Saturday, April 27, 2013

What now

Hello again

It seems that mom is or has not been eating her lunch. And that I am the only one who can get mom to eat. I don't try to force her to eat. And this can pose a real problem. Considering I am 3 hours away.

If something is not done and mom continues to not eat properly. I am worried and afraid that this could be the last year. Mary is already getting to thin. From the last few weeks. I see it in her neck and face as well as her wrists.

It took them weeks to tell me that she is not eating properly.

The only way to solve this is for me to be very close to her and go and feed her lunch as well as dinner.

I looked at a place today. It was about a 15 minute walk from the hospital. The daughter in law sent me the add and the rent is $500. per month. OK I thought. Great I can afford this.

Then, while I was their, I was informed that utilities are extra. At $100. per month and if I want cable and internet, it is another $60.00  extra.

Now a $500.00 a month rent is $660.00 per month. There is a 1 bdrm apartment a block away from mom's home. And that is $740. with a $50. discount per month if I sign a one year lease. Not a problem, I don't plan on going anywhere.

Now I just need to find the extra funds I need. I don't care if I have cable, I don't have a TV anyways,  or eat all the time. I just need the internet

As mentioned in previous blogs. I don't even need furniture right away.  I have a bedroom suite. Good enough. I don't even care if I get hearing aids.I would rather use that money, if I can get it, to be closer to mom and do the things needed to get her to eat.  I can learn to sign. I understand mom very well without even speaking. Mom does not speak clearly. Because of her stroke.

I am very, very worried. OK I am more than worried. I am freaking out. I am pissed off and want to just scream at anyone who even bother's me. I am giving people dirty looks for just brushing up against me, or sitting to close to me on the bus. I am not sleeping well.

Mom needs me now more than ever. I need to be in White Rock.

I will continue to pray on this, but so far, nothing. I am sure GOD knows what is going on. And the fact mom needs me to be closer to her.

I can't take this drunk chick roommate anymore She is just annoying and it is impossible to even speak with her. She doesn't understand anything. She is in my face, trying to control everything.

She controls her boyfriend and is trying this crap on me. Never going to work. I will tell her where to go, very fast. Especially now, that this is going on with mom.

I really need some serious help right now.

GOD bless and good night

Kris Schmuland






Friday, April 26, 2013

Finding out more each day

Hello again

So today I found out that mom is not eating much of her lunch either. The one nurse mentioned to me that mom gets angry and then refuses to eat.

This is why I asked for the staff to add the a little bit of the Vega One to each of the four times Mary gets her medication. They faxed the information to the doctor and now I wait for a reply. And then bring this to the PGT for funds to cover this. As it is I have a large tub at home to add to the smoothies I make for her. And will need another tub to leave at the home.

I take it that this has been going on for some time now. As mom has been loosing weight.

This is how the home informs me of what is going on with mom. NOT! I say I want to be told of any medication changes, and dietary changes or concerning anything else. I have to ask constantly about her medication

With this attitude mom will become extremely sick. I am glad I am bringing these things up and asking the right questions.

It seems I am the only one who pays attention to the details of mom's life. I am the only one who is actually concerned about her health.

They seem to have no clue. If I were to leave this up to anyone, mom would not be doing well.

All this seems to leave me with needing to move to White Rock. So I can feed mom lunch as well. They seem to not be able to do this successfully. I am wondering if she is even eating her breakfast. But of course they will not tell me this . Because they don't want to appear useless........

Everything each and everyday is saying that I need to be living in White Rock, as mom needs me their to protect her and make sure she eats.

Tonight, Mary ate. I brought her some Chinese food, and mom liked this. Plus I bring mom eats a papaya everyday, and an avocado each day. I make sure mom gets fresh fruits and vegetables. They changed mom's diet to minced. They say she is not chewing her food.

I beg to differ. Mom chews her food fine around me. And it is not minced, but pureed.

I am getting worried, OK I am already worried. Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done now.

Well today I was told to get a job. I have a job, it is a full time job. Actually more than full time. It is 70 hours a week. Every week and has been this way for a very long time. It is a job that I love doing. I would never trade this job for anything. It is very rewarding.

I am my mother's caregiver. I spend up to 6 hours a day traveling, 3 - 4 hours a day visiting with mom and then there is the waiting for the bus and walking the bus stop. As well as purchasing the fruits mom eats everyday. And the other things I need to do for mom, before I even get out to White Rock.

This is what I told this person today. This left them with their mouth wide open. They didn't believe me that I do this for another person.

It is my mother. That is all that is to it.

I have found a few places, that are, again, close to the home where mom lives, but just out of my price range.

It is a bit of a dilemma. I need to be their for mom's sake. I need to be on disability. I need financial help.

I pray to GOD all the time. HE knows I need to be living out their to take care of mom.

I feel stuck where I am. I hate coming back here at night.

If it where not for money, I would be living there already.

Again, I ask for any kind of help. OK we all know what type of help I need.

