Caring for a mother with dementia at home
Photo: A mother, who is eight years after dementia, wears a hat that her second son has forgotten.
I was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 87
I stopped talking at the age of 94
I was a nurse, born in Sakhalin in 1922 and graduated from Hokkaido University Nursing School. Raised three children in Sapporo while helping my husband's medical clinic.
I moved from Sapporo to my daughter's hometown of Tokyo when I was 75 years old. I made all the plans for my move, and moved on to my new home in Tokyo by myself with a bit of help from my daughter. I bought a small condominium about 10 minutes by bicycle from my daughter's house and started living alone, which is five years after my husband passed away. For the first 10 years from the age of 75 to the age of 85 after starting a new life in Tokyo, there was no problem and I enjoyed Tokyo life living alone. Going freely to a famous department store in Nihonbashi or Tsukiji fish market, going to my favorite bookstore or library, going to art museums, going to a play or a concert, taking care of visiting friends from Hokkaido, etc. ... I enjoyed living in Tokyo by myself walking freely around all over Tokyo and Yokohama.
One day when I was 87 years old , a welfare officer who visited me once a month suddenly called my daughter. "It seems that when I was walking in the neighborhood with your mom, she got lost and didn't know where she was." "This may be a sign of dementia, so I called you because I thought it was better to report to you." My daughter was shocked at this. I could not hide it anymore.
When my daughter asked me to go to see a doctor for a dementia checkup, I responded obediently. I had to confess that from the age of eighty-five on, various shocking events often happened, which suspected dementia starting. I thought “something strange” was going in my head, but I didn't mention a word about it to my daughter for two years. In the last two years, I went to Sapporo for two long-stay trips and I also bought my first mobile phone. But I was 87 years old when I was diagnosed with dementia. The subjective dementia symptoms seemed to have started at around age 85, about two years before the diagnosis. The test result was dementia of the Alzheimer type, and "Aricept tablets" were prescribed first. From here on, a long relationship with the Care Manager started, registered officially in the state care system.
Receive certification for long-term care level 1
(87 years old)
However, even after the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease was given and I was certified as requiring long-term care level1, I was still felling fine and could manage to continue living alone.
At the age of 88 , my children and grandchildren decided to hold a Beiju (88th year) festive dinner for me at a nearby restaurant. However, at that time, I had to surprise everyone with not-showing-up. Everyone gathered and waited for me at the dinner party, but I never showed up. My daughter called me and tried to persuade me to come but no success. When my son came to my house to pick me up, I said to him I didn't want to go period despite the fact that I was ready to go out and dressed up wearing nice extra clothes. I don't know why but I suddenly just didn't want to get out of my house. In the end the grandchildren came to my house and offered congratulations and presents after the dinner party.
It is dangerous to use gas for cooking. Stopped using the gas stove in my kitchen. My daughter made a wooden cover on top of the three stoves and made all the stoves useless. The gas was turned off and an electric cooker was placed on a wooden cover. This electric cooker was enough for me, since I don't feel like cooking much anymore.
Around the same time, my daughter found a large amount of "maggots" in my kitchen. I was good at cleaning and was always polishing every corner of my kitchen. From the drain of the sink and from the garbage container, there were a lot of maggots. My daughter was complaining that there were more flies in my house. Until then, I did all the housework, but after that, my daughter would sometimes check my kitchen. Then, she said she found many "insects" in the kitchen shelves stocking dried foods. I felt that I can't control all the housework by myself. It just reached the limit. My daughter need to help me more in the housework.
I was refraining from going out, the care manager recommended that I should go to the day care service. At first, I was having fun at the day care service, but after about six months, I had to say to my daughter, "I don't want to go there anymore." "I don't like the calligraphy teacher." That was true and I really didn't want to go there anymore.
Day care service was discontinued and the medication for dementia was changed to Memary.
When I was 89 years old , I started to have Seven-Eleven bento delivery service. A method where my daughter listen to my request and place an order by the Internet. There was a wide variety of food items that could be delivered at the same time every day to my house, and since there was no exchange of money, it was an easy service to use for me.
When I was 91 years old , after a couple of years, I was forced to stop the Seven-Eleven food delivery service. One day, a 7-Eleven delivery person called my daughter and said, `` I've been doing this many times, but your mom doesn't know how to open the entrance electric remote door lock anymore, and when the visitor buzzer was pressed, she ran herself to the entrance door on the ground floor. She takes the elevator to the main entrance door of the condominium on the ground floor to pick up her delivery. " After that, my daughter tried to teach me how to open the remote door lock, but I just coudn't remember how and soon forgot it, so we had to quit using the delivery service of 7-Eleven. My daughter said it's a big deal if I rush to run to pick up the delivery and fall down and break my bones.
