Katie's site

Hello to my site visitors. Here I am with another blog entry. Today I will talk about what it's like to be a blind care giver. To start off, my grandpa was diagnosed with cancer about three years ago. He has undergone various treatments, which some worked well and some didn't. In the past year his health has been declining and he was declared terminally ill as of December. His cancer has been in his bones, mainly in the lower back and right hip. As of December, doing small things like getting in bed have become very difficult. Not only does he have cancer, he has copd, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This makes it very hard to breathe. He uses inhalers and has been recently prescribed oxygen. Because of his condition, I elected to help grandma take care of him. As of December, I now only work two days and come to grandma's house for the other five. I do multiple things for grandpa such as administer medication and oxygen, help clean inhalers, bring him food and drink, and put him to bed.
Managing and administering his medication is fairly easy. He takes four different kinds of medicine at five times each day. Grandma and I keep a schedule so we know what to give him and at what time. I also keep a schedule on my phone and set alarms for each doce I also keep his pills in a pill box with many compartments. When I give him his pills, I find the compartment that corresponds with the doce he needs to take. I get the pills out and put them in a cup. This makes it easier for him to manage. This also helps me keep track of what I gave him and what I haven't. When the box is empty, I fill it up. Grandma keeps his pill bottles in a basket. Some of his bottles feel the same. Grandma puts a piece of tape or a sticky dot on the lid of some of the bottles so I can identify them. I can also distinguish between the sounds the pills make when I shake the bottle. Also, the pills come in different shapes and sizes. These methods help me manage his pills independently and effectively.
Administering grandpa's oxygen is fairly straight forward. I can put the tubes in his nose and adjust them. I the tank is very easy to turn on and the dosage is already regulated. His inhalers aren't so easy. They must be cleaned several times a day in vinegar and water. I am able to remove the medicine cup from the inhaler. I wash, rense, and blow dry the cups. Grandma just checks them to make sure they are clean and dry. I follow the same procedure when cleaning the mouth part of the inhaler. Once clean, the inhaler is easy to reassemble. Cleaning inhalers isn't hard once I get it down, however, filling them with medicine is something only grandma can do.
Another task I do for grandpa is put him back in bed once he's gone to the bathroom. With the cancer the way it is, he cannot lift his legs up to put him to bed. His bed is adjustable and that makes it easier, but I still lift his legs up. I also position his pillows where he wants them.
As a final note, I really enjoy being grandpa's part time caregiver. I am honored to take on such a roll and responsibility. I am proud that I can help make it easier on grandma by pulling some of the weight. I've even spoke with people from hospis. They are amazed that I can do so much for him. Not only is being a caregiver rewarding, it has its trials and challenges. For starters, sleep is hard to come by. Since I care for him around the clock, its hard for me and grandma to find time for sleep. Not only that, grandpa has good and bad days. He can be cranky and unaware some times, but we try to have patience with him. He also has days where he finds it very difficult to breathe. When this happens, it is very scary. I fear we could lose him at any time.
Anyway, I hope you find this little essay interesting. I want people to know that just because you can't see doesn't mean you can't care for someone who is ill. Who knows? Maybe blind and sighted people alike can benefit from my experiences.