It is a blessing to be able to look after mom.

Hello again

Well only 6 more sleeps and it is Christmas. The malls are crazy and the people are rude.

I would like to start with my observations today, on the giving of people to the needy. I was at a sky train station and I watched this older gentlemen singing Christmas carols, with his hat out. Looking for money. I would of given him some, but I have none. What I noticed is,it was the fellow poor who gave the most to this gentlemen. I was there for 15 minutes and out of the 25 people who gave, only 4 were of middle class. Everyone else was of, well poor, as well.

Isn't that interesting. I just thought I would bring this up.

I have mom's gifts. I spent what I could on her. Everything I have actually. But that is OK. I just want to spoil mom. To make her Christmas, as good as I can make it. I got her a bunch of small things.

I really don't know what to get her. I buy her clothing all year long. When I see a sale on something I think she would like, and I have the money. I will buy it for her. I give her fruit everyday.

I know she will be happy and this in turn will make me happy . That is all I ask for.

I really need to get mom this half tray for her chair. This will stop her leaning. I just need to come up with the funds. I will find a way I hope . It is really important for her. It will stop her back from getting sore as well as her neck.

Anyways, mom was tired again today. They just don't get it. I have sun glasses for her, and they need to put them on her. The lights in this place really bother her eye's. This in turn makes her tired. The strain form having to deal with the lights all day long.

I brought her a good dinner and she ate it all. Mom, tonight did not even want what was served to her. That is unusual for her.All is well though.

And off to bed for her. Full and tired. A good combination. She was falling asleep while I was washing the dishes.

Tonight one of the other residents son, ask if I wanted a ride to a sky train station, but he wasn't leaving until 8:30. So I stayed and just held mom's hand. She reached for my hand and the grip, wow. Mom still has strength in her hands.

I do also have to find this thing. It is for her left hand. It is squishy and will be great to help open up her hand. I tried finding it today. I looked in a few stores. No luck. Back at it tomorrow. I know exactly what it looks like and feels like. This would be perfect for mom. Keep her hand open and the sensation for mom will be great.

OK. I didn't sleep well last night again. Kept waking up. I am hungry but I have a sore tooth, and it hurts to eat. So something soft again.

And my neck is doing better, the shanking in my right arm is not so intense.

GOD bless and good night

Kristopher Schmuland

Christmas dinner

Hello again

So tonight was the Christmas dinner. Allot worse than last year, I do say so myself. As well as the year before that. To bad. The red therapist is really disorganized. Couldn't get it together if she tried.

Well I arrived and mom was laying in bed. What! I had forgotten to leave a nice sweater for her to wear, So I brought her one of the Christmas sweaters I got for her. The staff got her up, I put the sweater on her. One of the staff members did her hair. Looked good.

Remember I don't have problems with the night staff. Just the day staff.

Off we went for dinner. Where we were seated was in a corner. And I felt trapped. A little claustrophobic.

I went up and got a dinner. Everyone was asking if I got myself a plate. I just said, I don't eat, I just feed mom. Thanks though. It is to hard for me to eat and feed mom at the same time. And when mom is done eating, she just wants to go to bed. Which I finally was able to get mom out of this corner. With allot of people having to move to get us by.  To bad. Poor seating. Again, the rec therapist.

I got her changed and the staff took care of her diaper changing. By this time mom was ready for sleep. Yet, since I forgot to give her the papaya after dinner. She was more than happy to eat it. Actually she wanted to have the papaya. This is something she gets each and everyday. And mom really likes it. The only fruit she ate today. God knows this place doesn't serve real fruit. And I won't let mom eat that canned fruit they serve her. Not when I bring her fresh fruit daily.

After this mom was now ready to sleep. OK I gave mom the nightly spa treatment and she wanted the full deal, which includes bending her legs.

Done, I stayed and held her hand while she fell off to sleep. Packed up, sang to her and gave her a good night kiss.

So tonight I did dress up. I do have some nice clothing. Mind you they are all to big on me. I have lost allot of weight over the last year and a half. So tighten the belt up.

I don't wear it, as I carry allot of things. Two bags. A back pack and a duffle bag which goes over my shoulder. This bag rests on my side. So I don't wear nice clothing, as the bag rubs on my side and wears my clothing out. Put holes in them. I have had to throw many jeans and shorts out, because they are worn on the side.

Now it is late and I need to sleep.

Please  pray that this Christmas is good for mom. I don't care about myself. My present is serving my mother. Taking care of her. That is good enough for me. Thank GOD I get to do this. It is a real pleasure. No matter what anyone tells me.

It is GOD who keeps me going.

GOD bless and good night

Kristopher Schmuland

Very tired as of late

Hello again

I arrived to find mom extremely tired. I am not sure what it is. She does have a little bit of a cough. I will have to rub Vicks on her tomorrow night before I go.

And when she is tired like this she leans allot. So I have to put something behind her right shoulder to help keep her up straight. I really hate doing this with her. But it is the only way to keep her up straight. This is putting a strain on her neck and back. Her neck is becoming stiff. So I am massaging her neck lately. Trying to loosen it up. She slides in the chair and is leaning. When this happens, she gets her head caught between the head rest and the chair.

