Life after Death Sentencing

Movement for 7/25/08:

• I suspect, if I'd been feeling better, physically and emotionally, Mom would have moved more today, although the movement I "allowed" her couldn't have been better. She walked under her own steam to the bathroom for bathing, then into the dinette for breakfast. After breakfast she walked under her own steam to the dinette banister, took the steps into the living room and walkered to her chair. She even appeared to have remembered my day-earlier instructions on how to move the walker in order to easily turn herself to sit in her rocker using the walker for support.
• By the time she retired for her nap, though, I was aching again, through my arms and shoulders and, yet again, was laboring under very little sleep. I wasn't interested in having to transfer the E tanks in and out of the floor caddy and the chair caddy more than once and maneuver the floor caddy around while following her while she walked and walkered, so I chose to move her all the way into the bedroom, through the bathroom, in the chair. This allowed for only one E tank transfer.
• In the evening I was feeling even more challenged, since I had a few necessary errands to run while she napped so I didn't get my planned nap. Although she walked under her own steam into the bathroom, I wheeled her to her rocker and used the ramp over the steps. In the evening on her way to bed, though, she took the foyer steps, although I wheeled her the rest of the way.
• Transfers went well in the morning but by evening Mom was disgusted with me and showed it by indignantly flopping herself into the wheel chair so that she, and I had to adjust her for proper seating. She wanted to walk to bed...I didn't want to expend the energy and muscle movement necessary to allow her this...I was exhausted by the time she went to bed and retired at the same time as she.

    It takes more of my energy and muscular power to allow her to walk than it does to have her sit. I've observed this for some time and, most of the time, I fall into line with this, knowing it's better for her to be moving under her own steam. When I am exhausted, though, it is, unfortunately, easy for me to eschew the extra energy and power requirements on my, thus also disallowing her an opportunity to move. That's what happens when there's only one caregiver. Oh well.