After that, my daughter came to my house every morning to put the day's worth of food she bought at a convenience store on the table. She knew what I liked and gave me a lot of choices. I was able to open the lunch box and bread packaging myself without any problems. I ate ordinary food sold at convenience stores.
Sushi, Oyakodon, Makunouchi Bento, Fried Tofu, Tempura Soba, Gratin,
Her favorite items were cream bread, bean jam, roll cake, pudding, and yogurt.
At the age of 91-year-old I continued to live alone. I was unwilling to go out at all and had no problems with loitering, but one day I was caught by a police. One day I went out of the house wearing a hat and a nice coat for going out, and picked up a taxi in front of the house. The destination I told the taxi driver was "Akita Prefecture" where my eldest son lived. The taxi driver who thought it was strange went straight to the police station, and dropped me off there and I was protected by the police. They called my daughter and two officiers took me back to my house where she waited. The two police officer supported my arms as I walked in the house. Somehow I really felt proud of myself and felt good. The police officer gave a little smile and showed my daughter what was in my bag. The only thing I had in my bag was a piece of radish which I was going to use for the miso soup I was going to cook for my son.
After being protected by the police, I started to go to a one-night short stay service with the recommendation of a care manager who said that there was a inner desire for me to go outside, but it did not last for more than three months. At first, I was convinced that I would like it and enjoy the over night stay, but I didn't like it at all and I was witnessed every night at the care home packing up my luggage and standing in front of the elevator to go home. Since around this time, I started to refuse to take a bath at home, so I was asked by the care home staff all the time to take a bath there when I stayed over a night, but I said "Why do I have to take a bath at a place like this when I have a bath in my own house?" I never took a bath there. When the pick up car came for the final short stay service, I was so angry and shouted aloud, "I will not be fooled anymore!" "Get out!" With this, the short stay program was ended.
Around this summer, the air conditioner unit was replaced with a new model and made it possible to operate it remotely from outside. Since I often spend time in the room without air conditioner even in more than 30 degrees in the summer, my daughter was quite worried and wanted to check the room temperature from outside as well as to turn on and off the air conditioner from outside.
At the same time, all windows were double-glazed to increase the heat insulation effect and make it easier to control the room temperature.
Surveillance cameras were installed in four places in the house. You can watch the situation from anywhere on your smartphone 24 hours a day.You can see it from overseas. I was being watched by my three children living in 3 different towns in Japan.
If your home has a Wifi environment, you can easily control your electric appliances from outside. You can use your smartphone to remotely control any electrical product that has a remote control unit that uses infrared rays. Most modern electric products such as air conditioners, TVs, room lights, radios, and fans are equipped with remote control units. You can buy this remote control unit at a home electronics mass retailer for less than 10,000 yen.
Install the application on your smartphone and register each remote control of the device you want to remotely control. Easy setup that anyone can use as long as they can use a smartphone. For surveillance cameras, you can buy a color image that can be seen at a home electronics mass retailer for less than 10,000 yen. If you put out about 20,000 yen, you can buy an advanced unit that you can hear the sound or speak to and see in the darkness and control the viewing angle. Only in my bedroom, this slightly higher class camera was put in so that they could see my sleeping face even after the lights were turned off. The camera can be installed anywhere as long as it can be powered. When I found the camera in a small white box with red and green lights flashing from time to time, I asked my daughter, "What's this?" She told me "It's a gas leak detector."
By the time I was 92 , I spent a lot of time watching TV all day long. I often had a day looking at the scenery outside the window all the time. I no longer spent time reading, which I used to loved before. I stopped cooking and needlework, which I used to enjoy and was very good at. But sometimes I could pretend to read a newspaper.
Administration of Cilostazol was started. Memary continues.
In anticipation of the effect of cilostazol on dementia, which was discovered by a doctor in Shikoku, I started to take Cilostazol as well as Memary. Reported that the combination of dementia drugs and Cilostazol, a drug for the prevention of cerebral thrombosis, may slow down the progression of dementia.
Information on TV.
I finally agreed to take a bath after 6 months.
By help of my daughter I finally took a bath after 6 months. I knew I could no longer take a bath on my own, and that is why I didn't want to take a bath. I found that it was difficult for me to walk in and out of the bathtub on my own. My legs could not rise high anymore. Also it is difficult for me to remove and wear clothes by myself. Also I found it difficult for me to prepare a new set of clothes for myself. I realized that there were many things that I couldn't do on my own. When my daughter washed my back in the bathtub, it really felt good.
What I can do these days at age 92:
Open and close the curtain. Wash my face in the morning. Water the plants. Clear the dishes I have eaten into the sink. Turn on or turn off the TV.
