Changes

Our dear sweet Mr. Brooks is passing away today, it has been a very sad place to be. We have grown to love this man dearly and it is hard to sit and watch but I know it is part of our reason for being here.

Now another resident moved in last week, and she is a very sweet and fussy lady. She has good reason to be the way she is...she has suddenly had her life turned upside down with changes. She could use some company so anyone out there that loves to visit with the older generation we can help...we have them.

Also, last night our dear sweet Granny went into the hospital. This is a very unusual week for us.

Life in the Home

Well, we hired a new caregiver and he will be starting to work very soon....but now we don't have any residents...just Granny Honor....Mr. Brooks was having some urinary problems and since he is on hospice care his family took him to the hospice facility and we don't know anything else. No one has let us know how he is doing or what is going on. We have learned to love Mr. Brooks and we miss him....we are just praying everything is going the way it should.
We do have a couple of prospects and some cards have been handed out :) So hopefully someone will be calling.... then we will need maybe more caregivers...and that would make some other people happy.
We advertised on Craiglist, and got a ton of responses...so that was good. I am excited about the fact that their are so many willing caregivers out there :)
Granny Honor's sister came to visit the last couple days and she brought her two daughters...they had lunch with us today, and stayed for awhile and played games with Granny and taught us her favorite Solitaire type game called Kings corner...it was sure fun :) Granny loved it...and she is GOOOOO OOOD it is amazing how well she plays.
Well, thanks for stopping by :)

trying to hire new caregiver

Well, this is a new experience...I have only interviewed one person so far, but it was nice meeting her...she reminded me of someone I know that makes it easy. I got to know another person over the phone, she is a delight, but it didn't work out for her...but she is a nurse and we may be able to use her for service plans and that would be good too...
I have been so tired lately that I need the help..it just catches up with you and soon you have nothing to give which isn't fair to anyone...
I am loving Mr. Brooks he is such a wonderful person. His grandchildren came today and played his piano for us...that was so nice. Since we don't make it to church very often, it was nice to have that sweet spirit in the home of good music.... they are awesome.
Mr. Brooks has been up and down and I guess that is how it will be....he is always positive and he is an amazing example of how you should treat people and he see good in everyone...absolutely everyone.
Granny gave us a big scare, one of the antibiotics she was given plummeted her glucose count to below 50 and under 50 causes brain damage...I thought she was having a stroke..we had to take her to the emergency room and have test done, and get some sugar in her....she is fine now...back to hallucinating and talking to people at night that aren't there...she woke up yesterday and told me she ate a dog, chased a horse and made pies during the night.....see it can be very very interesting :)
Hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday and I will let you know how the hiring a caregiver is going ...lol! It's funny to think of me as a boss....

Wow What a Week....

Mr. Brooks was having bowel troubles, and we had to call the hospice to come out twice..not fun for him, not fun for us... :) I even gave my first enema, not as bad as it sounds... thank goodness :)

Granny gave us another scare, she was taking the generic version of Bactrim...well what we didn't know is it could lower her blood sugars...and so she got as low as you can without brain damage...scary thought considering she has dementia already...we pumped her full of sugar and thought she was okay, nope...the medicine had already done it's damage and last night during supper I thought she was having a stroke. So Sophie ran her to the emergency room...and after being there several hours they pumped her with i v's full of sugar water and she got better, and it was just low blood sugar..but it was scary. So we are taking her glucose count several times of day now, sure don't want to have that experience again.

So it's been a week, but everyone is doing great today...and except for being behind in cleaning...things are good....

many things going on

Well, Mr. Brooks has been up and down these few days, and I guess Granny was jealous because she decided to join him.
Mr. Brooks has had Bowel troubles..and they have made him very uncomfortable...and Granny is on an antibiotic that made her blood sugar plummet to the 50's....and that is very very low she scared us to death...and it took a bit of conversing with her doctor to figure it out...we are still watching her close...she just was basically in lala land in that she just couldn't get out of the twilight stage....and then this morning she had absolutely no energy and was just sinking to the ground...it was a crazy two days... :)

Anyone need a job

We are looking for a caregiver to work full time, part time, or weekends...they can be already trained and ready to go, or if they are willing to commit to work for us .... for a reasonable time we can help them obtain their caregivers license. It's really quite easy. We will be paying $10.00 an hour....it's very fulfilling work and there are a few beni's....

anyone interested or know of anyone...call us at 480-964-3508 or comment on this blog or email us at harper.homeplate@gmail.com

Also, if you want to come visit, entertain, read to someone, PLEASE..... we love having visitors, and more that we...Mr Brooks would love it and so would Granny Honor, but she won't visit much...she will read the paper :) That is what she loves ....


now for an update,
Mr. Brooks is doing great, he is eating 3 meals a day now and snacks.. he hasn't gained any weight but he looks much better. He feels good most the time but he gets lonely...which is natural. Of course, he has a bad day now and then...but we over all are doing great...he is such a nice person :)

Week end....

