Tips For Caregiver's

People with Alzheimer's disease frequently become more disoriented after dark or when waking. Leaving a night-light on in the bedroom may be helpful.

~WebMd

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Sunday Errands - Going to Walgreens

Muddear never likes to leave the house and as I am sure you have gleaned from previous posts it is not uncommon for her to become argumentative when required to do something she doesn't want to do. Which is why I usually leave her at home - I know, I suck! Nevertheless, it is my opinion that this behavior is very unhealthy and a change of scenery and a breath of fresh air always does the body and the mind some good.

So last Sunday, I had errands to run and thought taking Muddear along for the ride would be a lot of fun for both of us. The first stop was at Walgreen's, the local pharmacy. I needed to purchase the Sunday paper for my husband and I decided at the last minute to purchase a disposable camera to capture photos of Muddear while running errands. (The pictures have not been loaded on disk yet, but will be soon for upload and viewing.) Okay on to the rest of the story...

I am often amazed at how tasks that seem very simple to me are often somewhat complex for Muddear. Considering that I only had two things to grab from Walgreen's, it really did not make sense to unload Muddear and her wheelchair for a five-minute errand. With that decision made, I knew that due to the warm weather it would be necessary to leave the car running with the air conditioning on. (I really do not think having my mugshot flashed on the five o'clock news for neglect of the elderly would enhance by credibility as a caregiver.) While Muddear is not a potential flight risk, I am always a little nervous about leaving her in an unlocked running vehicle. Call me paranoid, but we live in a world of sickos!

Therefore, before getting out of the car I had to give Muddear a five-minute lesson on how to lock and unlock the doors. After a few practice runs, my confidence was shaky, but I exited the car - making sure that I had my cell phone in the event Muddear forgot the "procedure" before I returned. I must admit, she was absolutely adorable! I could see her mind working every time I would say...

"Okay Muddear go ahead and lock the door."
"Now unlock the door."
Then there was her slight smile of accomplishment when I said..."Good job! I knew you could do it!"

I was in and out of Walgreen's in flash and onto errand number two...THE MALL!

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