I cook rice in a frying pan. Cook potatoes in the microwave (failure), make cup ramen (forget to put in powder soup), peel apples and pears with a knife, eat, fold a shopping bag.
At 92 , I remember only my eldest son's birthday, but not my daughter's or my second son's birthdays. I still remember my own birthday. I eat natto for breakfast every morning. I still eat normal food.
Eat tempura, croquette, sushi, anything. Salmon is her favorite.
Even at the age of 93, I can still eat with my own chopsticks. Eat normal food. I don't like to put out my dentures to clean, but sometimes I was forced to put them out in the morning for cleaning.
These days I often lay down on the bed all day listening to the radio.
I was found by a surveillance camera caught between the bed and the wall!
One day, when my daughter looked into a surveillance camera, I was nowhere, and she tried to call, but no one came to the phone. Zooming in and looking at my empty bed, she saw something moving each time the phone rang. The blanket moved a bit. When zoomed in further and took a closer look, she could see my feet between the bed and the wall. I had fallen between bed and the wall and was stuck. She came out immediately and put me out, but I had an incontinence of stool. After that, my daughter fixed the bed position so that I wouldn't get caught between the wall and the bed. I was still using a regular bed, not the care bed yet.
I was found on the floor in the corridor with a surveillance camera!
One month later, again, my daughter couldn't see me in the room. When she carefully looked at the image of the surveillance camera, she found that I was fell down in the corridor in front of the toilet. She rushed to my house and woke me up right away. I was conscious and did not hurt any places, but I was still on the floor because I could not get up by myself. Incontinence.
From this point on, diapers (pants-type) will be worn in. We found that diapers can be purchased cheaply through the ward social welfare council, but this purchase procedure took about a month.
I became more silent. Stop opening and closing curtains and watering plants. I watched TV, but I don't turn it on and off myself anymore.
Edema on both feet. Wearing medical high socks (elastic stockings) for the prevention of blood clots for 1 week cures edema. Home massage also starts three times a week. 30 minutes each. Self-pay is 400 yen each
Last long word
At the age of 94, I was silent all day long most of time, but suddenly one day I decided to talk to my daughter. "I'm very lucky to have my daughter and son take care of me in various ways, I'm very blessed." I was quite satisfied with my words and decided I will not have to talk anymore after this time.
My eyes are open, but sometimes I can't understand what people are saying. It's like talking to a dog, my daughter said. I really can't understand what people are saying to me, even if my eyes are wide open looking at their mouths. I try to understand them and tilt my head diagonally like a dog. It's so strange but I don't understand the meaning of simple words like "come over here", "have this", "sit here". Even if I lie on the floor, I cannot get up by myself. I can still walk on my own and go to the bathroom by myself.
It is getting difficult for me to remove and insert dentures by myself. It becomes difficult to handle urination and defecation myself. I wore a pants-type diaper and could go to the toilet myself, but even if I had a urination in the toilet, I rarely flush the water. There is no evidence of using toilet paper, and sometimes stools are sent to places other than the toilet. Stool in the trash in the living room, stool on the chair in the living room ...
I bought a wooden electric toilet chair that looks like living furniture.
At a fixed price of 100,000 yen for the hot water washlet type, you could buy it at 10,000 yen, which is 10% covered by insurance. I installed it in the living room, but it became a chair for watching TV. It's heavy and stable, and doesn't fall down easily when I put on all my weight. It comes with heated seat and electric remote control for washing.
On New Year's Eve at the age of 94 , while poking osechi dishes with chopsticks, I called the name of my eldest son, "Where is Yoshiyuki?" This is the last words I spoke spontaneously and clearly. I completely stopped speaking after this.When anyone ask me, "Do you want to eat this?", I may react by swaying my head vertically or horizontally, but no one could hear my voice anymore after this.
After I stopped talking
At the age of 94 , finally I said, "Where are you, Yoshiyuki?"
After that I stopped to speak.
January 2016
It was the new year and I didn't like putting in and out dentures.
If I was forced to put the dentures into place, I spit it out with "Gee".
I had to give up my dentures and could not eat solid food anymore.
Anything with a little shape would soon come out of my mouth,
I had no choice but to start to eat a liquid meal.
I can't even say my birthday. I don't even know where I am now.
Receive certification for long-term care level 3
Every morning, my daughter came to mix the following foods with a mixer to make a "special nutrition drink".
Banana, apple, citrus, komatsuna, raw egg, yogurt, soy milk,
Olive oil, collagen powder
And add seasonal fruits, strawberries, peaches, grapes, melons, etc.
Finally, add the energy drink prescribed by the doctor named Enevo.
