4:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose was relaxing in her recliner while Dr. Vesper was outside mowing.  Mossy had just finished vacuuming the bathroom and hall.  She spent a few minutes bringing me up to speed on the day’s events and assisted me in transferring Rose to her wheelchair.  I fed Kemper and set the table.  After Mossy left, I took Rose to the bathroom for her 4:30 toileting.  She had a very small stool in her Depends, but was otherwise dry.   She urinated slightly while seated on the commode.  Afterward, we joined Dr. Vesper in the living room to chat and watch TV.  Rose was quite focused and chatty for a few minutes, but then started to doze while I was preparing dinner.  She woke easily when it was time to eat.  We got an early start and they both enjoyed hearty appetites.  Rose received Targretin with her meal.

7:00-9:00     After dinner I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  Dr. Vesper went outside to do some yard work and pool maintenance, so I took the opportunity to bring Rose outside as well.  We relaxed for a few minutes on the back porch where it was warm, but no direct sun.  Dr. Vesper brought the garden hoses to the back yard in order to fill the pool.  I suggested it might be a bit early, but he was eager to get started on it.  I left him a reminder note on the coffee pot so he would not forget to turn the water off.  Rose remained pleasant, but was more quiet at this time.  She seemed happy to come back in and start getting ready for bed.  I gave her and Dr. Vesper their evening medications (1/2 Xanax with Rose’s) then took her back for her night time toilette.  All went well beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing her teeth.  She had another small stool in her Depends and had a moderately large BM while seated.  The spot on her bottom is nearly gone, but I still applied Neosporin.  I got her to bed easily, applied her eye drops, and said good night.  Stephanie arrived just as I was leaving to fill the pill machine.  Dr. Vesper was on the phone when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Ham, mashed potatoes, peas, and jello salad.  Rose drank milk and Doctor drank diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream (Lactaid), for dessert.

Visitors:     Stephanie

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Mossy was in the kitchen while Rose and Dr. Vesper were in the living room watching TV.  Mossy spent a few minutes updating me on current events before leaving for the day.  Rose continued to nod off/on, but was more alert during episodes of her favorite sit-com, “Two and a Half Men”.  During this time, I set the table and prepped the salads.  Dr. Vesper said he wanted to eat early, however, he lost track of time while doing yard work and did not reappear until 7:00.  Because Rose was hungry (and in the interest of time), we started dinner without him, but he caught up quickly.   They both enjoyed hearty appetites and Rose received Targretin at this time.

7:00-9:00     The rest of my shift ran in very routine fashion.  After dinner I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  Stephanie called to say she would not be there to fill the pill machine and to make sure I knew where to find the extra medication.  Rose remained quiet, but very alert.  She did not speak, but laughed whenever we laughed and while watching television.   I gave them both their evening medications (including 1/2 Xanax for Rose), put Kemper to bed, fed the cat, then took Rose back for her evening toilette.  Her upper body was rigid, but I was able to complete our routine easily.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed her teeth.  Her Depends were saturated through to the seat of her pants and contained a moderate BM.  She produced another moderate stool while seated.  I disinfected the seat of her wheelchair and then got her cleaned up.  I could only see a very small mark (2-3mm) on Rose’s skin in the area about which Mossy was concerned.  I applied Neosporin, finished dressing her, then took her to bed.  As always, she was a trooper during all this.  Once in bed, I applied her eye drops easily.  Before giving me a good night kiss, Rose asked me, “What time is it?”  Dr. Vesper was still in the living room watching TV when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Salad, pork tenderloin, rice, and glazed carrots.  Rose drank milk and Doctor had diet cherry 7up.  They both enjoyed ice cream (Lactaid for Dr. Vesper) for dessert.

5:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper greeted me in the driveway while Mossy and Rose were inside finishing Rose’s 4:30 toileting.  Mossy brought me up to speed on the day’s events and offered dinner suggestions before leaving.  After that, I set the table and began prepping the salad.  Rose was quiet and subdued at this time.  Because we were running early and the room was bright,  I took some time to reassemble the reflectors in the fireplace.  The result was passable, but appears off-center.  Dr. Vesper was satisfied, but I told him that I would work on it again when we have more time.  I returned to the kitchen and finished cooking.  Rose and Doctor were seated and eating by 6:15.  They both ate well and Rose received Targretin at this time.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Dr. Vesper was in and out, so Rose joined me in the kitchen to help wash the dishes.  Unfortunately, she was unfocused, leaning forward, and very difficult to engage.  I finished cleaning up, set out morning medications, and made sure she and Doctor had taken their evening medications.  Rose’s night time toilette was fairly routine beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing her teeth.  Once she was on the lift, I could see a small BM in her Depends, and she produced a large amount of stool while seated on the commode.  Afterward, I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  Though she spoke little, she seemed brighter and more focused when I said good bye to her.  Once again, I was the lucky recipient of a good night kiss.  Dr. Vesper was still in the living room when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Salad,  chicken Alfredo pasta with asparagus (courtesy of Mossy), and garlic bread.  Rose drank kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  For dessert, he had cherry chocolate chip ice cream (plus Lactaid), and she had raspberry chocolate chip.

4:00-7:00     When I arrived, Dr. Vesper and Rose were relaxing in the living room while Mossy was blowing some debris off the front porch.  As always, she spent a few minutes bringing me up to date before leaving.  I then fed the dog, set the table, and chatted with Rose and Doctor for a few minutes.  When I took Rose for her 4:30 toileting, her Depends were dry and she produced a small BM while seated.  When we were finished, I returned her to the living room, propped her feet up on the ottoman, and she and Doctor continued to watch TV while I started dinner.  Rose was quiet, but seemed very alert at this time.  They were seated and eating by 6:15, and both had hearty appetites.  Rose also received (1)Targretin at this time.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out morning medications.  Dr. Vesper asked me to help him clean the reflectors (mirrors) inside the fireplace.  We had some difficulty getting them seated back in the fireplace properly due to lack of light, so we opted to finish tomorrow.  Rose continued to remain alert and laughed with us while we struggled with them.  At bedtime, she and Doctor received their evening medications ( 1/2 Xanax for Rose),and I took her to the bathroom for her evening toilette.  Our routine was very uneventful beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing her teeth.  She was somewhat rigid, with minimal forward leaning.  Once on the commode, she had a moderate BM in her Depends and passed a bit more while seated.  Clean up was simple, and I got her to bed and applied her eye drops easily.  She was her usual loving and gracious self when I said good night.  Dr. Vesper had gone outside to open the gate as it had malfunctioned, but was back in and getting ready for bed when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Salad, meat loaf, mashed sweet potatoes, and peas with carrots.  Rose drank milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  For dessert, they both enjoyed peach pie a la mode.  Dr. Vesper had a cup of decaf and ate an apple later.

Visitors:     Stephanie and Andrew came by for a brief visit and to pick up the van.

5:00-7:00     Dr. Vesper, Rose, and Mossy were in the living area when I arrived.  Rose’s eyes were closed, but she opened them immediately when I said hello to her.  Mossy spent a few minutes bringing me up to speed on recent events and made some dinner suggestions before leaving for the day.  I then chatted with Dr. Vesper for a few minutes, set the table, and began dinner prep.  Rose was quiet at this time, but remained awake and alert until it was time to eat.  She ate very well, but Dr. Vesper developed some stomach trouble and was unable to finish his meal.  He said he was having “esophageal spasms”, but felt he would be ok.  He said he was having no pain and no nausea, but he was unable to keep anything more down for the moment.  He returned to the couch to watch TV and took a phone call while Rose finished her dessert.  She also received (1) Targretin with her meal.