Just to let you know...we went to Whataburger for our anniversary...LOL....Lyle loves them..and since I couldn't get him anything...I could give him how we spent the evening..so afterwards we went to the park and watched a coed softball game...it was fun...and our sweet son came and visited with Mr. Brooks from 9 pm to whenever so we could go to sleep without worrying about anyone...our niece came and took care of Mr. Brooks and Granny while we went out. Granny was in bed when our son came. He did have to tell her around midnight that it wasn't time to get up yet....
Anyway, days run into each other working 24/7....you don't remember for sure what day it is always...and it doesn't matter whether it's the week end or not, everyday is the same...except on Sundays...we try to take it easy...still care for everyone but take time to sit and watch a movie, go to church when we can...etc.

Mr. Brooks is doing amazing...his appetites good, he can eat almost every meal, and when he can't he can always eat ice cream :) See what we have to look forward too...
He said the sweetest thing ever Saturday, when I checked on him in the AM and I asked him how he was feeling he said, He feels like he needs to do something to show the people he cares about that he loves them...he wants to give service to someone...if anyone needs a foot massage or back rub he would be willing to give one....he is so kind, always thinking about others. He is such a joy to have around...how can you not feel good when he has such a positive look on life. He has a terminal disease...he will never get better, but he can feel better and he works very hard at it. His family loves him very much...he has many visitors...and phone calls...he also has good friends...that come and see him about once a week at least. It says a lot about a person when they are not left alone, that their families love them and care for them.

I hope I can learn a lot from Mr. Brooks and become the kind of person people want to spend time with...even when I am in a home.... :)

Today is my anniversary...

Which really has nothing to do with this blog, but it is part of my life :) Lyle and I have been married 34 years....wonderful ones to boot.

Mr. Brooks is doing much better, he is eating more everyday...hope this last for him..he had to be put back on the medicine we suspect might be causing the hallucinations. But his DIL and I have other theories, and if they pan out I will keep you posted ... don't want to sound like I think I am a Doctor or anything because I definitely am not. But my son will be :)

That's all I am reporting today, I get to take some time off to spend with my sweet hubby.....makes me happy just to think about it :)

Mr Brooks is better

Mr Brooks is doing great....he hasn't had any hallucinations since that night...they got really really bad and then we gave him some anti - anxiety medication and he slept almost all day yesterday...and he hasn't had one since...I know it's just been a little over 24 hours...but that is still good. He is under Hospice care and they took him off the medication used for RLS...restless leg syndrome...hoping that it will make the difference. Only time will tell. That is the interesting part about this business, you just have to stay on top of it... He has also eaten well today...and that is a good sign... means we will have him a little longer...he is such a sweet man...I just love him :)

I must admit ... I am TIRED....I went to a class given by Hospice of the Valley, last night...I recommend taking a class like this to everyone who knows anyone with Dementia...the class was free...they provided supper...sandwiches or wraps, chips, and water...they were very good sandwiches... :) Anyway, I learned a great deal..the class is geared for home caretakers, but it still taught me many things that I would not have learned on my own. Anyway, it was from 5:30 to 8:30 but I didn't get home until about 9:30...Katy, my niece who is a caregiver came and assisted Sophie (my M.I.L) in taking care of Mr. Brooks and our Granny....so we visisted a while. I then went in and checked on Mr Brooks, gave him his meds and something to eat...it didn't sit well, he has anti nausea medication and I didn't give it to him first because he was really hungry...my mistake...so it didn't stay down well. But today I remembered and he is doing great ...

Okay off subject...you know what i discovered....I like having a shower with the handicap bars..it is so nice to have something to hold on to in the shower, and I can do ballerina at the same time....nude....don't you just love the picture that popped into your head...LOL!!!! I think I am sooooo funny !

Today is another day, and you don't know how tempted I am to erase what is written...haha..
Mr. Brooks is eating better that ever, we sat on the patio for a few hours yesterday, he likes the weather....he has the RLS...restless leg syndrome... and we took him off the meds and now he isn't hallucinating but he can't keep still....poor man...it is a difficult choice....

Anyway have a great one ....

