Bathroom Stuff

I'm finally getting my urination under better control.  The cancer treatments did a number on that control, but now I can regularly go three hours between bathroom visits-- maybe four hours at night.

It's still extremely painful if I hold the urine too long-- like last evening, when the dinner shift aide was nearly a half hour late-- but even that is getting better; the pain in that situation is duller than it used to be.  Still, if I wait too long, once I get on the toilet it takes me a while to work through the pain and get relaxed enough to go.  Hopefully, I will continue to improve to the point that this is no longer an issue in my life.

Trusting Aides

Through this process of dealing with new aides every whipstitch, I've developed ways to assess them fairly quickly.  My assessments have changed over time with some of them, but they generally have held up pretty well.   I observe them first, seeing how competent they seem to be, how confident, and how comfortable with the situation they are.  Next comes how they deal with me as a person-- whether they treat me as an equal.  Some at the nursing home didn't bother to try to establish any personal relationship with me.

The aides I have currently are all on the good side.  They seem to do their jobs well, and they treat me with respect.  Jordan, who I met just yesterday, I already trust enough to let her give me a shower this morning.  It went fine.  Hopefully, I'll be able to keep this bunch for a while.

World Series Over

Well, the San Francisco Giants swept away the Detroit Tigers, four games to none, to win the World Series.  I'd picked the Tigers in six games, which tells you what I know about baseball.

I'm always saddened when the Series is over, no matter who wins or loses.  That means baseball is over for another year, I'm another year older, winter is just around the corner, and the holidays are coming up.  I used to enjoy the holidays, but not so much lately.  Maybe it's because I have no kids and no special persxon to share them with, and I'm not a kid myself, anymore.

Still Charlene

Yodit told me last night that Charlene, my other favorite aide at the nursing home, is still interested in working with me here.  I seem to have that effect on women.  Alas, I have no other effect on women.  Anyway, Yodit and Charlene talk at the nursing home, and Yodit has encouraged Charlene to apply to Tendercare.

I hope she does so.  Charlene is a good aide and a really nice lady.  It would be great to have her positive and friendly presence in my life again.

Interesting Juice

Yesterday morning, I didn't have enough pineapple juice for a full glass, so my aide filled the rest of the sippy cup with grape juice.  I tried to tell her to let me drink the pineapple juice first, but that didn't work out.

This aide, who seems to be a sweet lady, is from somewhere in Africa, so maybe in her native culture they mix things like that.  With my speech problem and American English not her primary language, it's difficult for us to communicate.

Transition Nearly Over

The transition period from the nursing home to what will be my normal aide schedule will likely end this weekend.  I'm looking forward to settling into what will be my new routine.  Janeeka, my new team leader, has already spent time with me, learning what I need help doing.

Routine by itself may or may not be good.  I know it drives some people nuts.  For me, however, it provides a basis for my life. Having that basis, I can concentrate on more important things.  Without it, I tend to struggle.

World Series

Months ago, when we seriously started the attempt to get me my own home, my personal goal was to be in my home to watch the World Series.  Through the efforts of many people, I'm here, and the Series opens tomorrow night.  The Detroit Tigers play the San Francisco Giants.

I'm picking the Tigers in six games.

Far-Flung Aides

Currently, I have three aides from Africa, Desma from Oklahoma, and Tammy, who hails from Fairbanks, Alaska.  There were also many foreign aides at the nursing home.  I'd often hear them speaking on the phone in a language other than English.

We can assume these people- mostly women-- didn't come to America because they dreamed of being healthcare aides.  Rather, we can assume they had certain skills, or maybe just a willingness to work in what can be difficult situations, and they got these modestly paid jobs.  For some, I know, it's about caring for people.  For others, I know, it's not so much.

Reforming the healthcare system to better support an aging population should mean better pay and benefits for those who do most of the hands-on work.  If that comes to pass, it will be interesting to see if the immigrant component holds steady, or begins to shrink.

Republican Meeting

Desma and I attended a Republican meeting in the building last evening.  Unfortunately, the planned main speaker didn't show, so we heard from the sister of former GOP Congressman Steve Buwyer(?) instead.  No, I'm not making this up.  Actually, she seemed to be a very nice lady.

