5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose was in the bathroom with Lucy and Dr. Vesper in the dining area with Alex doing his physical therapy.  He seemed to be doing well, but found the exercise challenging.  Though fatigued, he moved around more quickly this evening and was able to get up and down from a seated position with less help.  Alex also adjusted Doctor’s walker to the correct height and explained the correct mechanics in order to prevent him from stooping over while using it.  After Alex and Lucy left, Rose and Dr. Vesper relaxed in the living room and watched TV while I completed a few chores.  During this time, I made sure Rose consumed an additional 8 ounces of water as Lucy stated she was behind on her intake for the day.  I emptied the dish drainer, touched up the bathroom, set the table, took Doctor’s dinner order, then began dinner prep.  Before they came to the table, I assisted Dr. Vesper to the bathroom.  When he returned, we checked his blood glucose level (270) and administered insulin (6 units).

7:00-9:00     Rose and Dr. Vesper both ate well tonight completing 100% of their meals.  The going is still very slow for Dr. Vesper, but he persists till his plate is clean.  After dinner, they returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I folded laundry, then gave Rose and Dr. Vesper their evening medications.  He also received his eye drop as directed.  I then took Rose for her night time toilette.  We followed our usual routine washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing (50%) her teeth.  She was less rigid tonight and leaning a bit less.  Once on the lift I removed her wet Depends, and she passed a lot of gas and had a small bowel movement while seated.  I checked on Dr. Vesper and saw that Stephanie had arrived.  I went back to Rose and we finished quickly.  I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily before saying good night.  Stephanie and Dr. Vesper were in the living room enjoying a movie when I said good night to them.

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

Visitors:     Stephanie (spending the night)

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose was in the living room with Stephanie (caregiver) while Dr. Vesper was getting ready for church.  He was receiving a haircut by Mossy and being assisted by Andrew throughout his toilette.  Stephanie brought me up to speed on the day’s events before she left.  When the transformation was complete, Dr. Vesper looked like quite the dapper gentleman as they boarded the van.  They elected to use Rose’s transport chair as Dr. Vesper is still weak and the walk from the parking lot into church would be impractical.  While they were boarding, I took Rose to the bathroom for her afternoon toileting.  It had to be deferred earlier as the bathroom was in use.  I removed her wet Depend and she urinated while seated.  Her leaning was severe, but she did not seem fatigued.  We returned to the kitchen, chatted with Mossy for a bit before she left, and  began dinner prep.

7:00-9:00     Dinner was delayed as we waited for Dr. Vesper’s return.  Stephanie and I assisted him out of the van and into the house.  He asked to be seated at the kitchen table where she helped him with his glucose monitor (261) and administered insulin (6 units).  I served him and Rose dinner, and like the night before, the going was quite slow.  They both ate 100% of their meals, with Rose having the better appetite.  After dinner, I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them their evening medications before taking Rose back for her night time toilette.  Dr. Vesper elected to continue to sit at the kitchen table, and Andrew was kind enough to keep him company while Rose and I completed her usual routine.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed (minimally) her teeth.  She was rigid and tight lipped.  Just as I was preparing her for the lift, she began leaning severely left again.  I straightened her and asked her if she could try to remain upright, that I was concerned she would be uncomfortable and didn’t want to risk her getting hurt.  Amazingly, she did as I asked and became less rigid quite verbal through the rest of the routine.  I removed her wet Depend and she urinated slightly while seated, but no bowel movement.  I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  When the bathroom was free, Andrew assisted Dr. Vesper while I completed a few tasks in the kitchen.  We got him to the bedroom, checked his glucose level (320) and administered insulin (10 units).  I helped him with his shirt, and Andrew helped him to finish as I said good night to them both.

Dinner:     Salad, stuffed chicken breasts (cordon bleu), glazed carrots, and garlic bread.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  Rose had ice cream for dessert, but Dr. Vesper declined.

