Cathy

Mom doing a puzzle

What I’ve learned as a Primary Caregiver

4 Comments / Life /

First 2 months as Mom’s caregiver

My Mom has been living with us for 2 months now and, WOW, have I learned a lot! It’s been an adjustment for ALL of us.

To back up a little, we moved my Mom from Wisconsin, where she lived alone in an apartment, to North Carolina to live in our house. You can read about how we reached this decision on my other post, Making the decision to become a caregiver

Getting Mom ready for the move

The first thing we needed to do is get her ready for the move, she had about 6 weeks. Terry and I would be driving to Wisconsin to pick her up with a U-haul in tow. My brother lives in Wisconsin near her so he helped to get her packed up. He bought her Rubbermaid containers, which worked great for stacking in the U-Haul. Mom needed to go through all her things and decide what to do with them. There were 4 choices;

  • Put the item in her lobby on the “free table”
  • Trash it
  • Pack it up to take to North Carolina
  • Leave behind for the “Charity” that will be picking up what remains

When anyone moves, there are several things we all need to do. For my Mom, she had a few more things to get done.

  • Give notice to Apartment Manager
  • Get prescriptions filled
  • Cancel the utilities
  • Return the cable box
  • Tell her doctors about her move
  • Close bank account
  • Cancel Medicare supplemental insurance policy
  • Cancel Medicare drug coverage
  • Give a change of address to Post Office
  • Pack her overnight case
  • Call the local charity to pick up what’s left(my brother took care of this)
  • Clean the apartment to make sure she gets the security deposit back(my brother did this after we left)

Since three of my siblings were in the state of Wisconsin at the time, we decided to meet at Moms on moving day. That way, they could see her before she left, and we could also visit with each other. Remember, we were taking her about 1200 miles from her home, it wouldn’t be easy for any of them to visit her in North Carolina. We said our goodbyes, loaded up the U-Haul, and Mom, and headed down the road.

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The Great Smoky Mountains

19 Comments / Travel /

Why are they called the Great Smoky Mountains?

One look at this photo and you will know why it’s due to the heavy fog that hangs over the mountains in the morning and after a rain.

The “Great Smokies”, as they are commonly called, is a mountain range along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Great Smoky Mountain National Park was established in 1934 and is the most visited National Park in the United States. The Park is free and is open 24/7.

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Making the Decision to become a Primary Caregiver

9 Comments / Life /

Deciding to have a parent move in with you is a very difficult decision. There are many things to consider. The thought of becoming someone’s primary caregiver is very scary. It’s a great honor and also a hard thing to do.

Making the decision

Here are some things to consider before making your decision:

  • Do you have the time required to care for another person?
  • Do you have the extra space available in your home?
  • Are there any stairs in your home?
  • Is there room for a walker or wheelchair?
  • Do you have a walk-in shower?
  • Can you raise the toilet seat to meet their needs?
  • Will you be able to find help when you need a break?
  • Do you have a support system for them and yourself?
  • Is your spouse/partner on board with this decision?
  • Which family member is best equipped to be a caregiver?

I did have the time since I have “retired” from the insurance industry and now work from home. We have an extra bedroom and bathroom, no stairs, a walk-in shower, and my husband was more on board than I was. My siblings felt like I was the right one for the job.

Terry and I have been visiting Senior Centers and Nursing Homes for several years now through his ministry, Christian Adventurers. We have seen some places that are very nice and some that are not so nice. I don’t think that many people prepare for the day that they may need assisted living. We all want to stay in our own homes as long as possible. To be frank, these places are expensive! If you don’t have the money, you may end up in a “not so nice” place sharing a room, TV, and bathroom with someone you don’t know. No one lives their life saying, “I hope I end up in a nursing home one day”.

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Two Rivers, Wisc.

11 Fun Things to do in Two Rivers, Wisconsin!

110 Comments / Travel /

The city of Two Rivers

This is the last post of my 5 part series, “Epic Road Trip”. We stayed at the Lighthouse Inn at Two Rivers, Wisconsin in September during our road trip from North Carolina to Wisconsin. The city was named because of the East Twin River and West Twin River that meet in the city and flow into Lake Michigan. Two Rivers claims to be the birthplace of the ice cream Sundae, although other cities also make this claim. It also claims to have the best beach in Wisconsin(there are not many beaches in Wisconsin). The population is about 12,000 and their advertising slogan is “Catch our friendly waves”.

The West and East Twin Rivers

There are actually quite a few things to do in or near this small city;

  1. Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum
  2. Historic Rogers Street Fishing Village & Great Lakes Coast Guard Museum
  3. Woodland Dunes Nature Center
  4. Best beach in Wisconsin, Neshotah Beach
  5. Two Rivers Trails
  6. Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo
  7. Historic Washington House
  8. Two Rivers Historic Farm Museum
  9. Wisconsin Maritime Museum at Manitowoc
  10. West of the Lake Gardens at Manitowoc
  11. Three Lighthouses; Rawley Point Light, Manitowoc Breakwater Light, and Two Rivers North Pierhead
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