Do you think anyone even gives a crap. Does anyone even help her. NO! It has been a very long time since mom has been leaning and I have brought it up several time. But the OT has not a clue what to do. I do though.

Being Monday, mom was to get her hair done. Didn't happen. Tomorrow is the Christmas pot luck dinner. As soon as we finished dinner, I took her in and washed and styled her hair. This way it will be clean for tomorrow. And when I get their, I will go early, I will just give it a quick style.

I got her changed for bed, Because of washing her hair, we were later than usual. The care aid came in when we just got back to her room. I explained why we were late and if she could come back in a few minutes. I didn't expect her to be back right away. I got her changed and brushed her teeth. Covered her in a blanket while we waited. Mom had her eye's closed and just relaxing or trying to fall asleep.

The care aid did what she needed to do and I went and made some hot water for my tea. When I came back I gave mom her spa treatment. She was a little bit grumpy while doing this. She just wanted to sleep. I quickly finished, so I could just hold her hand for a while. Which I did. It was after I gave her something more to drink that mom just wanted to sleep. I asked her if she wanted me to leave. She clearly said yes. I can be very hot, warm blooded. and when holding her hand she gets to hot.

I sang to her and packed and left.

Now the staff are continuing to remove the undershirts again. This time they through it on the Blue Ray player behind the TV. I immediately went to the nurses station and said if they do this again and wreck the Blue Ray Player, they are replacing it. I also mentioned that I will now file a complaint. Not within, not to the manager, but I will now go outside with my complaints.

As it turns out, my meeting was a waist of time. The staff are going to get away with nothing being done to them. As mentioned they could kill my mom and nothing would every happen to them. BULLSHIT.

Time to take them down a notch or two. PERIOD!

I will include one of the photo's of the bruise on mom' temple area. As you can see it is a square edge, exactly like the end of the lift bar

I have many more photo's of bruises from the staff. Not just this one. It is dated, As you  can see a little bit either way could of A. blinded her or B. hit her in the temple and killed her. I don't even know if mom was knocked out or not.

I can't even get the name of the person/care aid who was responsible for this. This is the day after, it got worse after this. It took over a week to go away.

As mentioned before, I brought the lift bar down and put it up against the bruise. Perfect fit/match to the end of the lift bar.

Over the next few days I will be including more of the photo's I have.

This is why it is so important for me to be living out in White Rock. To get their during the day. To have more time to deal with these issues. Instead of spending it on the bus.

As you can tell I am very pissed off about this. I wish someone would just want to help me out. So I can effectively deal with this. I was not asking for funds. I been down that road already. Maybe legal advice. Or something.

Isn't it shitty that I have to deal with this before Christmas. That I have to deal with the bullshit staff being to lazy to actually remove an undershirt and complaining about it all the time.

I have the nurses and care aid's union's numbers and the people to speak to at each union.

Well I have to go. Need to get up early to get ready for tomorrow night. Will be dressing up for a change.

GOD bless and good night.


Kristopher Schmuland

Saturday

Hello again

Today was mom's usual bath day. So I knew what to expect. Mom being very hot and with to many covers on her. And extremely thirsty. Which I dealt with as soon as I walked into her room. It was just her in the room, which makes for a much more quite and pleasant evening. I got mom out of all the covers and a little cooler. But had to put a towel besides her, as she is leaning allot more lately.  Not sure what that is about. Now I can solve her leaning in her chair. Just need to put a pillow beside her while she is in bed and I am feeding her. After that mom can lean all she wants. It is good for her and good for me.

I brought her the usual fair for Saturday.  And mom ate most of it. But she was very tired again and so she was sleep eating. Eye's closed while she ate and chewed her food. Mom does this allot while I give her drinks in the evening after she is in bed. So why not do it while I feed her. OK with me. Mom trusts me enough to know I am not going to give anything bad. That is why I won't give mom her medication. No association with that, for me.

I put Christmas music on and we both were singing to it. The lights on the tree were lit. The rest of the lights in the room dimmed.

Being Saturday, I needed to change her sheets. The staff used to do this, now they put on regular home sheets. Just lazy. And again it is starting. The staff are putting mom's dirty clothing in the wash and I am having to go and dig them out.

A word will be mentioned to the manager and if it does not stop, I will be leaving a nasty note for them and I don't give a crap if it upsets them. To bad. Do your job, learn to read. Signs everywhere. Not my problem if I file a complaint. It will be theirs.

Anyways I changed mom's sheets. Can do it very quick without disturbing mom. No need to roll her at all. Within 10 minutes the bed is completely changed with mom still in it.

Now by the time I got to giving mom her spa treatment, she was mostly asleep. Yet mom wanted the full spa treatment. And yes she enjoyed it very much.

It was just holding her hand, listening to Christmas music until I needed to leave.

So here I am and now I need to go.

GOD bless and good night.

Kristopher Schmuland