The daily routine has begun to drink 250 to 300cc of this nutritional drink three times a day.
Ice cream, pudding, jelly, Yakult, milk etc. are also OK.
February 2016
I often slept almost all day. I never get up and take action from bed. I no longer have to worry about falling down on the floor and break bones.
Visits of helpers twice a day start. Around 1 pm and after 6 pm, a helper visited my house, gave me a nutritional drink, guided me to the bathroom, and they sit by me spending my free time watching TV and looking out the window. Relaxed time with the helper twice a day. The helper's visit time is 30 minutes(one hour later). The cost is 300 yen per visit, which is quite affordable. I have such a relaxed 1: 1 time with a helper at my own home. If you are in a care home institution environment, you cannot have this kind of intimate relaxed time.
Most of the helpers are young men. Good-hearted handsome male helpers have taken turns to visit me and give me gentle words to help me to the toilet, drink a meal, and take oral care. I look forward to their visit.
At first, when I was told by the care station that "We have a shortage of female helpers, so only male helpers will be able to help me," I thought I would hate that" since toilet assistance was involved. However, when it first started, I immediately liked the male helpers, and that I liked male helpers more than female helpers.
I am saved by helpers. The helpers are really dedicated. They are all kind-hearted, cheerful, and confident. Without such people, this aging society would not survive.
The visit bathing service started at the same time as the helper's visit. Bring in a bathtub and take a bath in the living room. The more you look at it, the better the system will be. Hot water supply and drainage will be done with a long hose with a pump, and well-trained staff will do the work neatly.
This service has really made it easier for my daughter to take care of me. It's a service once a week, but it also changed bed sheets. The nurse will measure my blood pressure and body temperature, wash my hair and cut my nails.The self-pay of this service is about 1300 yen each time, but I think it is really worth it.
Around this time, administration of all drugs was stopped.From this point onward, the only medical thing prescribed by the doctor who visits me once a month is Enevo, which is a nutritional drink. The blood test results are also good for my age, the doctor said. No abnormality in blood pressure or internal organs.
March-April 2016,
I often sleep mostly day and night. It seems that I am sleepy no matter what I do. I can sleep while eating, walking, or sitting in the bathroom. I sleep almost all the time, but when I wake up, it's strange that I can wake up and walk up to the bathroom from the bed. And when I eat, I can hold a cup of juice with my own hands and drink. Around this time, in addition to the special juice, I was able to scoop pudding myself with a spoon and eat it.
I wondered if I couldn't completely get up from bed, and one morning I got up from bed alone and sat in front of the TV, which my daughter was watching through the surveillance camera. I couldn't switch on the TV because I forgot how so I just stared at the black monitor screen, then suddenly the TV was turned on. My daughter turned it on remotely. It was very convenient for me. It was almost like the TV automatically turns on when I sit in front. I like to watch the movie "Roman Holiday", I seriously watched it for almost two hours without sleeping. "Romen Holiday" is probably my favorite movie. I decided to watch it from time to time.
There were several times when I got up from bed myself at this time. One afternoon, I got up from my bed, went to a tatami room, and a helper found me lying on the tatami room (I couldn't get up by myself). One day, a helper discovered that I was getting up from my bed, going to the living room, and trying to sit on a wicker chair, and I was lying on the floor with the wicker chair. Sometimes I got up alone, sat by the window looking out to the outside, and even I ate a banana in the kitchen, which my daughter saw with a surveillance camera.
But after June, I never got out of bed myself.
May-June 2016,
There was an incident of losing consciousness immediately after a large amount of defecation in the toilet. Fortunately, it all happened when my daughter was visiting me so it could be dealt with immediately. My daughter thought I had died when she saw my mouth open and drooled. My consciousness immediately returned, and there were no abnormal symptoms that remained afterwards, but the loss of consciousness immediately after a large amount of defecation in the toilet would occur many times after this. In this first case, all the vitals were confirmed to be normal, as a precautionary visit by a family doctor. It is common for older people to lose their consciousness due to a sudden drop in blood pressure during defecation, the doctor said.
From the middle of May, a decline in swallowing function began to be noticeable. When I put a drink in my mouth, I often store it in my mouth instead of swallowing it. I often could not swallow, and by someone rubbing my neck and throat to encourage swallowing, I was finally able to drink half a glass. The amount of food I could take was drastically reduced, and my weight was reduced by 5 kg and 10 kg. By the end of June, I had been giving up swallowing and I couldn't take anything by mouth for a week. Even when I couldn't eat anything, I was guided by a helper and managed to walk to the toilet myself. Sometimes I couldn't get up and walk to the toilet.
