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What happens when the carer gets sick????????

A page in the diary "what stage are we at now"
Written by laurel Sunday, 5 July 2009 01:15

My Story
What happens when the carer get sick??
Written by laurel

Well I have always classed myself as been as strong as an ox, being of Irish background of farmers it takes a lot to knock me off my feet.
Well this has been a week to show me that it can happen.
Monday while doing the normal chores around the house tripped on a power cord. Knowing that I was falling no way of stopping the fall I thought it was best I at least fall with the least impact. Well it has been a long time since I hit the fall and at my age the shock and the fall knocked me badly, I think I was more worried by the look on Lawries face he froze could not move. The old Lawrie would have picked me up. I had to act that I was find, thought I had broken my leg though kept that to myself.
I have been planning and arranging to get my teeth fixed before Lawrie got too ill. My Dentist informed me that he could do all the work in the chair and I would not need a hospital as I had planned. So I agreed 2hrs in the chair do not know what drugs I got but I have done nothing but sleep for 3 days and night even though I have been in massive pain, feeling every needle pick in my month. Today I got up and put a soup on to cook, as I realised that because I did not cook no one else in the house of 3 people could do it. My daughter interstate offered to cook and freeze it and mail it by express post she informed me that some of her friends get scones from family that way. I told her the thought was lovely but I was able to manage now. These things seem to happen when you least expect it my another daughter that lives locally was away on holidays unaware of my delimera.
So has this taught me to get a back up plan in place for next time, no of course not.
The biggest shock from it all was my mother-inlaw sent me flowers, so I suppose pigs do fly.

This is not an easy system to use I thought I had put this under diary but it ended up under story. got to be an easier way to make entries on this site

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Comments from the community :

Laurel, we all find out the hard way that we need emergency plans with at least three people as back-up in the event that we suddenly become ill or indisposed, hospitalised etc. My next door neighbour, the one opposite and one down the road have keys to my house, others have a list of numbers to ring if I am seriously ill and Trev knows my email passwords so he can use my logon and my mail lists.

We have enough frozen meals for Ray for a week in the freezer and as long as I can crawl to the kitchen to give instructions he can cook them. I have back-up in the form of Carer Respite as I am registered there with all Ray's conditions etc. The chemist keeps a list of Ray's medications, the reason we go to the same one all the time.

I was only seriously ill once in the ten years I have been looking after Ray and luckily he was sick too and was hospitalised so I got to recover on my own. The boys visited him and gave me bulletins untill I was able to go in myself. It was very scary that we were both sick but worked out for the best.

So start an emerency plan, include family, friends, professional workers, anyone you can think of who could help in an emergency. Then even if nothing ever happens again you will know the plan is in place.

Written by  suew, Sunday, 5 July 2009 16:31