I really don't care if I have furniture. As long as I have a bed and a couple of pots and pans. A few dishes. I am OK.

The rest of the place can sit empty. I just need the help to get their and pay for the rent.

Over and above what I make and can afford now. I can go without everything else. I really just need to be living out in White Rock. It is time.

Mom needs me more now then every before.

GOD bless and good night

Kris Schmuland


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I am worried

Hello again

So I am getting sick of everyone, OK, a few people stating I will be blessed. And today someone says to me, do you have to visit your mom everyday.

I don't have to do anything. Mom is alone, she needs some family around her everyday. Mom and dad raised me well and it is my turn to give back. As it should be.

I see all of the other residents and their lack of family visits. Come on now, It is your parents. Don't they deserve the best. And don't they deserve their children to be there for them. Of course they do.

Tonight Mary, mom, refused to eat. She was extremely tired and did not want anything. It is lucky I brought her a smoothie, with Vega one supplement in it. This is mostly what she consumed. Mary had a few bits of some of her dinner. I brought her a nice omelette and nothing. She was sound asleep when I arrived. At least I got at least an 8 oz glass of the smoothie into her.

After this she woke up and was wide awake. And talking a mile a minute. But I couldn't understand her. This is where I get pissed off at GOD. I asked that GOD help me to understand her. And yet nothing.

I am getting worried. As mom was saying that she is bored and not wanting to stay alive anymore. Nothing to live for . Being stuck in this place and not doing anything.

I was right on this, telling her that she needs to stay around. That she has lots to live for yet. We have allot to do yet. I was crying and mom was crying.

Mom is moving into another stage of her disease, Alzheimer's. This is not a very good sign.

I am freaking out right now.  I don't know what to do. I need to be close to her. To do

I found a place two blocks away. An apartment. It is $740. per month and if I sign a one year lease, they will reduce the rent by $50.00 per month. So that is $690.00 per month. That is $100 more per month than I actually make.

I have bedroom furniture, but nothing else. It is OK, I can deal with that. As long as I am close to her.

I will completely loose it, if I get a call in the middle of the night telling me something happened to mom. I will never read the bible again, I would never speak that name again. As it is I am so made right now. Not at mom, but at the PGT for not keeping their word. Even thought they deign they ever said anything like that. That is the way they are.

I need serious help. I can live with no furniture. I have a bed and bedroom furniture. The place includes cable and heat. Yea basic cable, no problem.

I am just worried about mom. She is not happy and not eating. Nothing in this world can make me want anything else.

I don't care if I ever have a car again. I don't care if I ever date again. As long as I can be closer to mom and do more things for her and with her.

I really do need help. This place is very close and it is not a basement suite. So no one looking over your shoulder. As in the owners living upstairs.

If you can find it in your heart, please help.

I am going deaf you know.

GOD bless and good night

Kris Schmuland

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Things are changing, I guess

Hello again


Mom, Mary, was and is still aggressive. She is slapping me more and more lately.

Mom just wants to go to bed, when I arrive, She motions with her hands, by rubbing my face with her hand. It seems mom is associating me with the spa treatment. And just wants to go to bed when I arrive. I will have to do something about this. I had a feeling.

Moving to White Rock will solve this problem. By doing more during the day with her. I will continue to feed her dinner and put her to bed.

More and more people are telling me I will be blessed and are saying to me that I should be living in White Rock, that it is such a long trip for you.

Again I say, if I were to be blessed, I would prefer it to be now, so I can do more for mom. And moving to White Rock is my biggest goal. I am just having a very hard time, due to my limited income. And the possibilities of finding a place that I can afford are very few.

Even moving into a shared accommodation, in White Rock, is expensive.

I want to say that I don't need emotional help, psychological help or spiritual help. I am OK with this. OK I do get depression issues. After all, I saw my grandfather and father pass away from this disease. And watching mom change over these years. This would make one have depression issues. Which in turn gives one some psychological issues as well.

My main and biggest issue is finances. I don't have any.

So I go along doing what I can, feeling useless, not being able to do more for mom. Knowing that her condition is changing.

I am completely aware of the changes she has and will go through. I am excepting of them. But never the less, it hurts allot. Watching mom become completely dependent on others.

I really don't know what to do about my financial problems. I spend so much time traveling to see mom. I can't work because of disabilities. I have this disease that makes me dizzy and I fall over a fair bit. But I don't end up on the ground, I stop myself before that happens, and is causing me to loose my hearing.  Meneire's disease. There is no cure for this.

This is on top of everything else that seems to be wrong with me.

But I love mom and no matter what happens with me. I will continue to go to see mom and be their for her.

Mom is going to need more and more help. Well actually, I think this is about it. She is already dependent on everyone for everything;...

Helping her is everything to me.

I am now just not really with it. I had allot to say, but being in allot of pain today is making me tired.

GOD bless and good night

Kris Schmuland

Change is upon us

Hello again

I don't know if I have introduced my mother and I to you all.