Many of the residents here know their stuff.  One woman said she'd read the entire Obamacare law, which would put her ahead of most of the members of Congress who voted on it.  Why that admission hasn't raised more of a stink, I'm not sure.  The least somebody in Congress should do is read what he or she is voting on.  If it's too long to read, maybe it's too long to pass.  Anyway, the lady wasn't pleased with the law, and several others weren't, either.

Gubernatorial Debate

Last night, in a televised dabate in the campaign for Indiana governor, the issue of home health care as opposed to nursing home care came up.  Mr. Gregg, the Democrat, as I heard it, supported home health care, and would strengthen it.  Mr. Boneham, the Libertarian, also supported it, for whatever that's worth.  Mr. Pence, the Republican and leader in the polls, was more noncommital.

Gregg argued that home health care was not only better for individuals, allowing them to stay in their own homes, but that it was also more cost effective to pay aides to go into private homes rather than to put people in nursing homes with all the overhead that involves.  Presumably, he has the numbers to back that up, but it makes intuitive sense to me.

If we are going to lean more on home health care overall, however, perhaps we should reform and revitalize it.  Waivers should be focused more on individual needs than on bureaucratic or statutory definitions.  Yes, that would put more authority in the hands of those who actually operate the system on a daily basis, but it would also make the rules more accessible to the public and the press, making it easier for advocates and reporters to hold feet to fire.  Money should also be distributed more on a case-by-case basis and put away less in bureaucratically constructed silos that force individuals into largely artificial categories.  The goal of such a slice-and-dice system, I assume, is to see that taxpayers' money is used correctly, but a system more open to public scrutiny could also do that.  Another reform might be to pay aides and those immediately above them more.  This kind of human-based sysstem works best when those operating it are experienced.  If we want people to make careers in this area and gain that experience, giving them a better financial standing in the healthcare system makes some sense.

Wow

My aide Yodit told me last night that she's going to have a baby-- a girl-- in December.  I never would've guessed she was pregnant, and I'm not alone.  Yodit told me not even the nurses at the nursing home, where she still works, had guessed.

She did promise to come back to work with me after she has the baby.  I hope that works out.  More, though, I hope everything goes right for Yodit and her new daughter.

Dermatologist

I went to a dermatologist yesterday to see about a little growth that had been bothering me.  The doctor took one quick look, almost a glance, and said it was nothing.  She then told me she could freeze it off, along with some skin tags I had.  So, I agreed.   She went at it with a will, finding more and more places to zap.  The burn/freeze business was no fun, but at least she shouldn't have to do it to those spots again,

While there, I needed to "sign" some papers.  In my case, that meant making some kind of mark-- different each time-- while Laura helped guide my hand.  I understand it's the law, but the fact is that anybody could've done what I did and claim it was my mark.  Disputing that in court, if that ever became necessary, would depend more on witnesses, like Laura in this case, than on my mark.  Having me weild a pen in that situation is a convenient legal fiction, it seems, that we all accept.  Laura did say we might need to get a stamp with my name on it that I can use.

Disability Politics

My aide Desma commented yesterday that she'd heard nothing in the current political campaign about the disabled.  Of course, she's right.  Most politicians, probably including the four currently running for national office, no doubt see disability issues as something to be addressed in the context of entitlement reform.  That reform, which will come soon because dealing with government debt demands it, has not been discussed in detail during the campaign as neither side wants to get bogged down in it.  The Democrats, in their heart of hearts, really don't want to reform entitlements; they will do so only reluctantly.  The Republicans argue entitlement reform is necessary for those currently getting benefits to continue to receive them, but they don't want to commit to details before the legislative process begins.  That's sound negotiating practice, but it may leave the GOP vulnerable politically.

The fact is that the disabled is generally seen as a small interest group that the Democrats have sewn up.  That may or may not be accurate, but perception is big in politics, and once a perception becomes accepted fact, changing it is difficult.  In any case, an interest group seen as a creature of one political party is an interest group lacking political clout.  To be able to have real influence, a relatively small group has to put its goals in a larger politiical context, allying itself with larger groups or with strong political trends; it must be ready to support either major party; and it must be able to, from its perspective, positively influence voting.

