Mum, 90, diagnosed with mild Alzheimers, moved to a bungalow near me last week. And she is doing fine! There have been some odd moments, such as looking for her mother's jewellery, that was stolen in a burglary thirty years ago, or forgetting how to put the phone back in its cradle. But apart from that, she has shown us that she is still able to learn new things, and she has settled in well.
Social Services said they won't assess for twenty days, so I set about organising our own 'care plan'. Mum is going to go to something called 'FiloCare' once a week, which is a small scale day-care that sounds lovely. I've also hired a young self-employed care worker, who will do most of the housework, and another more middle aged carer from a non profit organisation, who will spend a morning with mum on a more befriending basis. All of that is well within our budget.
One major problem, which is my health. I'm having difficulties with my movement, very reminiscent of my father when he was developing Parkinson's. I've discussed a referral to a neurologist with my GP, but I decided to try some private physiotherapy first. Then mum observed me lurching across the room and said 'Are you feeling well Phil?' (that was my father's name). I'm seeing the doc again this week, and I'll definitely go for that neurology referral. Trouble is Plan A depends on me being fit enough to look after Mum, and there is no Plan B.
Social Services said they won't assess for twenty days, so I set about organising our own 'care plan'. Mum is going to go to something called 'FiloCare' once a week, which is a small scale day-care that sounds lovely. I've also hired a young self-employed care worker, who will do most of the housework, and another more middle aged carer from a non profit organisation, who will spend a morning with mum on a more befriending basis. All of that is well within our budget.
One major problem, which is my health. I'm having difficulties with my movement, very reminiscent of my father when he was developing Parkinson's. I've discussed a referral to a neurologist with my GP, but I decided to try some private physiotherapy first. Then mum observed me lurching across the room and said 'Are you feeling well Phil?' (that was my father's name). I'm seeing the doc again this week, and I'll definitely go for that neurology referral. Trouble is Plan A depends on me being fit enough to look after Mum, and there is no Plan B.