Recovery from swallowing disability came, no doubt, as I started to have the oral rehabilitation. Immediately after my swallowing ability began to decline, I started to have the home-based oral rehabilitation. A nurse specializing in oral rehabilitation called "ST Nurse" came to visit me once a week. Rehabilitation will take place over 45 minutes. The ST Nurse pulls out the tongue, massages the upper body and mouth, stimulates the cheeks and throat, and does many things that may help restore swallowing ability. Performing an operation while playing the old-fashioned music that I used to hear when I was young.
Not only oral rehabilitation but also daily helpers used a special sponge called Humming's to clean and massage the mouth at every meal assistance. Thanks to that, my swallowing function gradually recovered.
July-August 2016
Now, I was introduced a nursing bed, which is rental. I started to sleep in bed all day long if the helper didn't wake me up. The bed is fully electric controlled. During the day, keep an angle of about 45 degrees to maintain a posture close to a sitting position, and at the time of bedtime, put an angle of about 15 degrees to prevent accidental ingestion of saliva.
Also, since I don't turn over in bed anymore, the bed was installed an electric mat to prevent a bedsore . Electrically controlled air is regularly sent to and blown in/out the bed mat to keep the blood flow in my back to prevent a bedsore. The monthly rental charge for an electric bed with a bedsore prevention function is about 2000 yen. I thought I should have had the bed earlier. I also rent a wheelchair, which I hardly use (the rental fee is only 300 yen a month).
Receive certification for long-term care level 4
I was able to reach my 95th birthday.
I was able to achieve my goal of "becoming a 95 years old"!
In August, when my birthday was approaching, I began to sometimes say short words such as "Good morning" and "Oh, yes." I let everyone hear my voice after a long absence. I spent more time in bed in the afternoon waiting for a helper's visit.
September-October 2016
My appetite is recovering and my stool is perfect like a banana. However, I had constipation once a week, so to increase the frequency of bowel movements, I decided to have additional intestinal stimulation during the massage procedure three times a week. Then, the massage effect immediately appeared, and the frequency of defecation became 2-3 times a week. All you need to do is move your body to the toilet twice a day, so you need to have a bowel massage to promote healthy defecation.
November-December 2016
A relative who was close to me died. Eizo's death. One morning my daughter told me that Eizo died. I shouted in a loud voice, "Why!" I could not sleep all day and night thinking about him. The next day, I didn't know if I remembered it, so when I was told Eizo-san's obituary again, I was surprised to say "Why!" again like the day before. My daughter tried to convey the same obituary on the third day, but I was surprised to hear the same news. She stopped obituary after three times. A month later, when I shared the same obituary, I wasn't as surprised as before. This obituary shock made my appetite grow more.
One day, it was time to get a grape called Steuben known for winter grapes, so my daughter remembered that I liked it and bought it. She wanted to put it in a special nutritional drink she made every morning. When she showed it to me who was sleeping in the bed, she said "I can put this in your drink," then my hand extended, and I took a piece of grape and put it in my mouth. It happened in a blink of an eye, and she was shocked. I put the grape skin out of my mouth. Then one after another, I put the grapes into my mouth with my own hands, peeled the skin in my mouth, and kept eating the grapes. I ate a bunch in no time. She was surprised.
January-March 2017
Every morning, I ate Steuben grapes near a bunch. When Steuben grapes are not available at a supermarket in Tokyo, my daughter called Agricultural Cooperative in Aomori to send Steuben grapes to us. We could secure the supply until the end of March. The act of eating this grape seems to have been very helpful in restoring my swallowing ability. It is the perfect rehabilitation of swallowing ability to put the grain of grapes into your mouth with your own hands, swallow the contents and juice of the grapes, take out the skin with your tongue, pinch it with your hands, and throw it away.
Didn't I get tired of only having three drinks every day? Special drinks made every morning with a blender have slightly different tastes every day. No drinks are the same taste. I think that's the secret that you can drink it every day without getting tired of it. The degree of maturity of bananas are different, various different types of citrus fruits and apples are used, the difference in seasonal fruits that are optionally added, and the amount of ingredients that are added depending on the mood of the day are subtly different, so you will definitely get a different taste every day. Calpis, which is added with a taste accent, also has a different taste every day. There are various flavors of Calpis such as strawberry, melon, Kyoho, peach, and La France. In addition to Calpis, I sometimes add "hot ginger" and "hot lemon". People with dysphagia seem to prefer a strong taste. I'm not tired of drinking so far.
The cup I use holds 300 ml of a drink and made of light plastic, and 3 cups will be consumed everyday. I had gained 3 kilos compared to summer. For better nutrition, I now take fresh cream with more than 40% fat to the drink. I love milk taste and like a drink with fresh cream.
Since I have a lot of appetite, I tried to drink miso soup (no ingredients) which I hadn't had for a long time, and it was delicious.