Visitors:     Mossy, Stephanie and Andrew (spending the night)

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was in the living room while Rose relaxed in the sitting area and enjoyed the beautiful river view.  Michele greeted me at the door and spent time going over the events of the day as well as to make sure I was clear on new medication protocols.  After she left, I seated Rose in the living room next to Dr. Vesper so they could enjoy a little hand holding time.  I took Doctor’s dinner order and attempted to make a little small talk, but he and Rose both seemed fatigued and instead napped lightly as I set the table and began cooking.  Before dinner, Dr. Vesper checked his blood glucose levels.  After several attempts, he finally got a reading of 206 and received 4 units of insulin.

7:00-9:00     Once Rose and Dr. Vesper were seated and eating, the going was quite slow, with Rose having the better appetite.  However, they both ultimately finished their entire meals and returned to the living room afterward to watch television.  I cleaned the kitchen and microwave, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them both their evening medications including Dr. Vesper’s eye drops as directed.  Just as I finished, Stephanie, Andrew, Sophie, and Charlotte arrived for a visit.  I showed Andrew the glucose log and the insulin pen while Stephanie helped Dr. Vesper to the bathroom.  When he came out of the bathroom, Andrew and Stephanie assisted Dr. Vesper in the bedroom, checked his glucose levels, and administered insulin.  (I am unsure as to the numbers, but it is documented).  Once the bathroom was free, I took Rose for her night time toilette.  I followed our usual routine beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing (minimally) her teeth.  She exhibited little rigidity and became somewhat chatty,  but was leaning severely to her left.   Her Depends were saturated and she had a small bowel movement while seated.  When we were finished, I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  Dr. Vesper was still awake and watching TV when I said good night to both of them.  Stephanie and the girls had left, but Andrew was in the living room (spending the night) when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Salad, baked salmon with lemon pepper and rosemary, peas, and toaster corn bread rounds.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream for dessert.  (Lactaid and low glycemic ice cream for Dr. Vesper).

Visitors:     Stephanie, Andrew (spending the night), Sophie, and Charlotte.

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Lucy and Rose were in the bathroom and Dr. Vesper in the living room watching TV.  He invited me to sit and chat while Lucy and Rose finished Rose’s 4:30 toileting.  When they emerged a few minutes later, Lucy spent a few minutes bringing me up to speed on the day’s events.  After she left, I folded some laundry,  touched up the bathroom, took out the garbage, cleaned the microwave oven, set the table, then took Doctor’s dinner order and began cooking.  They were seated and eating by 6:30.

7:00-9:00     Rose and Dr. Vesper both ate well, but very slowly.  Afterward, they returned to the living room and the remainder of my shift ran in quiet, routine fashion.  I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes,  and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them both their evening medications and Dr. Vesper received his eye drops as directed.  I took Rose for her evening toilette and she was less rigid tonight as I changed her clothes, washed her face/hands, then brushed/flossed (about 75%) her teeth.  Once on the commode she urinated and had a very large bowel movement which began in her Depends.  Clean up was tedious, but, as usual, Rose was quite the trooper.  Once in bed, she seemed very relaxed and I applied her eye drops easily before saying good night.  Dr. Vesper was still in the living room and had just finished using his glucose monitor.  He wanted to stay up for a while longer and insisted he could get to bed on his own.  I think he needed to exert a little independence.  Even though he is still using his walker, he seemed very steady all evening, so I said good night, set the security system, and locked up.

Dinner:     Salad, chicken fried rice, peas, and garlic bread.  Rose drank kefir milk, and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  Rose had a Servatii pastry for dessert, but Dr. Vesper declined.

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Dr. Vesper were in the living room watching TV and Stephanie in the kitchen area.  Before she left, Stephanie brought me up to speed on the day’s events and expressed concern that Dr. Vesper slept all day and had not eaten.  She did make sure he took his medications and eye drops.  I offered to bring him a drink/snack at the beginning of my shift, but he declined, stating he’d rather wait till dinner.  I touched up the bathroom, set the table, took his dinner order, and began cooking.  Rose was awake and alert at this time, but quiet.

