigid while changing her clothes and leaned severely the entire time.  Once on the commode she produced a small BM which started in her Depends.  I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  Dr. Vesper completed his night time routine and I tucked them both in before saying good night.  He was quite gracious in expressing his appreciation for us caregivers!

Dinner:     Salad, sweet and sour chicken, jasmine rice, and garlic bread.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:     None

Sunday, August 26, 2018

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Dr. Vesper were relaxing in the living room.  Caregiver Stephanie brought me up to speed on the day’s events before she left.  Dr. Vesper stated he was hungry, so I took his dinner order and began cooking.  He ate well, finishing all of his meal.  Rose was fairly alert, but the going was very slow and required much prompting to swallow her food.  She ultimately ate about 80% of her meal.  After dinner, as he was returning to the living room, I noticed that Dr. Vesper’s chair pad was wet.  I convinced him to go to the bathroom for a fresh Depends and clean pajama bottoms and robe.  He would not change his shirt or allow me to assist him, but I did stay near by.  It can be challenging keeping him safe while allowing him to maintain his dignity.  I asked him on several occasions to use the bathroom before dinner, but he declined.  I reminded him that I was there to help and to please not be shy.

7:00-9:00     Once he and Rose were settled, I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them their evening medications, then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed (anterior only) her teeth.  Stephanie and Charlotte stopped by for a brief visit and evening swim at this time.  Once I got Rose on the lift, I changed her damp Depends.  She produced a very small stool while seated on the commode.  Dr. Vesper came to the bathroom and brushed his teeth while she was seated.  After he was finished and in bed, I got Rose cleaned up and into bed as well.  I applied her eye drops easily and said good night to them both.  I waited for Stephanie and Charlotte, then locked up behind them.

Dinner:     Salad, crab cakes, peas, wild rice, jello salad, and corn bread toaster rounds.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:     Stephanie and Charlotte

Saturday, August 25, 2018

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Dr. Vesper were relaxing in the living room.  Michele brought me up to speed on the day’s events before leaving.  While Rose napped, I chatted with Dr. Vesper, took his dinner order, set the table, and began cooking.  It was slow going for both of them, but Dr. Vesper ate all of his meal and Rose completed about 75%.  Doctor’s blood glucose level prior to eating was 106.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of my shift ran in quiet, routine fashion.  Rose and Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen and microwave oven, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them their evening medications, then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed her teeth.  She allowed no flossing tonight.  I changed her damp depends and she produced nothing more while seated on the commode.  I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  I waited while Dr. Vesper completed his night time routine, then said good bye to them both.

Dinner:  Salad, chicken cordon bleu, peas, rice, and garlic bread.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:  None

Monday, August 13, 2018

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Dr. Vesper were relaxing in the living room.  As Mossy and I were discussing the day’s events, Dr. Vesper made his way down the hall to use the bathroom.  When he came out, we realized he had removed his wet pajamas.  Mossy was kind enough to stay and help him put on fresh clothing. I appreciated this as he is usually reluctant to let me help.  While she did that, I gathered and disposed of other items and began dinner prep.  Once he was comfortable, I began cooking.  He and Rose both ate well.  Rose was much more alert, and though it was still slow going, she completed all of her meal.  Dr. Vesper’s blood glucose level prior to eating was 151, but he refused insulin.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of my shift ran in routine fashion.  After dinner, Rose and Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them their evening medications, then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  She remained alert, but rigid, while I changed her clothes.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed her teeth.  I was unable to floss them tonight.  I changed her wet Depends which contained a small stool.  She had another small BM while seated on the commode.  After we finished, I took her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  I waited while Dr. Vesper completed his routine and got into bed, then said good bye to them both.

Dinner:     Salad, sweet and sour chicken, jasmine rice, peas, and corn bread toaster rounds.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:     Sandy (yard work)

Sunday, August 12, 2018

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Dr. Vesper were relaxing in the living room.  Caregiver Stephanie brought me up to speed on the day’s events before she left.  Dr. Vesper stated he was hungry, so I took his dinner order and began cooking.  Rose napped for most of my shift, but I was able to rouse her once dinner was served.  Dr. Vesper enjoyed a hearty appetite, but the going was extremely slow for Rose.  Though she appeared awake, she was highly unfocused and required constant prompting to chew and swallow her food.  She ultimately ate approximately 75% of her meal.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Rose and Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them their evening medications, then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed (all) her teeth.  She had a moderately large BM which started in her Depends, but finished in the commode.  Clean up was tedious, but, as always, Rose tolerated it like a trooper.  I applied triple antibiotic to her left heel and buttock.  I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  I waited while Dr. Vesper completed his night time routine, then said good bye to them both.

Dinner:     Salad, chicken cordon bleu, peas, and garlic bread.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:     None

Saturday, August 11, 2018

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose was napping in the living room and Dr. Vesper coming down the hall returning from the bathroom.  Michele and I chatted briefly about the events of the day before she left.  Dr. Vesper stated he was hungry, so I set the table and began cooking.  He enjoyed his usual hearty appetite.  Rose ate fairly well, but was unfocused and slept through much of the meal.  It very slow going and required lots of prompting, but she eventually ate about 85% of it.  Dr. Vesper’s blood sugar level prior to eating was 81.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of my shift ran in quiet, routine fashion.  Rose and Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them their evening medications, then took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette.  She continued to remain lethargic and unfocused as I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed (all) her teeth.  She was somewhat more alert as I got her on the lift, smiling and telling me, “Hello!”  Once on the commode, I changed her wet Depends and she produced a moderately large bowel movement.  I applied triple antibiotic cream to the heel of her left foot and to a slightly abraded area on her left buttock.  This spot is not new and is an area of thin skin prone to breakdown.  After we finished, I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  After Dr. Vesper completed his night time routine, I tucked them both in and said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, soup, and grilled cheese sandwiches.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid) for dessert.

Visitors:     None