A Vacation.

A family photo taken at a record shop in New Orleans in the French Quarter

So we took a vacation.  I was nervous thinking we wouldn't be able to.  I had to pack for mom, get her to doctor visits so she'd have enough prescription meds, had to find someone to house-sit our pets, find someone to care for mom, etc...Well, thanks to family and friends we were able to make it come together.  Our son just turned 18 so it was important for my husband and I to give him a vacation.  For the past 3 years, Mom has suffered from Dementia and has been living with my family and I.  We've cared for her, and have taken over all of her responsibilities. As some of you know,  I quit my job in December, 2012 to care for her full time.  This past year has been difficult as her health has declined.  It's tough, but with my husband by my side, it has been easier - his support and help with mom is in-measurable.  Well, all that said, we traveled over 25,000 miles in 2-weeks and visited some places we've never been as a family.  I was excited to visit New Orleans the most!  We got to also visit with friends and family throughout our trip, which was important to me since I don't get out of the house much, I need to socialize; it's been weird since I've left my job - I'm almost a hermit! I know that's not healthy, but my work here at home never seems to be done from bathing and feeding mom, to exercise and laundry, grocery shopping, preparing meals, etc...it's a lot of daily tasks and in no way can mom be left alone.  I try and take mom out of the house once a week, but more than that really drains me!  It's so hard getting her ready and she has a fear of stores and being picked up by police (part of the disease) and it's difficult calming her down, so a trip out on the town can turn into a stressful event for us both.  Of course I give myself days off where I do nothing but the usual type of things, and make sure I relax, relax, relax!  I worked in the 9-5 world for 15 years, and don't really miss it because I have found my life is drama-free  now and much more pleasant...no negativity, and that's especially important!   

Our vacation was much needed for us all, I was worried at first leaving mom for 2 whole weeks thinking the worst...I even had a nightmare that she fell! :(  Thank god all was OK and needless to say, she was well taken care of plus had a good time!  She sure missed us, but mainly I think she missed her bed and privacy. Although mom suffers from this disease, she still appreciates her quiet time and really needs to feel safe, my house is her safe haven because it's what she knows.  I left a huge 2 page to-do list for mom's sitters!  I think they all followed it pretty well, and for that I'm grateful.  My aunts would send me updates and pics of mom!  All said and done, I feel blessed to have gotten a piece of family time in there.  It's very difficult caring for loved ones with sicknesses and disabilities because sometimes the family suffers emotionally and have read horrible statistics of caregivers suffering the most, loosing their sense of self and spiraling into depression.  Please read more by clicking here ---> Caregivers Health 

Blogging is my connection to the outside world and writing my experiences down has helped me feel not so alone in my journey in caring for mom.  You all reading my blogs and facebook updates means a lot to me, because I feel that these thoughts dancing inside of my head are somehow serving as tools to some of you who might not be familiar with Dementia, so in a way I feel that I'm bringing awareness to the disease and helping others and that's the goal.  Thank you for reading and please continue to share my blog with others!  It's deeply appreciated.

Sincerely,

EV :)