I came down with a terrible something on Saturday. Our RN called in sick on Friday and said she was still sick on Saturday. We had the same symptoms: all over pain but especially head pain and nausea. I vomited but she didn’t. Funny how people are affected differently by the same virus. If it was the same virus. There is no way to be sure unless we want to pay a lot of money.

Please forgive the tardiness of this blog…I was in bed from Saturday evening till this morning. Sunday was a total loss for me. I wanted to welcome people who came by Aging With Grace during the Elder Care Tour on Sunday, hosted by Family Magazine, but as it turned out, no one came anyway. Jacob and his friend and my husband Larry came to the clubhouse in hopes someone would stop in to check us out, but no one did. They were here from 2:00 to 3:45. They were supposed to stay till 4:00…so forgive us, please, if you came at 3:50 and found the clubhouse locked.

I also wanted to set up Sunday evening for the Parkinson’s Support Group’s “Gathering of the Good” conference at the Hilary Boone Center on UK’s campus today. I was hoping I would feel well enough this morning to set up and be present at our reserved table to share what we do here at Aging With Grace, but I did not feel up to it, and I have to practice what I preach: Health First! So I asked my son Jacob to be there and he went, albeit late. He hates to go anywhere late and does not share my philosophy of “Better late than never”, but he went anyway and I am grateful.

We have a new member as of today! It is so fun getting to know new members and doing activities with them. Each member adds new dimensions of insights and personalities that make the club better and better. Another member had a pedicure today and wants a massage tomorrow. Our hair stylist comes on Wednesdays and is wonderfully talented. She is our hair angel….she donates her pay to buy improvements for the salon. And she has brought us many gifts of games, puzzles, books, etc. I am so grateful for our volunteers….but we can always use more help! Please come visit us and see if you would like to be rewarded with priceless memories.

I have been thinking of how my husband and I came to be caregivers for my in-laws in November of 2007. My mother in law told me she was fine, and that she did not need to leave her home to live somewhere else where she would have her needs met, but reality said otherwise. For one thing, my father in law was urinating and defecating in his clothes and on the furniture and my mother in law was screaming at him after every ‘accident’, seemingly not even aware of his dementia and his need for adult incontinence briefs. After they moved in with us, we discovered it was even worse that we knew.  We did not know till later that her left foot had large infected ulcers that would ultimately cause her leg to be amputated, even though we worked with doctors for months trying to save it.

I have since learned that our experience is similar to what many families experience with their older relatives, especially if they live a distance away.

Reality can be harsh, but ignoring it just makes it more harsh. Reach out and ask for help and you will find it.

May you and yours have a wonderful and WELL week!