Bad Day at Blackrock!

[Brucie]

Gladiator

Fine, you are on the spot and have obviously made the best decision for your circumstances.

These decisions are never easy to make.

[so have we got a competition here, to get as many appropriate film titles into these posts as we can, without repeating? Could be interesting]

 

[Jude]

Terminator 1

Dear Magic Mac,

I just can't get my head around your postal name no matter how hard I try. I have to keep going back and working out where all the q's and j's go in. Do you mind if I use this..? You have to be a MAGIC person for being so caring. I hope you won't be offended.

If you can't handle the carers, then you've made the best decision for now. I really understand how you feel about strangers invading your house. I felt exactly the same when we had the 'Gestapo' early on. It was simply awful...! Go with what you think is right. You know what's best after all. Maybe later you'll find somebody that cares as much as you. There are such people out there, but it takes a lot of sorting out.

Bruce - can we include book titles in this? I haven't seen a film for years and feel I'm on a cultural loser here. I managed to dredge this one up...!

Best wishes,

Jude

 

[Mjaqmac]

Born Free

Have made the right decision guys, my blinding tension headache which I've had all week is gone. My shoulders are back where they should be and not up around my ears anymore. I feel emancipated (I said I felt it, I didn't say I could spell it!)
Just at the moment I couldn't take anymore with agencies. The atmosphere in the house tonight is much brighter as I'm not waiting on the dreaded door bell and the knicker nappers coming.
I know stuff might implode but as Norman says, "day to day." At the moment this feels right for mum and me. I've been far too nice and spineless in the past as I've been afraid of rocking the boat etc, don't care anymore.
Love the film titles Brucie Braveheart.
Also love the new name Jude. Mjaqmac was a horrible mistake made on my e-mail when I joined aol. I never corrected it.

 

[Jude]

Dear Magic,

You make me die... So now it's the 'knicker nappers'. How utterly wonderful. I'm going to tell Carole in the morning. She will love this.

Jude xxx

 

[Brucie]

The Good The Bad and The Ugly

[title in honour of Magic, agency carer 1, agency carer 2]

Yes, I agree - nice and spineless just plays into their hands. There's no need to be nasty, or to lose one's rag, just be logical and firm with them, and make sure you have all the information that you can use as evidence. It helps a lot to have that backup.

 

[Norman]

as you like it

Could some one explain the agency system.
Who pays?
Who aranges etc etc etc
Norman

 

[Nutty Nan]

Carry On Carers

So much for Bad Day at Blackrock - this is the best entertainment I've had for ages, I shall probably still be grinning in my sleep, which can't be a bad thing.
What a wonderfully crazy bunch of people you are, to turn a rant into such a laugh. wouldn't it be lovely if we could shrink the UK and all get together for a good old knees-up.
Thanks for all the good humour.
Carmen

 

[Brucie]

Breakfast at Tiffanys

Hi Carmen

what a great idea.

Perhaps Nada could arrange a first event in London for those of us down south and we might then expand it to other regions, should it prove successful...

I'm serious here. When I worked [all those months ago] I specialised in setting up and running user group conferences.

Our 'event' could be part social, part educational. The Society could gain through using it as a vehicle for publicity for dementia, for carers, and for Talking Point.

 

[Mjaqmac]

Rambo

Does anyone know exactly how much power a CPN has over the AD patient? Does she hold the purse strings as someone told me?
Mum's CPN seems to be under the impression she's Rambo.
She's beginning to get up my nose. Might put a contract out on her with the knicker nappers. They could ambush her in the night. Wonder do they get commission the bigger the drawers? Just a thought!
Could I finally be cracking????????

 

[Norman]

Mac
it depends whether it's a top drawer job or just a brief episode.
Contract prices vary from size 0 to 12 and 12 to 20.
These experts do not scare the pants off but specialise in complete removal
Must go I think I saw a man in a white coat outside
Norman

 

[Jude]

The Revenge of the Killer Tomatoes

Dear Norm,

Just bombard that white coated chap with tomatoes. Organically grown, of course. And yes, there really was a film with this title. It was the WORST movie ever made...!

