I used to be a weight lifter, so I've been familiar with meal prepping all my meals on one day for quite some time.
Fast forward 6 years and with caregiving and constantly working overtime at my paying job, I do not have TIME for shopping, preparing, cooking, cleaning, and doing it all over again.
I get one day off from paying job per week, and the rest of my time is absolutely CONSUMED.
I found an online company that will send me vacuum sealed, wholesome, barely salted, fully cooked meals. I order enough for my entire household to get 2 meals/day 6 days a week.
It can be pretty pricey, but I was able to get the cost to $190-$230 for a family of 3 humans. YES, EXPENSIVE- but not too much more than groceries cost for my area, with no preparing and very little dishes or kitchen cleaning.
Do you guys have anything that has made such a POSITIVE impact in your care giving x life balance?
For my 100 yr old aunt in FL who cares for her 97 yr old sister with dementia: a frozen food service (gourmetkitchen.com) that she can call and place orders. Lots of variety, tasty and healthy. Microwaveable. Also talked them into Visiting Angels service for a companion who plays cards with them, takes them grocery shopping and does light housekeeping. Their Angel is awesome! And, they have 2 cats so I have a special cat litter delivered to them (Pretty Litter) that has NO odor, only needs to be changed once a month, and has the ability to change color if the cat is sick (it did change color once and the cat did have a UTI).
FYI for seniors with dementia they often love watching the goofy animal videos on YouTube, so if you have young kids in your family arrange for them to spend some time with them showing them these videos (preferably on a larger device, like iPad or tv). My 97 yr old aunt was transfixed at the videos and laughed a lot. Laughing is so good for them.
I asked for and typed my parents' final wishes years in advance while they were still in fairly good health. Asked them to sign and date the document, then made copies for them and my sibs. I promised we would fulfill their wishes, then never brought up the subject again.
My siblings and I decided on the casket/burial/grave marker & engraving/obituary, and other details in advance. We got together and accomplished a lot of this in one evening in a relaxed setting. Gave the funeral home this info, along with some special instructions. We kept all the paperwork and receipts together in a large manila envelope.
It was a huge relief to know everything was taken care of ahead of need. Decisions were well-thought out, and no added stress during a difficult time.
After my folks went into assisted living I had POA but still had to go through the guardianship process due to some real estate issues and one crappy bank.
I had been through so many crises with my folks already and did not want to deal with all the details of funerals and burial when the time came. So I bought two pre paid, all inclusive burial plans through the local funeral homes. Mom and dad were not competent any longer at this point but in many talks with them from years past I had a very clear idea of their wishes so I didn’t involve them in the planning as it would have been impossible.
Years ago, When my sister and brother died suddenly within two years of each other mom was so grief stricken she spent an obscene amount of money on caskets and all the trappings.
Mom died last year and we had a nice simple service and I was freed up from all the arrangements. It made things so much easier in a stressful time. And I didn’t spend a silly amount of money so I could insure dad continues to get good care at his memory care place.
SmartThings sensors let me know where she is in the house, and cameras allow me to peek in. Logitech Harmony software and remotes let me "fix" the TV from my phone when she can't get her shows. Alexa rounds out the system so that she can verbally turn lights and TV on and off, change channels, get news, weather, and music on demand, plus I can drop in for video calls.
We were able to manage pill trays for her BP and cholesterol meds until this past spring when her own devised system (take pills then document on the calendar) started to fail and she'd either take multiple days in one or skip several days. I was considering getting a visiting nurse to come in when I discovered what I call Rosie the robo pillbox, an automatic, locking 28 slot pill dispenser with Wifi and an app that notifies me. I no longer need to ask if she's taken her pills, she no longer has resentment that I'm nagging her about her pills. Rechargeable battery but also works on AC - and notifies me if the battery is low or not charging. It works on its own without the app, too. Best. Money. Spent. Ever.
Saved the carpet and eliminated carpet spot cleaning. Most importantly it eliminated much stress.
Sorry. Just realized that’s more than 2 questions...😁😁
She insisted on getting the cable in her AL hooked up but didn’t understand how it worked. I got her a simplified remote and taped over the buttons she didn’t need. I made her a chart listing the channels she was used to on free broadcast TV and added the new cable channel numbers next to them. I also subscribed her to TV Guide because she couldn’t figure out the on-line guide. Now that she has had time to explore her TV options I plan on programming her favorites to simplify things.
Upgrading her computer was one of the smartest things I ever did.
I think streaming YouTube videos would be fantastic for the local nursing home lounge, I wish somebody there was more willing to do a little bit of modernizing.
i am a caregiver for my husband and I get so lonesome. I’m thinking maybe something like that would actually help ME.
Bless all of you
Another was the hospital mattress that could be wiped clean after an accident in bed, Still had loads of washing but at least the mattress was easily dealt with.
Lastly - and I see someone else has said it too - humour - has been a key aspect
One thing I have noticed is I MUST give myself chunks of time to get things done, like make phone calls to insurance, etc. and I have to put my foot down and ask for no interruptions unless it's an emergency. I have to be very strict on this because I see people can take advantage of you if you aren't firm and it is incredibly frustrating to deal with interruption after interruption. I actually forgot to pay a bill because of these type of interruptions. When people are ill, they can be very demanding.