One day of the life of a caregiver

lsh42

As usual DH was wet this morning. To the bathroom to change clothes. Bathroom has to be 75 degrees or warmer to keep him calm. Sweating by the time I undress him. Finished the shower. Got him dressed, sometimes he is like an octopus to dress arms and legs moving every where but where they need to go. Kitchen table for breakfast. Must where a bib to keep his clothes half way clean. Food on the floor, table, his lap and then spills his boost. (by the way what is in that stuff that makes it so hard to clean up?) Go to the family room to watch music dvd. Doesn't really watch can't follow anything anymore. Started dark load of laundry to clean his wet clothes after washing his bedsheets, bed pad X2. Wet again. Make bathroom 75 degrees again and clean him up and change his clothes again. Imagine trying to put clothes on someone who is sitting down leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. When I ask him to sit up straight and lift his arms they start flaying. Now I'm trying to catch his arms in his sweatshirt. Next it's time for the Depends and pants. I ask him to left up his feet so I can put everything on and he presses hard down on the floor leaning with his elbows on his knees. Sweating again. Exhausted. Now another load of laundry. This all before lunch.

Rant over.

mrl

OMG Ish I so remember this... and when it was finished he would say to me "thank you"

UGHHHH he gone since July and i miss him terribly.

m

dayn2nite2

Is there any way you could lessen the laundry and changing effort by keeping him in a hospital type gown that snaps in the back and Depends?  At least on days he isn’t leaving the house?  The pants really aren’t necessary.  Get him a bunch of gowns and call it a day.

Ed1937

That's good advice above. Maybe you could also layer the sheets so you can take one set off, and have another one or two already on the bed. Of course you would need waterproof pads under the sheets for this to work.