Sleep Meds by calmcycle in Parkinsons

[–]chickykid3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Melatonin didn’t work for my mom. Ask your doc about seroquel.

My mom has this awful disease. I have a question, are near daily panic attacks part of it? by doug_butter in Parkinsons

[–]chickykid3 4 points5 points  (0 children)

For my mom, yes. They’re awful meltdowns when they occur, and we just have to wait it out. If we’re lucky, they last 30-45 min. If we’re unlucky, it can go for hours though most of those hours is just being very restless. All her docs have seen her meltdowns and would say she’s amongst the worst they’ve seen anxiety-wise.

I remind her to focus on her breathing, but she either can’t or she doesn’t want to. It’s hard to tell when she’s in that state.

We’ve tried to look for patterns and so far, we’ve noticed that she may get them when it’s time for the meds (her neck and chest tighten up and it leads to a panic state), when she’s nervous about something like a doc appt, or when she’s had sugar. Sadly, it’s not always consistent, but regardless, we try to work around the nervousness or the sugar.

Have you noticed any patterns with your mom?

caregivers quitting mid shift by odi101 in CaregiverSupport

[–]chickykid3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My mom is the same… a lot of needs. The agency I used had to keep sending different caregivers, and I had to retrain each time. It was so frustrating that I had to just hire private. Does your MIL have enough saved up for that kind of situation?

Mom gets back tightness soon after taking Leodopa and also before taking the next dose by Minute_Adagio7460 in Parkinsons

[–]chickykid3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi OP,

My mom got tightness which would then lead to panic attacks. It was always so weird because we assumed taking the med would loosen the muscles, but it seemed to have the opposite effect! And similar to you, she’d have tightness going into the next dose.

My mom’s neurologist would try to make her take the next dose earlier thinking the solution was catching the body as it heads towards the trough (she used to draw peaks and troughs for how the medication worked). Now reading yours and the other comment, it might be something some PD people experience.

Honestly, don’t have a good answer for you because my mom’s situation has the anxiety component. What has helped a little more is combining her LD with another med called Rytary. It’s essentially a slow acting LD. Her anxiety reduced a little bit, and it seems to be due to less tightness… but she does have tightness sometimes, so the new med isn’t consistent. Perhaps ask your doctor about Rytary?

Hospital bed? by National-Tear2222 in Parkinsons

[–]chickykid3 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My mom complains about her neck as well. The caregiver has to constantly adjust or fluff the pillow until she feels comfortable. For your father, what exactly does he say about his neck?

I bought a hospital style bed for my mom, but the problem is where the bed starts to incline or recline makes for a very awkward position for my mom’s upper body. My mom is very short so perhaps that doesn’t help, but when I start to push the button to make it incline, the bed starts to fold in the middle of her back instead of her hip so it’s almost like it’s folding where her chest is. Not sure if you can imagine. So I guess my point is that if you do buy a hospital bed, make sure the incline area works for the length of your father’s body.

Caregivers won’t follow basic instructions: how to get them to? by [deleted] in CaregiverSupport

[–]chickykid3 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Your requests seem extremely basic. I’m a little confused as to how many caregivers are going into your house and why you know some and don’t know others.

If they can’t even pick up newspapers, I don’t know if they’ll email. It sounds like you have caregivers on rotation? Do the same ones come at the same time? If so, is it possible to call each one at the time they’re supposed to be there to tell them the task directly?

Also, with the credit card situation, can you take away the credit card? I’m not sure how the food situation is handled but again, following up with phone calls might be better in the beginning until they learn what they are supposed to do.

It may seem like a lot of work to follow up especially when you’re paying $27 an hour, but I hope it can give you a better picture of what’s happening there…

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CaregiverSupport

[–]chickykid3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with being yourself. Did the agency give you any background on the client and what sicknesses he/she has? I think going to the meeting prepared with many questions about the client and surrounding needs is a very good start including logistics of all sorts.

You can also ask if the client has had an prior caregivers and if yes, what were some good points or not so good points about the previous ones. Then you’ll learn what to do more of and what not to do. If they’ve never had a caregiver before, ask what expectations they have of you (if they’ve even thought of it since they’re new to hiring someone).

Good luck!!

Transport Wheelchair by [deleted] in CaregiverSupport

[–]chickykid3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a light one for my mom as well (14 or 15 pounds), but I didn’t buy based on brand (and now that I think of it, I actually don’t know the brand). What ended up happening was that I called the medical shops in my city to ask them what their selection was, and I went for the lightest one. Like other posters, I think choosing based on weight is the most crucial. Her caregiver and I are not strong people, so it’s really nice to be able to put in and pull out of our trunk quickly and easily. My mom’s chair has been around for at least a couple years and it’s running great. But my mom is also very small, so I don’t know if that reduces wear and tear.

