I was halfway home when my husband called me. “Your mom is kind of a mess today,” he said. Uh-oh. I’m hoping she didn’t poop her pants. “She was drooling a lot, and [our caregiver] asked if she wanted to change her shirt and she kept saying no.” “Ok,” I…

Since my last post about the just ok caregiver, we contacted the agency to find a replacement for mom. She was clearly not happy, and as I told the agency, it wasn’t the right fit. We are now entering week 2 with caregiver #3 and she is definitely a keeper…

My mom’s new caregiver started this week and we’re still in the adjustment period. Mom’s prior caregiver went back to her regular job since her school district is opening next week. We knew she was in education and that this was only a summer gig for her. We were still…

We hired a personal care aide for my mom about a month ago, and the agency has an online portal where her caregiver will make notes. Here is a glimpse of a few days; most of the logs look pretty much the same. …

It’s been almost a week since we hired a personal care aide for my mom. And she is still pouting about it. About 10 days ago, we completed our move to Arizona and I’ve been going into the office (!!!) since last week. It’s been a while since I’ve worn…

The other day I saw a headline about caregiver burnout and scrolled quickly past it. At this point in the pandemic, I steer clear of anything that even mentions burnout. Because I am too tired to even think about it. Earlier this year, I made a leap and decided to…

I never thought about caregiving as something sad until I started writing this blog. Once my loved ones started to reach out with words of moral support, I realized that my posts could invoke sadness, sympathy, empathy, and other emotions. From an outsider’s perspective, I can understand why caring for…

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I didn’t hesitate to leave my mom at home by herself during the work day. In the morning, I would leave her breakfast, a cup of coffee, a thermos full of tea, snacks, and morning meds. I had a “granny cam” in the living room to…

I don’t exactly remember when my mom started to lose mobility in her right hand. I know it was after the second brain surgery and I could gauge the changes by the way she used chopsticks. It started with her dropping smaller banchan (side dish) like soybeans and dried anchovies. …