5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was relaxing in his recliner watching TV.  Michele and I discussed the day’s events before she left.  Dr. Vesper and I chatted for a while before I took his dinner order.  It was a simple supper making it an easy start to my shift.  He ate very well and stated it tasted good.  I enjoyed teasing him about how hard it was to push the buttons on the microwave.  Though his memory is waning, he was quite interactive and we had great conversation.  His blood glucose level prior to eating was 102.

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.  I sat with him and watched the Smithsonian station for a while.  There were some periods of confusion during our conversation, but he remained very interested and occasionally inserted his own wry jokes.  I have missed his quick wit and sense of humor!  At bedtime, I gave him his evening medication and assisted him to the bathroom for his night time routine.  When he was finished, I helped him into bed, tucked him in, and said good night.  He was fatigued, but used the walker the entire evening.

Dinner:     Salad, chicken pot pie, diet cherry 7up

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was napping in his recliner.  Mossy brought me up to speed on the day’s events.  As I prepped the dinner salad, we also exchanged ideas on how to best care for Dr. Vesper.  He woke as she was leaving, so I took his dinner order and began cooking.  He started with a hearty appetite, but was unable to finish his meal.  He stated he felt fine, just wasn’t very hungry.  His blood glucose level prior to eating was 106.

7:00-9:00     The remainder of the shift ran in routine fashion.  Dr. Vesper returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes.  Mossy had already done breakfast set up for me.  I also took out garbage and folded a few items that were in the clothes dryer.  Dr. Vesper remained awake, but was very quiet and not very interactive.  At bedtime I gave him his evening medications, then assisted him to the bathroom for his night time routine.  When finished in the bathroom, he made it back to the bedroom uneventfully.  In fact, he used his walker the entire evening.  Once in bed, I tucked him in and said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, lemon pepper baked cod, wild rice, peas, and diet cherry 7 up.  I made garlic bread, but that remained uneaten.

Visitors:     None

10:00-12:00     Dr. Vesper was fast asleep when I arrived.  I woke him to let him know I was there as well as to act as a human snooze button.  While he slept a bit longer, I fed the animals, cleaned the litter box, and swept Hillary’s “suite”.  When it was time to get up, Dr. Vesper stated he felt very light-headed, but that improved fairly quickly.  He did ask to use the wheelchair to get to the bathroom.  While there, I changed his wet clothing and gave him a sponge bath.  He felt much more comfortable and steady on his feet, so he used his walker to the dining room table.  He ate well and took his morning medications when he was finished.  His blood glucose level prior to eating was 123.

12:00-2:00     After breakfast, Dr. Vesper returned to the living room to watch television and read his newspaper.  I washed the dishes, made his bed, and touched up the bathroom.  We chatted for a bit while watching the Smithsonian station, but then he began to nod off.  At 1:15 I assisted him in the bathroom where he had a small BM.  He stated he was ready for lunch, so we made our way back to the dining room table where he once again enjoyed a hearty appetite.  Mossy arrived as he was finishing.

Breakfast:     Cereal with milk, blueberry scone, and coffee

Lunch:     Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat, a large apple, and water

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was in his recliner watching TV.  Michele brought me up to speed on the day’s events before she left.  I chatted with him for a bit while he indulged me in viewing a couple of pictures of my granddaughter.  I took his dinner order and began cooking.  He had a great appetite and ate very well.  His blood glucose level was 129.

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 dozed off and on till bedtime, at which time I gave him his evening medications.  I then accompanied him to the bathroom for his night time routine.  He was able to ambulate the entire shift except for the last trip from the bathroom to the bedroom.  He requested a ride in the wheelchair and needed a little help getting into bed.  Once tucked in he expressed his appreciation for all of us and said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, sweet and sour chicken, wild rice, toaster corn bread round, and diet cherry 7up.

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was relaxing in his recliner.  He napped while Stephanie brought me up to speed on the day’s events.  After she left, I woke him to take his dinner order and began cooking.  His sister Mary called and they enjoyed a nice conversation until dinner was ready.  Dr. Vesper ate fairly well, but was unable to complete his entire meal.  His blood glucose level prior to eating was 105.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Doctor returned to the living room while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, cleaned the microwave, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  Dr. Vesper spent this time alternating TV watching with reading his WS Journal.  At bedtime, I gave him his evening medication, then assisted him to the bathroom for his night time routine.  He was fatigued, but able to ambulate the entire evening.  When he was finished, I helped him to bed, tucked him in, and said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, crab cake, rice, peas, toaster corn bread round, and diet cherry 7up.

Visitors:     None

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was on his way to the bathroom with Stephanie’s help.  While he was in there, she took a few minutes to update me on the day’s events.  Because her shift was ending, I offered to help Doctor finish his toileting so she could leave in a timely fashion.  During this transition, Mossy stopped by to drop off a few items.  It was a busy start to our afternoon!  Once Dr. Vesper was finished, I helped him change his brief, then wheeled him back to the living room.  I took his dinner order and began prepping the salad while he alternated between napping and watching TV.  When it was time to eat, he walked to the table where he enjoyed a healthy appetite.  His blood glucose level prior to eating was 134.

7:00-9:00     Things continued to run in routine fashion after dinner.  Dr. Vesper returned to his recliner while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, took out trash, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  He dozed some, but while awake, he was in a jovial mood.  He did have several bouts of confusion, but was completely unfazed.  At bedtime I gave him his night time medication, then accompanied him to the bathroom for his evening toilette.  He asked to use the wheelchair to get there, but then elected to walk to the bedroom when he was finished.  He seemed quite fatigued as I helped him into bed and said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, rotisserie chicken breast, mashed potatoes, peas, garlic bread, and diet cherry 7up.  He declined dessert.

Visitors:     Mossy

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper was napping in his recliner.  Stephanie brought me up to speed on the day’s events before she left.  While making the dinner salad, Doctor woke long enough to say hello and give me his dinner order.  When dinner was ready, Dr. Vesper woke easily and was able to ambulate to the table.  He was fairly quiet through the meal, but ate very well.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Dr. Vesper returned to the living room where he continued to nap in front of the TV.  I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  At bedtime I gave him his evening medications and accompanied him to the bathroom for his night time routine.  He continued to use his walker the entire evening and made it to his bed unassisted.  Once there, I tucked him in and said good night.

Dinner:     Salad, sweet and sour chicken, wild rice, toaster corn bread round, and diet cherry 7up.

Visitors:     Lily and friend (swimming)