Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2009. Mattie attended a birthday party that day and one of the activities took place in a circle on the floor. As you can see, Mattie was on the floor, but he couldn't bend his knees and legs like the other kids. Some of the children at the party did not know Mattie or his story. So his bald head and physical awkwardness caught attention. In fact, a few of the kids made fun of Mattie. However the kids that knew Mattie and were his friends literally spoke up and put the other ones in their place. It was something that I will never forget!
Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.
- Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 72,054,567
- Number of people who died from the virus: 871,483
My fuse is short today! Everyday I get up thinking.... today I will accomplish something! But of course that is like setting myself up for a big fall. While doing the morning routine today, I got a phone call from my dad's physical therapist. He wanted to come over at 4pm today. I reminded him that this is NOT a good time for my dad. If you have been around people with dementia, you know they begin to fade, which is why it is called sundowning. However, he is a contractor and therefore this is the only time he can come over.
My morning started once again with my dad pooping in the shower. Which of course means that once he is out of the shower, I have to scrub it clean. That may sound easy, but I am juggling a thousand things all at the same time. On top of everything else, I got myself to the grocery store today because they are threatening that another snow storm is upon us this week. Thankfully our store is fully stocks again! I was thrilled to see chicken and vegetables. I bought a ton of things, came home, unpacked it and started making chicken barley soup from scratch as well as tonight's dinner. In the midst of all of this, I am cooking and serving three meals a day, doing laundry, cleaning, assisting my dad with every moment, including bathroom trips, and the list goes on.
Poor Sunny, I think he imagines I abandoned him. Gone are our 11am daily walks. Now unfortunately I walk him when I can. I do it daily, but the timing varies. Sunny's walks are therapeutic for me as I get out of the house, and have the chance to move faster than an 86 year old. For that period of time, I am not meeting needs or addressing demands.
In addition to managing my dad's needs, my mom also has needs. Some of which involve paying bills, banking issues, and changing addresses on all their accounts. For the past two days, it has been non-stop phones calls. Honestly, one more task, and I am going to blow.
As for the physical therapist, he came at 5pm! Peter gave it to him and I just got off the phone with the healthcare company. I have made it clear that if they do not correct this timing issue, I will find another company to meet my parent's physical therapy needs. I am told that the clinical director of the agency will be getting back to me tomorrow.
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