tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89570733206945871482010-02-14T17:50:27.241-07:00Ideas, thoughts, experiences, and musing on daily life <br>with an elderly woman over the age of 80.Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-81046238873388660542010-02-08T18:28:00.001-07:002010-02-08T18:29:13.502-07:00

The other evening my mom was calling her sister in California. She barely waited long enough for the "hello" before launching into a diatribe of her life. "I fell again today," she started. "Just one step, this time." And she went on to tell her story. Finally, after a five-minute opening, she asked, "So how are you doing?" "I think you've got the wrong number, ma'am," a strange voice

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-85849899101275187502010-01-31T21:28:00.002-07:002010-01-31T22:15:24.188-07:00

To put it frankly... my mom scared the shit outta me yesterday! We were preparing to go to church. I was in the bathroom with the door open, putting some finishing touches on my make-up, when I heard my mom come out of her bedroom. Suddenly, I heard a crash! When I looked out into the hallway landing I saw Mom, disheveled and sprawled out on the floor, leaning against the wall. She looked up at

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-29243576782385646632010-01-31T17:24:00.000-07:002010-01-31T17:24:17.574-07:00

This 80-year-old really has the moves. Just goes to show that age is only a number. She blew me away!

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-16422116544159118922010-01-29T19:38:00.001-07:002010-01-29T20:05:07.617-07:00

My son's dog Kayda is visiting for the weekend. She's a little Jack Russel Terrier we lovingly call "the little shit." Her favorite dog to pick on is Mogul, one of our Eskies. She loves to tug on the fur around he neck. We were sitting in the family room after dinner when my mom asked me which dog Kayda liked to annoy. Right then, the two dogs came running through the family room and dove onto

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-8667890020176235662010-01-28T18:38:00.000-07:002010-01-29T20:05:07.619-07:00

It was my turn to cook tonight, so I took a little extra time to fix a "real dinner": baked pork chops, quinoa and brown rice, a mix of veggies, rustic bread and cinnamon apple sauce. In celebration my mom decided to say grace, which is usually reserved for family get-togethers and Sundays. "You want to say grace because I fixed a real dinner?" I asked her. She nodded and started to pray, "

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-42337121357106872022010-01-27T20:38:00.017-07:002010-01-28T19:08:22.812-07:00

We were watching a news report on pandas when my mom piped up, "What are those?" "Those are pandas, Mom," I replied. "And what are pandas good for?" she asked. We were dumbfounded. "Gee, I'm not sure. What are pandas good for... Greg?" I asked my husband. "Um...well...they're cute and nice to look at...they're endangered...so we have to like them," he stammered. We haven't come up with a

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-52275354531898260732010-01-24T21:29:00.001-07:002010-01-29T20:05:07.621-07:00

I was resting with the dogs downstairs when my husband and a friend came home. Greg had taken Hari to see where he works. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but hear the conversation going on upstairs. Mom: How was the office? Greg: Really quiet. Nobody there. Mom: Was anybody there? All I could do was laugh.

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-57521084765489775122009-12-16T15:42:00.001-07:002009-12-16T15:43:07.006-07:00

Should You Move an Aging Relative Into Your Home? 10 important things to consider If you decide to move a parent or other relative in with you, you won't be alone: One out of every four caregivers lives with the elderly or disabled relative he or she cares for. This arrangement can have many positives. If your parent or other family member is still relatively healthy, he may be able to babysit

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-27244881605177410212009-12-09T22:05:00.001-07:002009-12-09T22:05:00.297-07:00

Marriage and Relationships: How Caregiving Couples Can Make It Work Even the strongest relationships can be pushed to the brink when one or both members of a couple are caring for an elderly relative. Stress, lack of privacy, financial pressure, and simple exhaustion are common complaints of caregivers, as the results of Caring.com's recent caregiver survey make clear. Still, some couples find

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-27836215162860144832009-12-08T18:36:00.001-07:002009-12-08T18:36:00.457-07:00

Is Lack of Energy a Normal Sign of Aging? By Sarah Henry, Caring.com Mom routinely nods off in the rocking chair while she knits. Dad snores loudly on the sofa all afternoon while the TV blares. Just typical snapshots of healthy aging among the silver-haired set, right? Wrong. Despite the popular misconception, feeling old and tired don’t have to go hand-in-hand. And, according to a recent

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-16393096410799106692009-12-07T21:34:00.001-07:002009-12-07T21:36:06.238-07:00

Men, Women, Illness, and Caregiving: A Recipe for Divorce? A new study published this week in the journal Cancer has doctors, patients, and families talking -- and asking hard questions -- about what happens in a couple when it's the wife, rather than the husband, who becomes ill. Here's what researchers found when they followed 515 patients with cancer or multiple sclerosis over a period of

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-41275682722920960342009-12-07T20:24:00.000-07:002009-12-07T20:24:56.029-07:00

What Exactly IS Adult Day Care and What Can It Do For Me? The recent influx of seniors and retirees into the population has nursing homes severely overcrowded and Americans asking themselves in record numbers: "Just what is adult day care and how can it help me?" To answer this we will look at the problem as logically as we can, in a manner that can be easily understood by anyone, regardless of

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-42372193782525536142009-12-03T09:33:00.001-07:002009-12-03T09:33:00.158-07:00

