Becky Speaks . . .
 
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF CAREGIVING
Faces of Alzheimers
Fear of Falling17 March 2006

When we have small children, we have conflicting emotions about them progressing from crawling to walking.  On one hand, we can’t wait for them to assert their independence a bit, and for them to feel accomplished at their new found skill.  They are so cute when they wobble from side to side and take tiny steps toward their future.  On the other hand, we know all too well what is lurking around the corner.   It is the skinned knees, and split lips, and stitched brows among numerous other injuries that accompany that independence that makes us worry so much about as parents from day one. Read more....
WHO IS BECKY?

As I began writing this bio, my initial instinct was to say that I am ‘middle aged’ but unless the human life expectancy miraculously increases to 111, I realized that I am over that hill already!   My mind isn’t even ‘middle aged’ yet as it still feels like a ‘twenty-something’, but the mean old mirror reminds me that isn’t so…  Thanks to J&J, Tylenol, Neutrogena and Aveeno help me out a little.

I have been taking care of my elderly Aunt for several years now while holding a full time job.  I do her food shopping; prepare her medications each week; keep an eye on her home; take her for doctor appointments.   All of my friends and family began to tease me a few years back… ("Hey Becky!") about being at her beck and call, and that is where my nickname came from.  Read more ...

Ministrivia20 April 2006

Everyone knows what trivia is:  it is the details; the finer points; the ins and outs of anything.  Well then, ‘ministrivia’ are the details of the details, and the finer points of the finest points.  The only time that these infinitesimal details are important, are during a CSI episode on television, or when writing to help the reader conjure up a mental picture that the words are trying to convey.  Most of us are lucky to see the forest for the trees as we pass through it because our lives are so busy multi-tasking and simultaneously trying to keep all of the balls in the air like a circus juggler.  Read more...
Senior Speak20 April 2006

Life in the Alps -   Hello…hello…hello

There is also this thing Mom has been doing since she moved in.  I call it “echo-speak” for lack of a better term.   It is not at any particular time, but she will end a sentence with a word, and then repeat it 4 to 6 times in a row, fading it softer each time, but still emphasizing all the syllables.   For example she will say, “ I have to go put on my socks…socks… socks… socks… socks.”    Or “It is time for bed… bed… bed… bed.”  No joke.  Read more...
Little Phil20 April 2006

Did you ever walk into your kitchen and instinctively know that something is wrong?   Not that it is wrong, but maybe amiss?   I don’t know how, but that happened to me the other day. Read More ...
Mac is Missing20 April 2006

One of the most frustrating things to happen is when you put something down – just for a second – and it disappears! Read more ...
He's Dead20 April 2006

Mom is only living here in the Village for 120+ days and she has desperately been trying to find a new best friend.  She has been taking the shuttle to Granny Day Care 3-4 days a week now, and she gets all enthused about what to wear, who she might see, what they will do, etc.  Read more ...
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