Mr Brooks

Well, Mr Brooks becomes more and more interesting. He has been in the service and served in WW2 and Korean conflict. He has lived in Idaho, Oregon, and Payson, AZ. His wife passed a few years ago...they had a wonderful marriage..he loved her dearly. He has several photo albums he has put together since he retired...he told Lyle that is something he can do we he retires...LOL...he doesn't know Lyle very well...haha
Anyway, he loves Ice cream, and would rather eat that than anything else....now that he has in common with Lyle. He is such a sweet dear man, so if you ever want to come visit us, he loves company...especially children. He doesn't ever want children to be afraid of him.
Okay, someone might be able to shed some light on this one...
Mr Brooks has been having hallucinations like crazy, but unlike the ones our other residents have had. He knows they are hallucinations and says he thinks he belongs in the loony bin....it breaks my heart to see him so frustrated. The weird thing is they started yesterday all of a sudden, and have just continually gotten worse as time is passing. He didn't sleep at all last night...still isn't ....
Just so you know I already have a spot in my heart for this dear sweet man, I am so grateful his family chose us to share him with. He just steals your heart away with his kindness and sweet disposition. Even with all this confusion he is experiencing he has been nothing but gentle and kind....kind is the best word to describe him. President Hinckley would have loved this man.
Well, it's good to be working again...
We also had a man come by yesterday who is contemplating putting his wife in a home....so maybe things are looking up :)

Odd observation

I remember now that we have a new resident, "Mr. Brooks" who moved in yesterday :)
The thing I remembered is ...everyone has their very own odor..and you have to get used to it....and sometimes that can be hard. I usually go thru a gagging stage before I adjust. Now I call that dedication ... or crazy..either way I fit the bill.
"Mr. Brooks is sleeping in this morning..he was up late, and got up early because even though I had this thought last night...you out to take that paper cup out of the room and replace it with a plastic one...well, I brought in the plastic cup, and quickly forgot to remove the very full cup of sprite from the bedside table...and guess what..."Mr Brooks" not used to our home and his new surroundings accidentally knocked it over..and I am totally to blame, but of course he blames himself..he told me his arms must have grown during the night...cute huh!
Anyway, I believe we are going to get along fantastically...it's the all nighters that make it hard...lack of sleep and I don't always go hand in hand.
But on the bright side... :) we have a RESIDENT!!!! And I have someone to serve....hurray...hopefully I will take full advantage of this and keep myself very very busy....the day flies when you are busy...and I like that alot! I need to follow my followers and get some pictures on this thing...
that's all for now...

New Resident

We are getting our first new resident :)
Some dear friends have been caring for their Dad for the last few years, and it has come to the point where they need help. This is why assisted living homes exist, to help those who are unable to care for their loved ones on a full time basis.
Anyway, "Mr Brooks" will be moving in at the end of this week, and we are looking forward to meeting him. His sweet Daughter in law and grandson came by last night to look at the home and decide for sure whether or not they wanted him to stay with us. She just called and YES! they do. He is on hospice care, which means they will come and help with things like showering, emotional and social needs, and physical needs. Hospice is a wonderful end of life service. They are a very loving and caring organization. They will also help us...it will be a great experience for everyone involved I am sure.
I will keep you informed about how things are going :)

Sunday

It's a quiet Sunday, everyone napped or watched movies today...Granny napped while Gabby had Home Teachers...which I thought was interesting. She usually likes the attention of men. I have just been feeling sorry for myself today....do you ever have days like that ...when no matter what you do, you just can't find happiness except in fleeting moments....like I love to talk to Lyle, and when he spends time with me it makes me happy....anyway, that is today...need people to serve so I don't have time to get myself all wrapped up inside myself.

Bunnies and more

I know what you would love to see...if I ever get over there and take pictures...we have 90 bunnies...they are so adorable. Lyle has always wanted to have rabbits, he did it for a while when Deidra was about 2..so it's been just a few years... :)

We use our closet at night as a "nursery" for the "kits" (baby bunnies) because it has been so darn cold at night. We have lost a few bunnies to the weather, so it's a learning process.

Before you read the scary part...if anyone is interested in baby bunnies for Easter...I think we will have a few :) We have white ones, black ones, brown ones...and some mixed.

Well, this is the scary part, they are meat rabbits so I don't visit them often, it makes it hard to handle :} Rabbit meat is lower in fat and higher in protein that the normal meats we use, like chicken, turkey, pork and beef. And rabbit doesn't gross Lyle out like poultry does, so that is why we are now serving rabbit in place of chicken. You just have to adjust, and pretend it's chicken. That's the only way I can handle serving or eating it.