Brain Anomalies and Poor Decision-making in Older Adults By Natalie L. Denburg, Ph.D., and Lyndsay Harshman, B.S. Deceptive and fraudulent advertisers, telemarketers and door-to-door salespeople are notorious for targeting older adults. Stories of vulnerable people losing their money, and their sense of dignity, shock and sadden us. We do not wholly understand why elderly people are

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-84327706098183461882009-12-02T11:33:00.000-07:002009-12-02T11:33:17.004-07:00

Does this article explain the crazy old uncle or the eccentric grandma in the family? We seem to excuse the inappropriate behavior and embarrassing comments of elderly folk as "don't pay any attention; they're just old." So is shrinking brains just a way of justifying bad behavior? Or do the elderly figure they've got nothing to lose, so they'll say whatever is on their mind? You decide. Brain

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-67345970556831186022009-12-02T11:18:00.001-07:002009-12-02T11:22:11.659-07:00

I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FMS) after a car accident in the fall of 1987. For 22 years I've lived with the chronic pain, fatigue, foggy thinking, and assorted other symptoms of this syndrome. Fortunately, I'm fairly functional most of the time. (Notice: I say "most of the time.") Over the years I've learned what conditions and activities tend to make my fibro flare up: weather

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-29491557875439752142009-12-01T13:02:00.001-07:002010-01-29T20:05:07.624-07:00

In our household, we have an ongoing debate over who has the most stuff. "Stuff" generally means things another person considers unimportant junk that takes up valuable space. Let me just say that since combining three households (me and my husband Greg, and then my mom), collectively we have a lot of stuff. Although we have nearly 3,000 square feet of living space, when the house starts

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-9117184693828488982009-11-30T14:32:00.004-07:002009-11-30T15:00:57.777-07:00

At Thanksgiving dinner this year, we all went around the table saying what we were thankful for. Of course, everyone said they were thankful for family. Everyone, that is, except my 4 year old grandson. When it was his turn, he announced loudly, "I'm thankful for puzzles!"

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-63409386011934910412009-11-30T14:27:00.004-07:002009-11-30T14:32:25.094-07:00

I haven't posted for awhile. Not because nothing has happened in my life. Not because my mom hasn't done or said anything funny or interesting. Not because anything bad has happened. I'm just not always a very consistent blogger. I always promise to do better, try harder, be more consistent, but it's a tough thing for me to keep up with. I write when I'm motivated, or when I have time, or when

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-89919881642310243372009-07-04T22:28:00.003-06:002010-01-29T20:00:37.171-07:00

Mom talking to Blizzard: "You're such a pretty dog. If I was a girl dog, I'd go after you." (meaning "I'd be attracted to you.")Later, Mom talking about Mogul: "You're just as pretty. I'd go after you too."

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-48880329700845248182009-06-06T21:42:00.005-06:002009-06-06T22:43:44.823-06:00

My mom always has treats in the pockets of her slacks. She hides all kinds of cookies, candy, gum or whatever is available in her pocket to snack on later. Only a couple of minutes ago we observed exactly why hiding treats in pockets in a house full of dogs might not be such a great idea.Sitting in the family room watching television, Greg and I suddenly noticed one of our Eskies poking his nose

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-9151158134359381302009-06-01T20:23:00.004-06:002009-06-01T20:37:42.280-06:00

We were watching the food challenge on the new reality show I'm a celebrity, get me out of here! At the end of the challenge, where they had to eat really disgusting things like scorpions and rat tails, Mom announced that she thought it was a really stupid game. "I wouldn't want to get an upset stomach," she said, "so I wouldn't want to play that game even if I won."I guess she won't be winning

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-24811192435812038312009-05-31T21:53:00.000-06:002009-06-01T22:04:42.970-06:00

This old guy was talking to his neighbor telling him about the new hearing aid he just got. "It cost a fortune, but it was worth it. It works perfectly." "Really," said the neighbor. "What kind is it?" "Ten thirty."

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-25666478644147080062009-05-27T15:00:00.003-06:002010-01-29T20:05:07.626-07:00

I'm not trying to suggest anything sordid here, but it's true: my mother loves young guys.We have a house guest. Nick has stayed with us before along his cross-country trip from North Carolina to California and back. He's in his early 20s, tall, good looking, a bit goofy. Mom seems thrilled to have him back again. Someone in the house she can fuss over. Someone who hasn't heard all her stories at

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-18303668055457249432009-05-26T08:50:00.000-06:002009-05-27T16:10:57.413-06:00

Naltrexone May Ease Fibromyalgia SymptomsApril 17, 2009 -- An inexpensive drug called naltrexone may make a good treatment for fibromyalgia, report researchers at Stanford University. Naltrexone isn't a new drug; it's been around for more than 30 years and is used to treat opioid addiction. Stanford's Jarred Younger, PhD, and Sean Mackey, MD, PhD, tested a low dose of naltrexone as a

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957073320694587148.post-22336317522791810682009-05-14T11:16:00.002-06:002009-05-14T13:29:00.125-06:00

Remember the West Nile Virus media frenzy a few years ago? Everyday the media would report the body count: how many had gotten sick, how many had died, what states it had reached. Every news channel had advice on what to do to stay safe: don't go outside at dawn and dusk, always wear mosquito repellent, wear protective clothing. These dire warnings are emphasized exponentially for the elderly.Now

Tezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056847331172145338noreply@blogger.com0