As the American population continues to age, the concerns of the disabled might become increasingly mainstream.  We'll see if the group has the political skill to build alliances that will bring it a louder national voice.

Getting Out

Desma and I went grocery shopping this morning, and it went well, though by the end I had to go to the bathroom pretty urgently.  I guess I'll just have to deal with that.  It is slowly getting better.

I also have two movies I want to see.  Argo looks interesting, and I think it opens today, and I also want to see the new 007 movie, which opens shortly.  Daniel Craig is no Sean Connery, but then, who of us is?  Going to public lectures on interesting topics would also be fun.  So, we'll see how this works out.

Being Assertive

I'm still working on telling my aides what I want.   My tendency is to ask them to do as little as possible, but that doesn't seem to be the way it's supposed to work.  Today, my aide Cissie told me I had to tell my aides what I want so they can help me do it.

So, I'll work on it.  I see them as other individuals, not simply as my aides, so I'm not comfortable having them do things just because I want something, any more than I'd want them to have me do something on their whim.  But, I'll work on it.

Smoking Aides

I may have written before in this blog about aides who smoke, but it intrigues me.  Some aides at the nursing home smoked, and one of my current aides smokes.  These are people who probably see up close the damage smoking can do to a person, yet they do it, anyway.

Virile young men are clearly not the only people who think they're indestructible.

My New Couch

My new couch was delivered this morning.  It's chocolae brown, which is neat, and would work well if I get a chocolate Lab puppy.  My brother Jeff, who got the couch for me, had a chocolate Lab named Tyler when he lived in Colorado thirty years ago.  Tyler was a beautiful, sweet dog.  Anyway, now my aides and visitors will have someplace to sit besides the floor, and I'll have a new place to lie and watch television, if I want.

This apartment is increasingly looking like home.  My home.

My Computer

The past few days I've been leaving my computer on all the time.  Before now, it's always been in my bedroom, and I've turned it off each day so I could sleep.  Now, however, it's in another room.

Leaving it on and online is working well.  I have immediate access to my email, for example.  One thing, though-- it throws up empty pages at odd times.  If that happens when I'm really working on something, I can get very annoyed, as in thinking of fiendish things to do to a CPU.  Oh, well.

Getting A Doctor

My new doctor made his first visit yesterday, and he seems to be a nice young man.  I don't know this, of course, but he seems to have the same challenge in growing a full beard that I have.

Anyway, since he was here, I told him about a wee problem I've been having recently, and he's sending me to a dermatologist forthwith.  I probably should have kept my mouth shut.  He'll also be visiting me monthly, which surprised me.  I'd always heard about annual checkups with doctors for healthy people, which he said I seemed to be.   Maybe the monthly visits are mandated by the state program he's working under.  It sounds like something a politician or a bureaucrat would cook up.

Mindset

Things are coming together.  Today, for example, I have my first appointment with my new doctor.  I'm also getting to know my new aides.

I'll have to adopt a slightly different mindset.  Laura keeps reminding me this is my home, and the aides ask me to make decisions about things.  I'll have to learn to become more assertive, and I will.

Showering

I got my first shower in my new place last night,  Yodit gave it to me.  It's a new system for me, and I wanted to do it first with her, so I could see how it would work.

It worked pretty well.  Yodit is a careful planner and very methodical; she planned out each move we did, even though it meant more work for her, and then we moved carefully.  The next step is to do it with somebody else.

Wild Morning With PERS

Yesterday, I got a Personal Emergency Response System, a button you wear around your neck and press if you need help.  Well, I accidentally set the thing off three times this morning.  I guess nobody waived off the response the third time, because presently a team of firefighters came whipping into my apartment, no doubt ready for anything.

After that, Laura decided it'll be good enough if I just have the button within reach when I'm by myself.  I think that's a sound decision.  It'd drive me crazy trying not to set it off.  I have no idea what happened that last time this morning.

New Digs

My new life in my new place has begun.  It's been a busy day-- lots of T-crossing and I-dotting-- but it has gone much smoother than I had expected.  Laura Fife is clearly much better at her job than, say, most members of Congress are at theirs.

There are still things to work out, and I still have to get adjusted to my new life, but I'm off to a great start.