7:00-9:00     Rose and Dr. Vesper both enjoyed hearty appetites during dinner and completed 100% of their meals.  Afterward, they returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them both their evening medications including Dr. Vesper’s eye drops.  I took Rose to the bathroom for her night time toilette and we followed our usual routine beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing her teeth.   I was able to brush thoroughly, but she allowed no flossing tonight.  Once on the commode she urinated and produced a small bowel movement.  I put triple antibiotic cream on a small break in the delicate skin near her tailbone.  I noticed it last night, but forgot to put it in the blog.  This area seems prone to that occasionally and is already responding well to the medication.  I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  She was quiet, but still awake, when I said good night to her.  Stephanie arrived to fill the pill machine as I was leaving.  We chatted a bit before I said good night to her and Dr. Vesper.

Dinner:    Salad, baked salmon with lemon pepper and rosemary, glazed carrots, and toaster corn bread rounds.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  Rose had a Servatii pastry for dessert, but Dr. Vesper declined.

Visitors:     Stephanie

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose and Michele were in the sitting area enjoying the beautiful view while Dr. Vesper was in his bedroom napping.  Michele informed me he had been in bed all day and brought me up to speed on the events of the day in general.  As she was leaving, Dr. Vesper emerged and requested she pick up his mail for him, which she did graciously.  In the meantime, I fed Kemper, set the table, took Doctor’s dinner order, and began prepping the salad.  Rose was quiet, but very alert during this time.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of my shift ran in quiet, routine fashion.  Rose and Dr. Vesper both had hearty appetites at dinner and we enjoyed lively conversation.  He seemed well rested and more himself since I was last there.  After dinner, they returned to the living room to watch TV while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them both their evening medications and Dr. Vesper received all his eye drops as directed.  When I took Rose for her night time toilette, she was very rigid while changing her clothes and bruxed her teeth furiously. Once in the bathroom I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed (50%) her teeth.  I changed her damp Depends and she urinated and produced a medium bowel movement while seated.  We finished quickly and she seemed more relaxed and relieved.  Before I put her in bed, I took a moment to remind Dr. Vesper to use his glucose monitor.  When I returned, Rose greeted me with a jolly, “Good morning!”  We laughed together and I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  Dr. Vesper had completed his night time routine and both were safely tucked in when I said good bye.

Dinner:     Salad, broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken breasts, peas, and toaster corn bread rounds.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.   Rose had lemon blueberry trifle for dessert, but Dr. Vesper declined.

Visitors:     None

Note:  I notified Stephanie that the pill machine was empty.  I set out “extras” from the office for tomorrow’s caregiver.

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was in the living room watching TV while Rose and Lucy were in the bathroom finishing Rose’s 4:30 toileting.  On my way I stopped at Kroger to pick up a few perishable items and Frisch’s for an easy carry out dinner.  After I unloaded my car, Lucy and I made our acquaintances and spent a few minutes going over the day.  After she left, I set the table, unpackaged and stored the purchased grocery items, and placed Kemper’s “Tagg” on the charger for a few hours.  When Rose and Dr. Vesper were ready to eat, they both enjoyed hearty appetites, completing nearly 100% of their meals!  Rose was quiet, but alert, and Dr. Vesper was much more himself; energetic and quick witted.  We enjoyed lively conversation with Rose occasionally chuckling whenever we laughed.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of my shift ran in quiet, routine fashion.  Rose and Doctor returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, took out the garbage, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  I gave them both their evening medications and Dr. Vesper received all his eye drops as directed.  I took Rose to the bathroom for her evening toilette where I washed her face and hands, then brushed and (minimally) flossed her teeth.  She was more rigid tonight while changing her clothes and very tight lipped while performing her oral hygiene.  While on the commode, she urinated and had a large bowel movement which started in her Depends and took a long while to complete.  She was spent at the end of our routine, but seemed quite comfortable when I took her to bed.  I applied her eye drops easily before saying good night.  Dr. Vesper was still in the living room watching TV.  I waited while he used his glucose monitor and got ready for bed.  Once there, I said good night to him as well.

Dinner:     Frisch’s Buddy Boy (Rose), Brawny Lad (Dr. Vesper), onion rings, and salad.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had a McDonald’s chocolate shake (Lactaid).  Rose had ice cream for dessert.  Dr. Vesper was too full and declined.

Visitors:     None