We also are raising our very own laying chickens, so we get between 16 and 21 eggs every day....we have a ton of eggs. Tanya (Lyle's sister), our neighbor, gets four dozen every few days and we still have at least 8 dozen in the fridge all the time :) So we won't starve that's for sure.

We are supposed to plant a garden this year also....but we might not make it...Lyle has been busily taking care of things around here. He is remodeling the first home we lived in here in Harper's acres... and Amron (our son) and Brooke (his wife) will be moving into it. That will free up our house so we have a home to go to when we need a break from Home Plate. It's good for everyone, including residents, to get away from "home" on occasion.

Granny (93 years young) is doing great lately, she isn't even drifting in and out of other times right now. Her blood sugar has stayed very stable on the low end of normal now for over a week. It helps her dementia to have her diabetes under control. Something we learned through a resident we took care of till Mark's home was finished. Like every thing in life, we learn things a little at a time, line upon line....it's a good feeling to help someone live a healthier life, especially at the end of their lives. You know that you have done everything possible to make the transition from this life to the next as comfortable and easy on them as you are capable.

We still are looking for residents...so keep us in mind...I really need someone to care for :) ...

Empty again

Well, the family left....so it's really quiet here. Been keeping myself busy cleaning up after the storm...lol! Well, yesterday i took it pretty easy...so today I am repenting and getting the deep cleaning done that is necessary to have a fresh clean home...well some of it. :)

Granny has been doing really well, her blood sugar is very good. She does have a dog now that she wants us to water, (no, there is not a dog) Lyle told her it was in her imagination and she just smiled. She is such a sweetie, so easy to get along with.

Gabby is back from New York, she had an amazing whirlwind trip, she did and saw as much as she could fit in. She even saw Phantom....she wants to go back, she said she misses snow...you can tell she is not an Arizona girl.

We are checking into a networking group so we can get more contacts and hopefully get some people into our home. Sophie went and delivered fliers to senior citizen centers around the east valley. We have placed some in at least one Dr's office...so far no calls..
Will is working on a website for us...hoping that will bring some customers to us.
Any of you whiz's at communication have any ideas..please share.

Did I ever mention why we are called Home Plate....well, Lyle's Dad has played baseball and softball since he was a small child. He even played in the service. He still plays on a championship senior team right now. He loves the game. So his children (Tanya) came up with the name and we all loved it and that is why we are called Home Plate...and we even have a small section of our common room dedicated to him.

We are trying to get the Home decorated...when we get something finished..I will take pictures and share...

Well, that about catches us up....Have a great Day!

The house is FULL!!!!

So the house is full, but not with residents... The family is here, we have Gabby, Lyle's niece (mine too) in room 1, we are in 2, Dave (my brother) and April (his wife) are in 3, My father in 4, 5 is empty, Granny is in 6, and Dave's girls (my nieces) are in 7, and his boys (my nephews) in 8....so we do have a very Full and LOUD house too! Nothing echo's like an empty house, because although there are people everywhere...there still isn't furniture in all the rooms ...so ECHO......ing is the motto for today :) oh, yea, Gabby is the only one staying for awhile...the rest are leaving on Monday....so.....even though

It's great to have it full of people it would be better if we can just get residents in those rooms- our lives would be much happier. There is something very fulfilling about serving people, even though we "get paid" , I feel like you can still serve them, by going the extra mile to make sure they are healthy, and happy and feel at home. I don't know if I shared this, but when we first started working in this business, we were told, never love the people, never get emotionally attached to them. WRONG!!
It is so much easier to give them the care they need and deserve when you love them..

Anyway, my followers and friends...keep us in mind if you hear about anyone looking for a place...(no pressure)...but we would appreciate it if you kept us as a little side note in the back of your head.

Now a little side note from me... :)
I forgot to mention everyone was here to celebrate my father's 82nd Birthday....He looks great and had his full faculties...he does have some hearing and sight loss, but through the miracle of modern medicine they are fixing the sight loss....if not completely partially, he was already seeing better at our house.

