my grandma...
i just read a disturbing email from one of my aunts
my grandmother is in a nursing home. she has parkinson's disease, suffered a stoke about two years ago, has dementia and has very bad artheritis(sp?). she is like a baby. she cannot do anything for herself, not even use the bathroom or bathe.
apparently she has a bunch of marks, bruises and scratches on her body, from recent care.
she is supposed to be bathed every morning. she is supposed to have her diaper changed every two hours. she's supposed to have other stuff done, but my grandad is with her most of the time (he's partially blind) but he says in all the hours he's there, these things are not done.
my aunt sent all the relatives a bunch of pictures. she has a bruise on the corner of her mouth. she has an open sore on her inner thigh, probably from leaving wet diapers on too long and being on too tight. she has a bruise on her breast.
an investigation is being done, but by grandpa is worried even more now because he thinks the caregivers will retaliate 'cause they are probably going to get in trouble.
i don't see my grandma too often. she usually doesn't remember her kids (although she remembers the boy's names more often than the girls).
when anyone talks to her, she responds better if you speak to her in spanish (she's puerto rican), her native tongue (only my mom's family and my grandpa speak spanish)
my grandmother had 12 children. 2 died of aids in the 80s. she had an alcoholic husband for many years (my grandfather stopped drinking years ago). she spent most of her life dealing with parkinson's, dealing with the side effects of the drug she had to take (almost bipolarish side effects) - the drug that it was discovered about 5 years ago that he had been probably been taking twice the dosage she should have been for many years.
she's in a nursing home because my aunts, uncles and grandpa tried to keep her out as long as possible, but it cost about $5,000 a month for her care and private live-in caretaker.
what the hell else is going to happen to her? why can't people just do at least what they are paid to do and take care of her?
then i think about myself. what's going to happen to me when i get that old and can't take care of myself. i hope i have someone around to check on my scratches and bruises.
...and now, i'm off to wizard world. seems kind of shallow now, doesn't it?
my grandmother is in a nursing home. she has parkinson's disease, suffered a stoke about two years ago, has dementia and has very bad artheritis(sp?). she is like a baby. she cannot do anything for herself, not even use the bathroom or bathe.
apparently she has a bunch of marks, bruises and scratches on her body, from recent care.
she is supposed to be bathed every morning. she is supposed to have her diaper changed every two hours. she's supposed to have other stuff done, but my grandad is with her most of the time (he's partially blind) but he says in all the hours he's there, these things are not done.
my aunt sent all the relatives a bunch of pictures. she has a bruise on the corner of her mouth. she has an open sore on her inner thigh, probably from leaving wet diapers on too long and being on too tight. she has a bruise on her breast.
an investigation is being done, but by grandpa is worried even more now because he thinks the caregivers will retaliate 'cause they are probably going to get in trouble.
i don't see my grandma too often. she usually doesn't remember her kids (although she remembers the boy's names more often than the girls).
when anyone talks to her, she responds better if you speak to her in spanish (she's puerto rican), her native tongue (only my mom's family and my grandpa speak spanish)
my grandmother had 12 children. 2 died of aids in the 80s. she had an alcoholic husband for many years (my grandfather stopped drinking years ago). she spent most of her life dealing with parkinson's, dealing with the side effects of the drug she had to take (almost bipolarish side effects) - the drug that it was discovered about 5 years ago that he had been probably been taking twice the dosage she should have been for many years.
she's in a nursing home because my aunts, uncles and grandpa tried to keep her out as long as possible, but it cost about $5,000 a month for her care and private live-in caretaker.
what the hell else is going to happen to her? why can't people just do at least what they are paid to do and take care of her?
then i think about myself. what's going to happen to me when i get that old and can't take care of myself. i hope i have someone around to check on my scratches and bruises.
...and now, i'm off to wizard world. seems kind of shallow now, doesn't it?