DISCLAIMER: I’M NOT A PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVER!
Ancient joke: a woman finally sets up a great home, then her old man retires; now that old guy just gets in the way, tells terrible jokes, and disturbs the peace with ungawdly noises or odors !
If that woman needs caregiving, will the comedy still shine through? My wife has dementia. In practical terms, she unexpectedly needs more help to get through the day, hence, caregiving. Perhaps the best way to provide for her needs is a caregiver who happens to be an old pediatrician, namely me; I liked being a handyman around the house but c’mon, I was a bumbler at domestic chores. Decades ago, she banned me from doing laundry after I screwed it up (and I’m still not sure why!)
I’m starting this blog because I’ve learned some things by trial and error that might be helpful to other caregivers. I’ve also learned some tricks from professional caregivers. Some practical “hacks” (which us old folks used to call “adaptations” or “makeshift solutions”) might provide ideas that help others, while some anecdotes might be amusing, and some issues intriguing ( I hope.)
“Follies” will be about things I had to learn the hard way. “Hacks-Solutions” will be about those makeshift DIY (Do It Yourself ) ideas that seemed to work for us. “
Issues” will be about questions that arise, like: Can a hired caregiver tickle her feet? Probably not, and they wouldn’t want to. Can a pediatrician, calling it reflex testing? Hmm, maybe, if it’s for a purpose in the bounds of medical ethics. Can a husband just be his normal, annoying self, and tickle her feet anyway, like the good ol’ days?
WARNING: these ideas are not approved by anybody (but me), and do not meet any safety standards, so please use common sense and don’t blame me for any untoward events. (Can you tell I practiced medicine in the US?)
I’m not gonna claim these are all original. I’m sure I’ve adapted these ideas from reading or seeing things; if I can, I will try to cite the attribution. I’m going to try to avoid name brands; I grew up in the era of generic prescription writing.
I mention being a pediatrician, because my training in helping sick kids has probably affected the way I think about things, so the reader knows where my biases may lay. [Many photos are mine. Some images public domain, many from maxpixel.net or pixabay.com]