Granny has been sleeping much better....hurray, almost normal...but she is talking more in her sleep...I woke up this morning to "Hey, I am talking to you" ... let me explain, she has a nursery monitor in her room so we can listen for her during the night...make sure she is okay, make sure we can be there asap if she need help...and to hear her talking to the people I can't see. :)

talking about the family

Since Granny is our top resident right now, she gets top billing :)
She had a rough night a couple of nights ago, she kept wanting to talk to her sisters on the phone, she mentioned 4 of them during the night, and then the last one yesterday. She was worried about her husband getting coffee, she has had 3 and they have all passed away. She is not unusual in this behavior.
She sees and does things from her memories. I don't really understand it because I am not really schooled in dementia and Alzheimer's. But I do get that somehow her brain has her seeing things and hearing things that are not actually here but somewhere deep inside her subconsciousness. It's pretty amazing when you think about it. It is also fascinating to watch. Like the other day, she was playing peek - a - boo with a small child. It was so cute, of course, there was not a child here. She followed that child with her eyes as it scampered around the table and she smiled with such a sweet expression, that I have no doubt that she was seeing what she claimed to see.
I have heard two theories about this type of situation..one is that you play along with the fantasy, the other is you bring them back to reality. If anyone is reading this do you know or have any idea what I should be doing? or know of something I can read to get information about what I should be doing... thanks ahead of time. :)
I wish I was an amazing writer and I could have you enthralled in the story....but alas I am not... :)
Hope you are having a good day

Valentine's Breakfast Sunday Night

We celebrated Valentine's day on the 13th with the Harper Family by having Breakfast Sunday night. We had waffles and strawberries and whip cream or buttermilk syrup or both with sausage links or bacon. Granny had a good size waffle and bacon and sausage, and seemed to thrive on all the family and especially the children. She enjoyed playing "Who do you love" bingo with the family. She won a package of princess chocolates and ate them all before bed....good thing it was only one serving :)
You would think she would have been tired from all that partying, but she stayed up till 9 oclock anyway, and then she was off to bed. She woke up around 1 am and walked around the house, then up again at 4 and 6....at four she rang her bell and when I went in to check on her, she said, "Did I wake you up?" , with the sweetest smile ever....do you think she knows what she is doing...I wonder sometimes...LOL...

Sleep

I have learned something interesting...did you know you can go to bed one night...sleep through the night...through the day...and through the night again and wake up saying that was the best nights sleep, I feel good....and find yourself with no clothes on to boot....yup...it can happen. So folks, I guess the secret is to take your clothes off sometime during the night and wake up naked and wha la you have the best sleep ever.....I think I might try it, especially missing a day and not even knowing it....

Let's get started....well kind of :)

Today I am starting a Blog about my life in the Assisted living home....
We have been working in the business since May 2010. It has been very interesting and I have found I actually enjoy working with the elderly. I was surprised by this because when I was in my teens my great grandmother was living in a little nursing home in Mesa, and although it was sweet, I absolutely hated going there. The mortality thing I guess, as a teen you never want to think it is possible you will get "OLD". Good thing we grow up... :) eventually, considering I had to reach 55 to discover that age is relevant and I am really a lot younger that I think. LOL!!!
So far we have worked with some wonderful, sometimes challenging people. I have learned that you can give them your heart, and survive when they have to leave . I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life. I consider our residents as my friends and try to treat them with dignity, respect and love. I try to put myself in the shoes of the family who makes that difficult choice to put their loved one in an assisted living home.
We have a home that we didn't build ourselves, but are slowly making it ours. You know how it is, if you get to choose what goes in your home,etc .. you would do it one way and someone else will do it another. Same with the assisted living business, you learn as you go what works for you.
We had 8 residents when we first started but we were keeping them until the Assisted Living business that was in this location built their new home and got it started. All together we have helped care for 10 different and wonderful people. Each having their individual personalities and special needs. We have learned to care for those with diabetes and meet their nutritional needs. We have learned how to work with someone who can't see well, and some who couldn't walk. We have learned how to recognize the beginnings of several different kinds of afflictions that the elderly deal with, and how to make our residents as comfortable and healthy as possible. We have learned how to keep their laundry smelling nice. We have learned the importance of staying on top of cleanliness in home and body. I am very grateful for these experiences and look forward to the many more things I will learn from serving our residents and their families.
We are now working on getting residents into our home, we are running a "Grand Opening" special. We have Lyle's Grandmother living here with us so we stay in touch with how to care for our residents when we get them.
Dementia is hard sometimes for families to deal with because their loved one change so much. They sometimes have completely different personalities than the ones they had earlier in their lives. That is one reason it is good to have homes like ours available to put our grandparents, and parents in. We understand that it is difficult to suddenly have to care for the people who cared for you growing up. Incontinence care and bathing your parents is something that is hard for a lot of people to deal with. You are not alone in your struggle, and that is why a good Assisted living home is a good choice. I am hoping that you will enjoy reading about our lives here at "Home Plate" and when that time comes you will consider putting your loved one in our home. :) Suzie Harper