More changes are here.

I finally wised up and got Mom's doctor to give me a prescription for a hospital bed. The benefit of this type of bed for my Mom is ease of getting in and out of bed by herself. Her old bed was too tall for her to easily scoot in but, with the hospital bed, it's much easier as I can set the height to about 10" from the ground (well, she's not that short!).

I checked her 3 times last night when she got up to use the commode. I stayed clear and watched her from the door. She easily got up and got back in bed on her own. Besides taking off her oxygen each time (which I replaced), she had a pretty good night. I'm hoping the bed continues to be a good thing as, one thing I've noticed is that, depending on the day, she might love or hate something which she loved or hated yesterday. I just have to stay patient through the 'hate' days and know she'll be fine with whatever changes I put in her path.

Carina and I tried hard to set up Mom's bedroom so there were few changes, except for the addition of the new bed. We did leave her old bed in the room for 1) her emotional comfort and 2) for me to sleep in if I should have to. Currently, I sleep in the "dog room" (aka, the guest room) which is right across the hall from Mom's room when I need to keep an eye on her.

Carina and I are hoping to get Mom out today to Bed, Bath and Beyond (which Mom loves) and maybe to one other stop (to be determined). It's going to be a gorgeous day over here and no reason at all not to hit the streets!

Been busy writing articles of Squidoo and am actually starting to make some money there. Just got my first half of my payout from eHow purchasing all of my articles which was a welcome addition to my PayPal account.

I'm trying to keep this Squidoo lens in the top 2000 - it just fell today to 2200 range. I'd appreciate my readers clicking the link and leaving me comments (that boosts ratings). Thanks!

Dessert Shooters - The new mini dessert craze

Anyway, here's some of my Squidoo articles dealing with the challenges of growing older (and caring for someone doing just that):

Causes of dementia in the elderly
Resources for Caregivers of Aging
Caring for the elderly. Birdwatching from a lazy boy recliner
Cooking a low sodium diet for the elderly
Senior Citizen Gift Ideas
Good Gifts For Caregivers