I first developed my mom's personal profile for the nurses, CNA's, physical therapist and doctors so they would know who she was as a person. I wanted to let them know that mom came to this country as a war bride in 1947 by ship with my 6-month old brother and that it took two weeks to arrive in the United States. I wanted to let everyone know that she was a full time house wife living in the same home that my parents bought in 1955. I wanted to let people that she love soap operas and gardening. I wanted everyone especially her caregivers to know who she was before she developed dementia and who she was now with the goal to establish a stronger bond between her and her caregivers.Here's a profile of my mom that I provided her caregivers and any medical facility.- My mom needed her glasses to see and that she had great eyesight reading out loud every sign on the streets and freeways.
- My mom went out everyday to the parks, shopping centers, with the help of a walker.
- My mom needed guidance and help to walk to the bathroom 24/7.
- My mom does not plan or cook her meals.
- My mom loves going to the dog parks in Alameda while eating her McDonalds lunch from the car.
- I also provide a mini-family album and pictures of her with the caregivers.
- What are your love one's wishes for medical procedures
- Living wills.
- Updated auto insurance
- Medical power of attorney for health care concerns
- Power of Attorney for legal decisions
- Access information or keys to safety deposit boxes, emails, medical websites, social networks
- Financial power of attorney to take care of bills
Three months have past and I got an email notification to have mom x-rayed. As always mom had difficulty getting x-rayed but we got it. The shadow on the previous x-ray still exist but at least it hasn't increased in size. The next step is to get a CT scan but trying to get a 89-year old mom with dementia will be difficult. According to several medical articles and private discussions with medical people a "shadow" could be just about anything. In a 89-year old woman who has never smoked in her life the "shadow" is not cancer although discussion with a pulmonary doctor should be scheduled in three months after another x-ray. According to a radiologist X-rays are full of shadows and light which the radiologist must interpret- so much depends on the angle at which the person is standing, the angle of the camera, how close or far the patient is from the camera and a host of other things.The last X-Ray had the radiologist holding my mom up inorder to get an X-Ray...not exactly the correct way to have an X-Ray.