7:00-9:00     After dinner, Rose joined Doctor in 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, put Kemper to bed, and fed the cat.  Just as I was taking Rose to the bathroom for her evening toilette, Dr. Vesper stated he was hungry for dessert and asked for a bowl of ice cream.  Rose’s night time routine went well beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing her teeth.  She was able to let me to be very thorough.  Her arms and upper body were quite rigid, but there was no leaning whatsoever tonight.  While on the commode, I removed her saturated depends, but she had no bowel movement.  She was more talkative during this time than she had been earlier in my shift.  While I was putting her to bed, she said, “What is your name?”  I was hopeful she would repeat it, but she did not.  However, I was the lucky recipient of a kiss.  I applied her eye drops easily  and said good night to her.  Dr. Vesper was still watching television when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Rose had salad, Hawaiian chicken, rice, peas with carrots, and kefir milk.  Dr. Vesper had salad, trout, asparagus with Hollandaise, rice, peas with carrots, and diet cherry 7up.  They both had ice cream for dessert.

4:00-7:00     Dr. Vesper, Rose, and Mossy were all in the living room when I arrived.  Before leaving, Mossy filled me in on the day’s events and offered some suggestions for dinner.  Rose was quiet, but seemed content.  She began leaning to her left, so I placed a small pillow between her and the arm of her wheelchair.  I set the table, fed Kemper, cleaned the microwave, then took Rose for her 4:30 toileting.  Her Depends were saturated and she urinated a bit more while seated.  She continued to lean heavily, but was not particularly rigid while changing her.  She remained quiet, but alert as I prepared dinner.

7:00-9:00     Doctor and Rose were seated and eating by 6:30.  They both ate well, though Rose seemed to lose focus occasionally.  After dinner, Dr. Vesper and Kemper spent time outside while I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  Rose kept me company in the kitchen, but I found her difficult to engage.  When Doctor came back in, I gave them both their evening medications, put Kemper to bed, and took Rose back for her night time toilette.  In spite of her severe leaning, things ran in routine fashion.  I washed her face and hands, then brushed and flossed her teeth.  She had a moderate stool in her Depends, and produced a small BM while on the commode.  I got her into bed and applied her eye drops easily.  She made eye contact, but did not respond when I said good night to her.  Dr. Vesper was in the living room when I said good night to him.

Dinner:     Stuffed chicken breasts, asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, Jello salad, and rolls.  Rose drank Kefir milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  They both enjoyed chocolate cake a la mode for dessert.

4:00-7:00     When I arrived, Rose was in her recliner while Dr. Vesper and Mossy were nearby chatting about the flooding river.  As always, Mossy brought me up to speed on the day’s events before leaving.  We also transferred Rose to her wheelchair in preparation for her 4:30 toileting.  While Doctor got ready for church, I fed the dog, set the table, and began dinner prep.  After he left, I took Rose to the bathroom where she urinated only.  She was quiet, but alert, and remained so up through dinner.  Once dinner was prepped and cooking, I hoped to spend some quiet time alone with Rose, but Kemper appeared at the door caked with more mud and clay than I thought possible!  I anticipated the mud, which hosed off easily, but the clay required more work.  Fortunately, it was a mild day and he was very cooperative.

7:00-9:00     Dinner was ready shortly after Dr. Vesper arrived home.  He and Rose were seated and eating by 6:45.  He enjoyed his usual hearty appetite, but Rose ate slowly and required some encouragement.  She began leaning heavily to her left, and I used a pillow to prop her upright.  She remained alert, however, and even told Kemper to “be quiet” a couple of times when he was barking.  After dinner, I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, and set out breakfast items and morning medications.  Dr. Vesper and Rose both received their evening medications at bedtime.  Rose’s evening toilette ran in it’s usual fashion beginning with me washing her face and hands, then brushing and flossing her teeth.  I considered using the bite block to perform her oral hygiene, but access was much easier tonight, so I did not.  Once on the commode, she sat more upright.  There was moderate stool in her Depends, and she produced more while seated.  Once in bed, I applied her eye drops easily.  She seemed comfortable, still very alert, and gave me a kiss as I said good night to her.  Dr. Vesper was going to bed as well when I said good night to him.

Dinner:  Salad, sautéed kielbasa with potatoes and squash, rice, and rye bread.  Rose drank milk and Dr. Vesper had diet cherry 7up.  For dessert, they enjoyed a decadent chocolate cake courtesy of Stephanie.