Tag: Sandwich Generation
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Just Finished My CE's!
Just completed my continuing education (CE) for my California Marriage and Family Therapist license (LMFT). To renew my license this time around, among the courses I took, I chose the following three timely and emotionally charged ones: Older Adults and Mental Health, School Refusal, and Chronic Illness in Children. Yes, I’m firmly in the Sandwich Generation, parenting a sensitive adolescent while…
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Clearing Out
Sunday evening I relaxed after spending the afternoon letting my husband grab his favorite tools from my father’s garage before Hughes Estate Sales takes everything not now in storage. After consulting with my sister, decided to move and store very little – the rest we will sell or donate to charity. No sense spending a…
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Day from Hell
Recently my mother slammed the door on her speech therapist. She refused nursing care for herself and blocked nurses from seeing my father. Her behavior has caused both of them to be discharged as patients from home health services. No more home nursing visits, physical therapy or speech therapy. My parents reside in a board…
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I Said "No!"
My mother’s speech therapist (a great guy and excellent speech therapist) called me today so that I could participate in her speech therapy. Friday, when I first met with him and my parents, he told me to work with my mother daily. Afterwards, I freaked out, was bitchy and short-tempered with my husband and…
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Freaking Out
Once again I accidentally skipped a medication dose. Thursday evening I forgot to take my divalproex (used to treat seizures, migraines and bipolar disorder), making me less stable, more irritable, short-tempered with my husband, overwhelmed, emotionally fragile, raw and vulnerable. F*ck. So that’s a bit of background for how I felt Friday and Saturday. Am…
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Change is Anxiety Provoking
Great news. Monday I am moving my parents into shared rooms – and most importantly, a shared bed – at a board and care close to my home. To that end, I’ve been busy with electronic paperwork and facilitating the transfer of my mother from skilled nursing stroke rehab and my father from assisted living memory…
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Time for Geriatric Psychiatric Hospitalization
Tuesday I took my mother from her stroke rehab to the hospital for a swallow test. When we returned to her stroke rehab afterwards, she refused to get out of my car. She went so far as to throw my car into park when I was driving toward the entrance. I warned her that her…
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Guilt Rears Its Head
Even with caregiver help, it’s been tough. Friday one of my mother’s occupational therapists told me she had asked nursing staff if my mother had been receiving any visitors. After being “on” since 11/14, I took time “off” to recuperate. My mother did not respond well. She refused to go to physical therapy and instead…
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Care-taking Update #dementia #stroke
Quick video update as I run errands and juggle caring for my mom, dad and son. Don’t forget I’m married and live with bipolar disorder. Thank God I’m holding it together so far. Video Transcript Okay, folks, so here’s the deal. It is Thursday. My mom had a stroke… hmm… probably three weeks ago, maybe the Friday…
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Recent Ramblings
2014-05-28 Both yesterday and today I screwed up my meds. When I got ready for bed last night, I saw that I hadn’t yet taken my morning dose of escitalopram oxalate (Lexapro). Then this morning after I took my morning meds, I noticed that both my morning and evening doses were gone. I had taken both.…