At the end of March, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom in Tokyo, the eldest son Yoshiyuki came from Akita and took me out on a wheelchair for the first time in a long time.
In Tokyo, diapers are sold at a low price in the ward office. If you place an order for the next month by phone or fax, it will be delivered to the door at the beginning of the month. Most diaper-related products can be bought for less than one-fifth the normal price. At first, I bought pants-type diapers and replaced 1-2 pieces every day, but I found out that there is a urine collection pad, so I decided to use pants-type diapers and large and small urine collection pads together. Then you don't have to change your pants every day, which is good for both cost and eco-friendliness. The total cost of diapers and urine collection pads is 600-800 yen per month. Pay at a convenience store.
April on 2017
At the same time that the grape season was over and I was tired of the grapes. When the cherry blossoms had finished blooming and became warmer, I had more time to sleep. A similar situation continued last spring. Whatever I did, I was sleepy. While eating, walking, sitting on toilet, I was sleeping. If I woke it up, I could drink and swallow, but the amount was reduced by half. Walking to the toilet is barely done with the help of the helper. In spite of this situation, surprises have occurred. I hadn't got up from bed by myself for nearly 10 months since I changed to an electric bed, but one day in April, I got up myself and sat down at the edge of the bed. It felt like I could about to get up and start walking, but I took off one sock I was wearing. Even though I slept all day long that day, it was a strange feeling that occurred between the drowsiness.
The face seems to really represent the state of the brain. There are two types of my face.
They are "frog face" and "munch face".
When I have a "frog face", my brain is awake, and I can react and I can drink. Swallowing activities is no problem.
However when I have a "munch face", I have a breathing like I am sleeping even when my eyes are wide open, and I can't react to anything even when I am called out loud. I try not to drink anything in this state even when someone forces me to take a mouthful, and I cannot swallow.
June 2018
Receive certification for long-term care level 5
Nursing care certification needs to be recertified every six months, even if the condition does not change. An accredited person different from the last time visited to check my condition and a certification meeting was held to determine the degree of accreditation. My condition was the same as half a year ago, so I thought it would be a continuation of "4", but for a surprise, it was raised to "5" this time.
However, because of that, it became possible to increase the number of nursing care services a little, and it became possible to extend the time that each helper stays a little longer. I had my 30-minute afternoon visit be extended to an hour. The speed at which I drink has slowed down recently, so if I could have more time with the helper, the amount I drunk increased a little. About half of the the cup I could drink by myself, and the other half the helpers helped me to drink.
I felt that everything, including speaking, was "too-much-trouble", so this act of drinking on my own may be "too-much-trouble" and may give up someday. For now, I still hold my own cup and drink.
Currently I don't take any medicine. I have a bowel movement twice a week by myself. Until about half a year ago, the average frequency of bowel movements was about once a week, but the frequency of bowel movements improved as I regularly received a massage of the abdomen (large intestine and small intestine) during three visiting massages a week. The visiting massage also includes gait training.
Exactly one year ago, in May-July, the days of swallowing problem and appetite diminished, it was delicate whether or not I could live to reach my 95th birthday. Now my 96th birthday was coming soon.
Sometimes my second son who comes to stay at my house occasionally is good at drawing out my words forgotten. I'm a mother who doesn't speak much these days, but I don't think I've forgotten what to say completely. A few weeks ago, when my second son asked, "What do you want to drink? Apple juice? Lemon tea? Yakult?" I answered "Whatever!"
In most cases I usually say nothing, no matter how much I could talk. I make no requests. However, sometimes there is a moment when a different brain switch turns on suddenly and it makes me speak.
August 8, 2018
96th birthday
Congrats! !!
5 reasons a person with long-term care level 5 can live alone:
1) I was used to living alone.
2) A family lives nearby.
3) Various home care services can be used .
4) There is a Wifi environment and a surveillance camera.
5) Air conditioners can be operated remotely.
A few weeks after my birthday, one morning,
I suddenly told my daughter "Thank you". Only one word came out of my mouth.
It was when she tried to give me a second drink for breakfast.
There were two more surprises for her around this time.
The first one. The day before I said "Thank you," it happened when I had a home masseur wake me up from my bed and rehabilitate indoor walking . The usual pattern is to get out of bed with the help of a trainer, then barely walk in the corridor or living room, walk around and return to bed. While walking with help from the living room, I suddenly stopped, standing on one foot, one hand on the wall, trying to take a stone as small as a grain of rice on my sole. As you can see, about half a grain of rice stuck to the bottom of the foot. I was surprised at the sensitive nerves on my sole of foot, but I was also surprised at my ability to act and balance as I stood on one foot and took the pebble off myself. I am suppose to be the long-term care level 5, who can no longer turn over by himself on bed, but I could stand by myself on one leg.