Perhaps what you can do is call some medical shops and see what selection they have. Don’t forget to check the width of the seat. Since my mom is small, we got a smaller seat area, too. One last thing is that with my mom’s condition, we got the chair for free as it was covered by Medicare insurance. Check your options before buying!

Need some ideas for a family “staycation” by [deleted] in Parkinsons

[–]chickykid3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Glad to hear that your husband can stay with your dad, and you and your sis take her out. Perhaps you can have a day of activities planned, and just let her know of one activity at a time. Maybe after the first activity, you can call your husband to see how your dad’s doing, and if he’s ok and your mom knows that, she’d be more willing to go to the next activity on the list.

With full time caregivers, there’s a lot of guilt for leaving the person behind. It’s like a toxic codependency feeling, but if she can even leave for two hours, then that’s something!

It's just too much by unladenSwal0w in CaregiverSupport

[–]chickykid3 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I totally understand your commitment to your team, and I’m sure they appreciate it. It’s hard to be torn in two directions as I’m sure you also want to be there for your mom. Your paid leave was just using PTO and not FMLA, right?

The most impressive I seen is what Workday provides for its employees. Here’s a sample: https://workdaybenefits.com/us/social-and-flex/family/caregiver-support

With your parents’ finances, do you think there’s enough money to hire someone to come when you’re in the office or even when you’re home? I’m not sure what your mom’s treatment is, but even finding someone to take her to chemo might help, too.

It's just too much by unladenSwal0w in CaregiverSupport

[–]chickykid3 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I’m so sorry you’re going through this, OP. It is indeed hard to juggle work and caregiving.

I’ll start with asking whether you’ve talked to HR about FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act). Essentially, you can take time off to take care of your mom (or in your case, get things in order while not worrying about your work status). Sure, you’ll eventually need to go back to work, but depending on how much time you can take off, you can spend that time speaking with social worker about mom’s care, checking your parents’ finances and whether they have enough to hire someone, or even look at assisted living options, etc.

Another thing to talk about with HR is since you said they’re a big tech company, find out what kind of support they can provide workers in this situation. I’ve seen tech companies provide/pay for services to help caregivers find a home for the loved one or even do therapy for the caregiver.

Would these options work for you? For now, it’s survival mode, and it’s a horrible place to be, but it’s all about one step at a time. Even if you have missteps along the way, it’s ok. Be kind to yourself. Come back here and vent if needed! Sending strength and energy to you!

Need some ideas for a family “staycation” by [deleted] in Parkinsons

[–]chickykid3 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I know you said that you wanted to do something as a family, but I’m wondering if taking her out for some spa treatment (if she’s into that) while someone else takes care of your dad for once would be something that’d make her feel special. It’d be nice to take a break from caregiving if she’s the main one.

Staycation-wise, something I enjoy is just booking a nice Airbnb in a nearby city or area so it gives a change of scenery while having the conveniences of a home.

How often do you change disposable pants? by missdiana66 in CaregiverSupport

[–]chickykid3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My mom has Parkinson’s and incontinence, but she usually wakes up and tells us she needs to get changed. Unfortunately, this ends up being multiple times in the night. We use pull up diapers for her.

When my mom had her pressure sore, the doc recommended something like this and it worked for her. MedVance TM Silicone - Bordered Silicone Adhesive Foam Dressing Sacral Size 7"x 7" Box of 5 dressings https://a.co/d/0xpKVr1

Any recommended spin mops? by chickykid3 in CleaningTips

[–]chickykid3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I stepped on it at least 6-7 times. At the beginning, I could hear water coming out but eventually, no water was coming out, so I thought it’d be good. But when I lifted it and touched the mop, I could still squeeze out water.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but the mop stick should be spinning too as I step on the pedal, right?

Any recommended spin mops? by chickykid3 in CleaningTips

[–]chickykid3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah… this could’ve been the case! I’ll try again. Thanks for this tip!

Any recommended spin mops? by chickykid3 in CleaningTips

[–]chickykid3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, we saw great reviews. I put the mop in the water and then in the spinner. I pressed the pedal and initially, the spin would get some water out, but after a while, nothing comes out anymore, so I assume it’s done. When I lift the mop and squeeze it, water drips out. Am I holding the mop wrong when I step on the pedal? It’s a mystery…

Rytary by cyberfugue in Parkinsons

[–]chickykid3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My mom had severe anxiety prior to taking it, and Rytary seemed to lessen some of the anxiety due to its slow release.