Grans Designs.

The builders have arrived.


We now have a large hole in the ground at the entrance to the garage. Tomorrow this hole will be filled with concrete.Then a wall will be built on the concrete and a window fitted. With the addition of a door or two and some studding and plaster this area will become mums new downstairs bed room and walk in wet room.


Planning for the future.


At the moment mum is physically in good shape. Stairs are not a problem, but at some point in the future this will change. We have decided to make a bedroom and bathroom downstairs and hopefully get mum settled in and happy while she still has the capacity to help with the planning and design. Hard work though, dementia sufferers are not the easiest clients.


The bathroom will be a wet room which can be easily modified to enable a carer access to help with showering as and when the need arises. This is one job I really dont think I could feel comfortable with. Dont know if other carers feel the same?


In other matters.


Night and day seem to be blending into one at the moment. From the moment tea is over we begin. Upstairs for a few minutes to reappear in pyjamas, a little bit of telly then up stairs to get dressed again. All accompanied by "what time is it" over and over again. Mum can change half a dozen times on a "good night" Sometimes she wont settle till 2.00 - 3.00am.


Mornings are becoming a little strange lately too with a very disoriented mum knocking on the bedroom door at silly oclock asking for help. The conversation normally consists of  such things as :


"Theres nothing"
"Theres no-one"
" I tried and there was nothing"


We think she may actually be sleepwalking, something she has been known to do in the past, as she doesn't really respond, just makes the same statements over and again. All the more reason to get her settled downstairs as soon as possible.


Also Mum is taking longer and longer to "get going" in the mornings. She will eat breakfast and drink a cuppa but she isnt really in the room till probably mid afternoon. Dressing is getting a little haphazard, with inside out jumpers, back to front trousers and shoes on the wrong feet starting to make more regular appearances. Hopefully the move downstairs will be accompanied with a "simplification" of mums vast museum of outfits charting the history of fashion for the last 30 years.


On a slightly lighter note..old hoppalong the dog managed a walk unaided around East Carlton Park. If you havent met my dog have a look here and you will understand why this makes me so happy.