Second one. A few days after the above. It happened when a doctor who came to the house once or twice a month came into my bedroom. I have been taken care of by the same doctor and male nurse for about 5 years. Even though I had been sleeping soundly until they came in, as soon as the doctor and the nurse entered the room, I woke up and greeted with a big smile. I couldn't say a word, but my mouth was wide open and raised to the left and right with a bright smile, and I felt like I was about to get up and walk away, with the blanket removed by my hands. Everyone who was there in the room was very surprised. I have not "smiled" for a long time.
80% of the Japanese say they want to spend their last time at home. However, only 12.8% of people realized it. The reason why many people think that it is difficult to realize is that 1) the burden on the family 2) anxiety when the condition changes suddenly 3) the financial burden is large. I think all is wrong and it comes from the misunderstanding of lack of real knowledge.
In the current Japanese system, many occupations such as medical care, nursing, and nursing care work together to support home care. With the long-term care insurance system, it is possible for elderly people living alone and end-of-life patients to be taken care of at home without incurring such high costs. If you want to avoid the old "nursing hell", you can avoid it.
However, what is often heard is the voices of elderly people living alone who say, "I don't want to have strangers at home," "I can do it alone," or "It is a waste to hire someone." I refused even the first cleaning helpers to come even after the age of 90. However, as my physical freedom gradually diminished and it became difficult to clean the toilets and bathrooms myself, I had no choice but to accept "others." After the helper who came for cleaning once a week returned, I began to appreciate the work done, "It's a good idea," I thought and gradually became accustomed to "others being in my home."
Also, by introducing a Wi-Fi camera, it is possible not only to monitor the condition of the old person, but also to lower the hurdles for "putting others at home". It is obligatory for the nursing care service company in charge to be reported in advance that the surveillance camera is installed. The helpers who come to visit me are always aware of the existence of these cameras.
I think that in the elderly care, what a family of elderly people living alone should do is not to actually do all the care for them but to arrange the necessary services to care for them. Of course, if a family member really wants to take care of the elderly person, that's what she or he should do, and I won't stop it, unless it creates a distorted life called "nursing hell". It should be remembered that in Japan today, there are various options available for nursing care.
The first Steuben grapes in the fall of 2018
Arrived from Aomori
I was worried if I could get Steuben's grapes like last year, but when I saw the grapes in October of this year, I immediately responded. However, at the beginning, I just took about 5 pieces from the bunch and ate them and spit out the peels. The momentum like before was gone. I was wondering if I could show my obsession with Steuben grapes so much, and after a few days I ate 31 grains. It seems to be troublesome, first. Steuben, the only solid food for me who lived on a drink only, and it should be available by the end of March.
About one month after starting eating this year's grapes, the pace of eating grapes has increased dramatically since the end of November. On average 40 to 50 pieces are eaten every morning. That is all on my own. Breakfast is this grape and one drink of energy drink.
I was about to reach the winter of age 96, I was in the same condition as it was last year. Speaking of which, the pace at which I take the drink is a little slower, but the amount I drink is not so much reduced or increased.
As always, I enjoyed spending twice a day visit with young male helpers. I do not turn over while sleeping in bed, but I can get up when a helper wakes me up. You can walk to the toilet with your body supported and defecate in the toilet. After going to the bathroom, I can walk to the living room while being supported, and I can sit in the chair by the window or in front of the TV for more than 30 minutes. I can drink my own meals or have a helper give me one. I have peaceful times with the helper twice or three times a day, one hour during the day and 30 minutes at night.
My favorite TV show now is "Mitsuaki Iwago's Cat Documentary," which has been recorded with nearly 50 episodes of the past, so I'm always watching it with helpers. For an old person like me, it seems easier to watch the unedited footage taken with one camera like this documentary, rather than the complicatedly edited footage. I also like to watch "Tochacha", which crosses Japan on bicycles done by NHK, as there are many simple scenes without a complicated editing.
The year 2019 has begun, and it is almost March when you can feel the sign of spring. This winter, I ate Steuben grapes at a pace of one bunch a day. I ate grapes very well from January to February. I've gained a little more weight and have a better appetite than I did last year. As for the drink that is woken up by the helper and sitting on the chair in the living room, I take the cup myself by hand and drink the full amount (300 ml) every time. As a result, the number of times I spoke a word increased. Don't speak long sentences. Helpers seemed to be surprised recently that I often spoke words.
I am just sleeping in the bed all day long, but I get up with the help from a helper, a couple of times a day, gets up from the bed and walks on my feet. Often stools are done in the toilet.
