Working Caregiver- Caring for Grandparents
Grandpa got meds and was turned. A coma patient has to be moved so he would not get bed sores.
In Grandpa's Service
My Grandfather ate a pepperoni pizza and took a nap. He never woke up. That was January 1993. We rushed him to the hospital and he lay there for a month. His doctor recommended a nursing home. One he owned. When we, Grandmother and I, decided that we would take him home, the doctor dropped us. He would not treat Grandpa because we would not warehouse a loved one. He said that we could not take care of grandpa. He was wrong. We cared for Grandpa for 8 years.
This is how we did it.
First and foremost we got a new doctor. That Doctor was fabulous. His name is Howard Willis. He had treated my brother-in-law's Grandfather. He believes in keeping our elders in their homes.
Dr Willis got us home health. The nurses and nursing aids helped us keep grandpa alive. They were a diverse group, male and female, black and white and all dedicated to the service of their patents. They were here anywhere from 1 to three hours a day. They were remarkable. But that is just 3 hours out of 24. What about the rest of the time?
Well that is where being a caregiver comes in.
The day starts at 6am. Grandpa got meds and was turned. A coma patient has to be moved every little bit so he would not get bed sores. That was harder than it seems. We tried a three hour schedule. But he still got break downs on his back and on his boney little ankles. He got meds and turns 3-6-9 and 12 every am and pm. You have to be dedicated and very precise with a sick person. Not just when you can or remember. You have to set your life on hold for the time that you are going to be serving the elderly.
The patent is the least of your problems. People will make statements like just put them in a home. It is not fair that you don't have a life. People will say that you are lazy because you are not working. Not working? Tell me another job that you have that you work 24/7 365 for 8 years with just one hour off a week to go get supplies. You sleep for three hours and get up and turn Grandpa, then go back to sleep. Then wake up to do the rest of the day.
For the most part the days were the same with little variation. But there was the ice storm of 1993 that left us without power or heat. Grandpa got pneumonia. There was Hurricane Opel that cut the power again for several days. Grandpa was on Oxygen and a feeding pump. No power no food or air. Hospital did not want to admit him because he was not sick or injured. But Dr Willis comes to the rescue again.
It is another eight years since Grandpa has passed in 2001. Now I am caring for my grandmother who just turned 91. We have Dr Willis in our corner as we start to do it again. The US military has a saying, never leave someone behind. We will not leave our elders in an uncaring warehouse.
In Grandpa's Service
By
Elmer Bechdoldt
