Tuesday, May 29, 2007

All dressed up and nowhere to go

It s 10:30 am and my partner's mom is coming out of her slumber induced by seroquel and atavan. It' sthat or she is a wild and unruly beast that we are in no way prepared to deal with. A veteran she gets the best treatment with an orthopedist for her 4 artificial joints (both hips both knees) and her shoulder which she beleieves will be surgically replaced. She has a psychiatrist for her anxiety and tension, a GP for a referee, a master pharmacist to monitor her coumadin levels, a social worker to referee her family, and a neurologist to monitor her benign brain tumor(meningioma). I have inherited the grunt job. Shopping cooking and answering phones and driving her to the endless appoinments to those VA Dr.s.

She has been worried about her "home" in Virginia that she intends on driving to and "straightening things out". Unfortunately, she can no longer drive or understand the property was sold years ago and her relatives do not have the time energy or will to care for her at all. I am here to watch her to keep her busy and occupied which without the tranquilizer can not be done anymore. Her daughters are almost on the same page about all this but with unfinished business all around there is a reluctance to move on and place her in full time(sic) care. I wonder how many millions are going through all this with aging and dying parents. An illness like cancer or parkinson's might be easier than the slow burnout of the mind. These people with Alzheimer's take a huge toll on society our time our energy our health and at times our very sanity. There is no plan no solution no place for people like her to go unless they are rich or very poor. No compensation for most of the caregivers who watch after them as they rot away mentally and physically and suck the life out of their families. My goal today is distract her from her obsession of going to the bank and "fixing those people" "you know" those people who do those things"
The scary part was she asked me yesterday(she doesn't remember)to go to the bank because she "needs a man" to go there and straighten things out. I don't want to be the muscle for her sordid errands. When she gets frustrated about not being able to drive she says she is calling the sheriff. She had hallucinations before she moved in with us. She can't dial a phone anymore but she can rant and swing her arms around and threaten to "kick your ass" but this is all she has left in her quiver. It is sad its pathetic and its annoying beyond my tolerance at times and that is why I err on the side of adequate medication otherwise she's dangerous .

It is still two hours before my partner gets home and I get a break to take a walk and chill a bit.
There are no jobs I want to apply for today even if I could get away. Another week lost no money coming in for me.

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