Walk with your own feet when the helper asks you "Ichi ni, Ichi ni". You can sit by the window in the living room and look out, or sit in a chair in front of the TV and watch TV for more than 15 minutes.
As I said before I am currently not taking any medicine. I don't catch a cold this winter and I don't have a cough or sputum. Blood pressure is also normal. It's kind of constipation, but if you don't have any stools for a week, a pack of this prune juice, Kagome, with Enevo instead of breakfast will give you a lot of loose stools in the afternoon. No enema or laxative is needed.
I try to hold my own cup of nutritional drink by myself. Do not use a glass cup because it is too heavy. The best cup is made of light plastic, which is vertically long and easy for an old person to hold, and it must be light in weight. It should be strong enough not to deform even if held it with force.
I want you to keep the condition that I can swallow, so that you can nourish yourself by mouth.
I like Anko. Recently my favorite food is "Oshiruko drink". Add the same amount of water to "Imuraya no Azuki" and stir with a mixer for about 30 seconds to make a delicious "Oshiruko drink". I tried various boiled marinated products, but the one made by "Imuraya" is good. The other products have artificial starch added to them, and if you stir them with a mixer and put them in the refrigerator for a while, they become jelly-like and difficult to drink. This "Osuruko drink" is not only easy to drink due to its natural thickening, but also rich in legume nutrients and fiber, and contains a moderate amount of salt, so it is a very good drink in the summer.
August 8, 2019 at the age of 97
I often had "Oshiruko drink" and gained weight. When I'm with my favorite helper, I can drink 300-ml of normal drink and 200-300 ml of oshiruko drink. When I feel good, the helper prompts me to speak a word or two. Twice a day (1 hour in the afternoon, 30 minutes in the evening), with the helper, I'm fully awake, getting up from bed, going to the toilet, watching TV and drinking.
On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, I have a visiting massage, and not only a full-body massage but also a walk-around exercise in the room. There is no reason why I can't walk because I am not feeling well. It seems that he takes me to walk by the window to check the weather and see the scenery outside.
One day in August, I fainted after having a stool in the toilet and fell from the toilet bowl to the right side on the floor. I had bruises on my right forehead, arm, hand, leg, etc., but no fracture. Since I often feel faint after having a stool, my daughter asked the helper to keep an eyes on me while I am on the toilet from now on.
Shortly after entering my 80s, I changed my habit of sleeping on a tatami mat in a Japanese-style room, and started sleeping in bed . When asked why, I said, "Since raising and lowering the futon is troublesome." However, what I really thought was that I was physically struggling to get up by myself from the floor every morning. It's much easier to get up from a western style bed. I often see the scene of an earthquake disaster shelter where people sleeping on the floor, but I think it is very hard on old people because it is hard for them to get up from the floor. In the shelters it is better to provide cardboard beds for old people.
When I was in my 90's, I am so glad that I replaced the bed with an electric bed with a function like a hospital. (Rental fee ¥ 2,000 / month)
This winter I stopped eating winter grapes like I used to, instead I now have "Amazake" for breakfast. I wanted to try something new. I love it. I drink two glasses of warm amazake for breakfast. Although it is less than 1% alcoholic, my face gets slightly red sometimes. I think it makes me feel better, and good for my system.
For several years, my daughter has been able to use her smartphone to check the care details of the helper on each day. This is very convenient. She can see through her phone how much I drank, excreted, walking, and how much time I spent with the helper. The helper posted a report immediately after each visit.
August 8, 2020 at the age of 98
Despite the pandemic of the new Corona virus, I was able to safely reach my 98th birthday. I had no idea what the celebration was when the picture was taken. My skin is smooth and my appetite has not diminished despite the intense heat of summer season.
However, after August of my 98th birthday and in September, a "major change in physical condition" began to occur.
Walking became unstable. Until then, I was able to walk to the bathroom several times a day on my own without any problems with the help of a helper. The step of about 10 cm, which had to be passed when entering the bathroom, it was easily climbed up and down by myself. However, in September, the way I walked became unstable, and my knees broke while I was walking, and I almost fell, and I often couldn't climb the step to the bathroom.
No loss of appetite yet.
Worried about falling, I decided to stop walking to the bathroom by the end of September and have the helpers change diapers in bed. For the first time, I changed from the pants-type diapers to tape-type diapers that are easy to change on the bed. However, with the help of a helper, I can get up from bed and walk a little, so after changing diapers, I sometimes manage to walk to the living room and sit in front of the TV to have a drink. When walking is difficult, I sometimes drink a meal drink in bed.
Recently, protein has been added to meal drinks. This banana-flavored powdered protein also contains potassium, which I lack, so it was added to every meal.
