Maybe I am the one with the problem. Maybe other women could do this in their sleep. Raise kids or run a successful business or promote world peace and take care of their sick father in their spare time. I am having no such luck. This past week; it feels like the bottom has blown out of the paper bag. As in... I was holding it together, but now the bottom has exploded and stuff has shot out everywhere.
The advice has always been, a day at a time... my poor brain is in such a state that that little gem is no longer helping. I hardly know where to start, so I will try bullet points:
- Dad is now in a wheelchair, which obviously means he has to be pushed everywhere. The dementia has effected his brain in that his feet don't remain on the foot pegs, or his arms drop over onto the wheels. So when pushing him along, every 10 steps or so, the chair will slow down. Invariably I've just dragged his foot 5 steps, or his arm has been dragging on a wheel. I have to stop, adjust and keep going again. Which is not as easy said as done. With Parkinson 's, you can tell the foot to move onto the foot rest, but the brain doesn't respond. I have to end up adjusting him manually. Heading to the doctor's office one day, he dropped his feet inside a packed elevator. When the carriage reached our floor, both feet were off the foot rest and I could not move the chair. I was struggling to get his feet back on the foot rests while trying to get him off the elevator as the doors were closing on us. I am sure there is something I could add to the foot rest so his feet don't drop off... add it to the list below.
- Patients in care homes receive general doctor's visits in house, but have to go to the specialist office for specialized care. Urologist, neurologist, optometrist etc. Often these offices have machines that you can't transport to a nursing home, so you have to transport the patient to the doctor's office. Which means organizing a wheelchair taxi and finding someone to accompany the patient. Since dad cannot communicate for himself, I'm the one to accompany him and speak on his behalf. Since he has late-stage Parkinson's disease, the trips to the neurologist are plenty. Dad's glasses have gone missing, but I also know it has been a year since his last appointment, so there will be another visit to the optometrist. Just have to find one. Add that to the list.
- With the move, all the legal documents have to be revised to comply with Australian law. I found out last week that dad needs to be found in a sound state of mind to be able to sign these documents. Which means a referral to a neuro-pschycologist. Another doctor visit. Some institutions here have accepted the Canadian Power of Attorney, some do not. I need the POA to act on his behalf. I had filled out paperwork for Aged Care a few weeks back and filled in the section that appointed me the nominee of his behalf, with supporting documentation. In speaking to the Aged Care department the other day regarding another matter (another story), they told me I needed to be appointed as the nominee and directed me to the form on their website. More paperwork. I fear they are going to want the Australian Power of Attorney. Which I don't yet have as I need to visit the neuro-pcyscologist blah blah blah. Add it to the list.
- Also added to the list is filing for Canadian 2011 taxes, which is now complicated with resident and non-resident taxes. And now I have to find an accountant here to assist me with resident and non-resident filing. Add it to the list.
It is not hard to see from the above as to why I am feeling bogged down and not making any progress. The list above details dad's care only. Then there is my whole mess to detail. I do not have a doctor/dentist/accountant of my own as there has not been time to sort out that. I have to find work immediately. I was looking for part-time office work so I can bring in a much needed income while managing dad's needs. I have been so busy with dad's affairs over the past week that I have barely been able to manage my own job search. Seems to be everyone wants a part-time office job to tie themselves over. A job, a house, a car seems like a daydream these days.
There is more I could add, but I am bored! I should press on and be productive. Another day of errands... another office to visit because their website does not work and I cannot get through on the phone. The joys!
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