 

[Jude]

Dear Bruce,

Getting together would be a great idea. I'm all for it.

Jude

 

[Jude]

Dear Magic and Norm,

CPN's can be very helpful people - we have two and they are really great. They get info from me and help me with ideas. They have never told me what to do, but they do both come up with very useful suggestions.

The first bunch of carers I had were from an Agency that I contacted directly in the local area. Their charges were horrendous, but I was prepared to cope with that if the care had been up to scratch. As it turned out, their staff were overworked and bossy. These were the guys that had my mother stripped off and frightened to death. They lasted a week before I decided that it was too much of a trauma for all of us. Luckily for me Carole and Glyn arrived on the scene immediately afterwards and we've never looked back from there. They are part of our family now and we are a part of theirs. It's such a wonderful arrangement. I think I've been incredibly lucky to hit the jackpot second time around. There's no way that I could cope without them.

Jude

 

[Mjaqmac]

Stop the world I want to get off

Well Norman it looks like you and I have finally cracked. Or maybe it's just a brief encounter with madness!
Jude you're lucky with your carers. Have the agency boss coming to see me today, but I'm still happier without them.

 

[Brucie]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I think at one time or another it is likely that all of us have been certifiable.

I know I went through an interesting period when it was pretty much a toss-up whether it would be Jan who was sectioned - or I! Fortunately neither was.

Magic - if the agency boss is coming then do please step back just a tad from the recent disasters, so you can objectively explain how the service has fallen short of an acceptable quality. Tell him/her exactly what kind of service you expect and see what the response is.

Old golfing story [though I'm not a golfer!].

There was a very successful golfer. He was asked "you are so lucky! where do you get your luck?"

His reply was along the lines - "If I have a bad game, I keep on going, practising, trying, and you know what? The more I do that, the luckier I seem to get."

Moral of the story is, don't give up!

[apologies for probably getting the story just a little wrong, but you may get my gist?]

 

[Jude]

The Incredible Journey

Dear Magic,

Remember that wonderful film where the dogs and cats battled their way home. Well, that's what we have to do. Mind you, I hope we don't fall into so many rivers on the way.......

I'm not a cosmic freak, but I do believe in the process of visualising what you want. When the first carers crashed out, I wanted Carole to come and be here - she had been so good with the oldies at the closed care accommodation. I didn't ask her to do it, but I did spend quite a lot of time pretending in my head that she was actually here. Next thing that happened was that she rang me and suggested it.

When I was living in Oz and fed up with my job I wrote a list of things I wanted to do in the way of work. That one worked in reverse, because I first wrote down everything that I DIDN'T WANT. What I ended up with, was to run a small guest house on a tropical island and write travel articles. Well, that's happened too for most of the time.

I visualised another goal a couple of weeks' ago - that's apart from having the strength to swarm up mountains in Peru. Looks like that one is happening too now and I'm really pleased about it. Will let you know as soon as it's finalised.

All this visualisation does work. So why don't you write down the attributes of a 'perfect carer' and post them on your bedroom wall. See what happens......

Jude xxx

 

[Mjaqmac]

The Getting of Wisdom

Jude, I agree wholeheartedly. I am a great believer in visualisation and trying to make things better. I'm always searching for a way to keep going, keep strong. This week alone I have bought "Change you life in 7 days", "Authentic Happiness" and "Alzhiemer's Challenged and Conquered"
The best book I've ever read to help me through was Anthony Robbins "Awaken The Giant Within" that's still my personal favourite for inspiration.
Does anyone else own a bookshelf full of self help books? Getting time to read them is another matter!
Met with agency boss today and she was very kind, the knicker nappers are on stand by if I need them and I have the sitter service going, so all's well that end's well by all accounts.

 

[Jude]

Dear Magic,

Really glad to hear that your meeting with the Agency Boss was so positive. It's always handy to have a fallback position, in case you get 'tired and emotional'...!

I've only read 2 self-help books in the last 15 years. One was called something to the effect of 'I Could do Anything, [if I could only work out what I want' ] and the other was 'The Road Less Travelled' by M Scott Peck. The latter was simply brilliant.

Cheers Jude