For the last 2 weeks, I've been taking care of my grandfather. He was put into my family care because of work circumstances by my aunt whose been taking care of him ever since my grandmother passed away. Since I hang around the house a lot during daytime, so I was entrusted by my mother to take care of him.
He basically takes care of himself. What I have to do is just make sure I feed him on time. He doesn't walk ever since he fell in the bathroom a few weeks back. According to the doctor he can walk; he can move his feet all right, he's just traumatised ever since that accident happened. So everytime he needs to go to the loo, he will drag himself across the floor all the way to the bathroom.
The first night he was here, we put him in a room on the second floor that has an adjoining bathroom as a convenience for him. The very next day, he drag himself down the stairs and ever since then he's been in the living room lying on a mattress. Asked why he wants to stay downstairs, he said it will be easier for him to go to the bathroom which is ridiculous because the downstairs bathroom is right at the back of the house, through the kitchen. We've tried persuading him to go back upstairs of course but he doesn't want to. There is just no talking to an old man...
Talking to him is another thing. He is almost deaf so every time we need to talk to him we have to scream close to him. Even that sometimes doesn't work. One thing he still do everyday is his prayers. He still does it 5 times a day but funnily not at the right time. He's 74 and still doing it although it's not necessary anymore. But of course he is a disciplined man. Even when he was healthy, he was a very disciplined man and it drives us (my family and the realatives) crazy with his nagging. But then again he is an old man.
The worst happened this week when he got a stomachache and pooped himself in the mattress and everytime he went to the loo that day. I have to clean up the mess he made, changed the sheets, mopped the floor, cleaned the bathroom and wash the dirty laundry. Can you imagine what it is like? I don't think you can until you experience it yourself. Thank god I'm used to hard labour so I just imagined that I was cleaning my cat's feaces...
I guess this is the cycle of life. The old takes care of the young then the young takes care of the old. In this case the young is me. I guess this could be the scenario I would be facing when I take care of my parents when they are old. Now, I wonder, when is my aunt coming to fetch him.....
He basically takes care of himself. What I have to do is just make sure I feed him on time. He doesn't walk ever since he fell in the bathroom a few weeks back. According to the doctor he can walk; he can move his feet all right, he's just traumatised ever since that accident happened. So everytime he needs to go to the loo, he will drag himself across the floor all the way to the bathroom.
The first night he was here, we put him in a room on the second floor that has an adjoining bathroom as a convenience for him. The very next day, he drag himself down the stairs and ever since then he's been in the living room lying on a mattress. Asked why he wants to stay downstairs, he said it will be easier for him to go to the bathroom which is ridiculous because the downstairs bathroom is right at the back of the house, through the kitchen. We've tried persuading him to go back upstairs of course but he doesn't want to. There is just no talking to an old man...
Talking to him is another thing. He is almost deaf so every time we need to talk to him we have to scream close to him. Even that sometimes doesn't work. One thing he still do everyday is his prayers. He still does it 5 times a day but funnily not at the right time. He's 74 and still doing it although it's not necessary anymore. But of course he is a disciplined man. Even when he was healthy, he was a very disciplined man and it drives us (my family and the realatives) crazy with his nagging. But then again he is an old man.
The worst happened this week when he got a stomachache and pooped himself in the mattress and everytime he went to the loo that day. I have to clean up the mess he made, changed the sheets, mopped the floor, cleaned the bathroom and wash the dirty laundry. