First of all, the Alzheimer’s med Namenda seems to be stabilizing my mom’s mood swings, making her less confrontational, more cooperative, and less paranoid. And she only takes half the usual dosage, which is 20 mg. I’ve got my fingers crossed that it continues to work.
She’s been having irritable bowel symptoms, and I was pretty sure that coffee was one of the biggest irritants. She loves coffee — would have five or six cups a day if it were up to her. Decaf was not the answer, since it’s not only the caffeine that’s the problem in coffee; it’s the acids as well. The last link is part of a site that sells a coffee substitute, which might have worked for her but it needs to be made like regular coffee. It doesn’t come in an instant version, and, being a tea drinker, I don’t even own a coffee maker.
Well, at my mom’s age (91) taste buds aren’t as sharp as they used to be. I tried to find the old time Postum in my local supermakets, but they don’t carry it. After a bit of Googling, I found something called Inka, a coffee substitute apparently drunk by Polish people, but I couldn’t get their site to accept my order. So I opted for Dandy Blend, Instant Dandelion Beverage, which has pretty much the same ingredients and also includes dandelion root. Not only is dandelion an herbal remedy for various problems that she has, Dandy Blend also is make of up various grains that provide soluble fiber.
I ordered a small can several weeks ago, and she loves it. I went and ordered two more big ones. While she still gets some irritation in her intestines, it’s nowhere near the pain she would get before Dandy Blend. Die hard coffee drinkers wouldn’t go anywhere Dandy Blend; it doesn’t have the strong aroma or taste. But it works for her.
OK. That’s two problems of caregiving for his particular elderly woman that I was able to solve.
Now, the clothes thing. Last night I unearthed a snap-front knit robe that we forgot she had, made by Shadowline Lingerie. I linked to their site and found this snap-front knit bed jacket that she can wear as a blouse now, and a bed jacket later if she needs one. It’s on sale, so I ordered one for her in blue.
So, Maria, at Small Change, who left a comment on my previous post, might want to take a look at that item.
Now, if I can only figure out a way to stop that groundhog from eating up my echinacea leaves, I would feel cared for. Someone suggested fox urine. Right now I’m spraying my flowers with a natural garlic/peppermint spray that’s supposed to repel squirrels. I think it repels my cat too, because she doesn’t like going out after I sprayed. Maybe it will work on the groundHOG!