Food Progress

Mom's been trying really hard to stay on the diet her dietician gave her. It's difficult because she doesn't understand or remember very well, so she gets confused between starches and meats, or if it's 2 servings or 2 ounces. I help her with every meal and it takes about twenty minutes to prepare it because she writes everything down and tries very hard to understand it.

She's eating veggies and fruits on a regular basis. She's trying foods she's never heard of (jicama, butternut squash, edamame) and mostly okay with eating it for now. I hope this continues. She is eating a balanced diet and eating more quantity, more quality, and more frequently. She may be able to stave off getting a feeding tube if she continues this way. She does complain that sometimes she can't finish her meal because she is either too full or nauseous. I think it helps that she is eating food not prepared by myself. She seems more willing to eat what she needs to when it is suggested by someone other than her daughter.

We have a caretaker, but not for very long. She only comes for 2 hours twice a week, and spends the whole time cooking enough food to last Mom until the next time she comes. She was able to clean Mom's bathroom once, but I'm trying to get her to come for more hours. Mom says we can't afford her and wants to fire her soon. She says she will every week. It's only been two weeks, and the caregiver is off this week. I don't know how much longer this woman will last with Mom's confusion. I'll hire her back once I have conservatorship if she does fire her.

Mom is still upset and confused about the idea of conservatorship. She agrees she needs help, but she doesn't understand that it includes help with her finances. She asks what I will do if I get conservatorship because she doesn't have enough money to pay for everything I expect her to pay for. She neither understands that she has more money than she thinks she does (it's tight, but not impossible, and there are ways to reduces costs that she ignores or doesn't pursue) nor that my plan includes getting a job myself. I need to be able to help her cover the cost of caregivers. I've worked out a plan so that I know a monthly average of how much it would cost to get her the care she needs, and I know what salary I'd need to be earning to make enough to pay for the caregivers, the lawyers, and gas to the job even without Mom contributing to the cost of her own caregivers. She doesn't understand much of what's going on, and makes calls all day long trying to find lawyers to help her fight the conservatorship. None will help her. She can't help herself. It only proves the point.

She did, however, ask me to help her find a lawyer to fight me and to give her a ride to one. I declined, though that was rather amusing.