I'm becoming a lot more okay with this whole working thing. I think it was just so shocking to my decision to stay at home that I needed time to adjust. With that being said, we're struggling with finding the time for therapy and doctor's so I may go down to 2 or 2.5 days/week.
I got a lot of negative feedback for my choice. My son is 13 months old and he is physically and cognitively delayed. He plays at about the skills of a 6-9 month old. He can push up on all fours and roll over, but he cannot sit up, crawl, pull up to stand, stand, or cruise. He likes to play with objects that spin or make noise and his exersaucer (speaking of which, does anyone have that peapod fold up stander? is it worth it?).
I get Bear up around 8/8:30 and he has his medicine which has to be taken on an empty stomach. We get in the car and drive the 20 minutes down to this woman's house. I have the back room set up for Bear to nap. When we get there, I buckle him into his infant-toddler rocker and he plays with the toys while I pop up his pack n play and get his toys in there. Then I come and set blankets up on the floor and set out toys. Bear has his breakfast in the rocker and then a diaper change and a bottle. Then he and I play on the floor.
The woman I care for is on hospice. She keeps having strokes and the doctors have agreed that there will be no more treatment just management. However, she has plenty of good days where she is very cognitively alert and basically just enjoys watching Bear. She asks lots of questions about him and asks to hold him (she lays back in a recliner so I just tuck him in the corner). If she says she has to go the bathroom I buckle Bear in his rocker and help her in her wheelchair. I help her stand up in the bathroom and sit back down in the wheelchair, then I push her back and help her back into her chair. Basically, she has some dementia and at times forgets she cannot walk so she will stand up and fall. Hence, the need of supervision. Around 11:30 I make a quick lunch, help her into the wheelchair, push her to the table. After lunch I push her back and help her into the chair. She dozes on and off all day.
At some point Bear decides he wants to nap. The first day it was 1:30 PM, the second day is 1PM, and the 3rd day it was 12PM. If we're eating I just leave her in the wheelchair at the table, put him in his pack and play, turn on the sound machine and his toys and leave. Or I wait till after she's back in her chair.
Bear usually naps until 3 (or later) so I mop the floors, wash dishes, change bed linens, etc. The other day I cooked a supper and cake to leave for the husband to prepare when he got home. Basically, I just keep busy. Sometimes I take breaks while the floors are drying and we talk, or I read a book, knit, etc. And when Bear wakes we head home. Sometimes I end up staying till 3:30 to let Bear sleep a bit more. So there is very little time that Bear is strapped down and probably gets more one-on-one time with me because the lack of other toys or things to do.
So far I'm enjoying it and feel like I'm really helping the family. It's not a forever position, as hospice is only used for people with terminal diagnoses. And it can't be more than 20hours/week or the grant from hospice won't cover my paycheck.
We'll see how my second week goes. My biggest problem is my piece-of-junk crockpot that shut off on Monday, and the huge thunderstorm that blew through after I decided that my laundry should hang out on the line all day.
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