My mother's name is Mary Rose Schmuland. Her maidian name is Jalbert. She was born October 12, 1928 in Westlock Alberta, to Denise and Luria Jalbert. Mary was born at home, in a log cabin, with the help of a midwife. She has a brother, also named Denise

She was married to her husband, my father, John Arthur Schmuland, for 60 years before he sucumbed to the  terminal disease of Alzheimer's at 88 years old They have two daughter's Marilyn and Gail. And as we all know I am her son. Kristopher Wayne Arthur Schmuland. My given name was/is Wayne, but I am not to partial over this name, so I added Kristopher. Many years ago now.  Much better, if I do say so myself. Only the family, that has nothing to do with me nor do they do anything to help Mary, call me Wayne. So I rarely here that name. But mom does call me this. And I am OK with that.

Mom, Mary is going to be 85 years old this October. And I am going to be 52 years old this May. I can't believe I will be this old. I have spent the last 10 years looking after my parents. All over the lowermainland. From Mission to Abbostford to Coquitlam and now White Rock.

I will say again, that I have had nor have any problems with traveling all over the lowermainland to take care of my father and mother and now just mom. I would not have it any other way. I love taking care of mom.

Things are changing. A new phase in her journey through Alzheimer's. Today mom was really aggressive. She was extremely happy to see me, she was slapping me allot tonight, and when I was feeding her dinner. I thought mom wanted a hug. When I went to hug her. Mom bit me, on the side of the face. I just said Ouch! I didn't react, as I never react to her. It was not soon after this that mom knew she bit me, and touched my face where she bit me. I know she knew it did hurt me. I was just surprised that this happened.

This is the first time that mom did this. I knew at this point things are changing, and not for the better. Now it is really important for me to move to White Rock. It is imperative that this happens soon. Actually right away. Mom now needs me even more. Any changes in our loved one's with this disease, must be met with closer contact, and being their more often. To show our loved one's that we care and are going to be their for them no matter what.

I try to explain this to the PGT and they just don't get it. Oh yea, the PGT did help me out to get mom some Vega one, supplement. Which I mixed with a smoothie I made for her. I just need to get another tub of this to give to the home. So they can mix it with her medication. Which she gets four times a day. This gets her more nutrition into her system. Something that will be good for her.

Yet it is the PGT that will stop this. Not me. I only want to do what is right for mom. And this is part of it.

Just like the bags I carry. I tell the PGT that I need one bag only, not the two that I carry now. They are hurting my back and legs. Everything in these bags are for mom's use. There is only my wallet, a jacket and my glasses in the bags that are mine. Everything else is mom's items. OK, my charger is in the bag as well. But I need it, so I can keep the phone working while I play music for mom.

Anyways today was the first time I really noticed my problem with my hearing. While I was in KFC the staff member asked me something. I didn't even hear her. I couldn't. I had to ask her to repeat herself several times. And then had to explain to her that I am loosing my hearing.  It freaked me out. This is part of the disease Meniere's disease. Which there is no cure. It is not if I will loose my hearing, it is when.

Today I was dizzy and falling over many times today. It was not a good thing. I need hearing aids really badly. Especially after today. I have never felt so useless before. OK that is not true, I feel helpless allot when it comes to mom.

I know things to help her out, I just don't have the money to purchase the supplements or even the mirror box to help Mary with her left hand. I feel helpless as I need to be living in White Rock to be closer to her. I feel helpless because I can't do more for my mother.

It really hurts me that no one can see this.

I write this as a testament to what it is like to be a caregiver, what it is like for Mary to have this terminal disease. And what happens on a daily basis' How we both feel. And to maybe illicit some help from the world we live in.

My whole goal is to be out in White Rock in my own place to be there for mom and to have her over for visit's.

I pray to GOD daily thanking HIM for healing mom and asking for help to move to White Rock and for everything else that is needed to take care of mom.

Again, my days are 10 hour days. I spend 3 or 4 hours with mom and the rest is traveling.

I do ask for help from anyone who wishes to do so

GOD bless and good night

Kris Schmuland

Sunday, April 21, 2013

More and more of the same

Hello again

My hearing is getting worse. And I still don't have funds to purchase the hearing aids. Which is not good .

If someone is behind me I can't hear them. I am not hearing the normal things I am use to hearing. Not impressive.

I do what I do for mom because I need to do this. It is the right thing to do. Mom needs someone to be their for her. I am that person. I love every bit of it.

I just need to be closer. And I am tired of living with people. The drunk chick woke me up at 5 am, outside and being very loud. I need to get sleep. I have 10 hour days with traveling. And she doesn't get what I do or as an alcoholic does. Not care what anyone says to them. They only care about themselves.

I can't live like this. I need sleep so I can be in great condition for visiting mom. Otherwise I am tired and am not up to par. I mean the lack of sleep does not help with my patience.

I really am not making much sense or it doesn't seem a very good blog this evening.

So I will say good night

GOD bless

Kris Schmuland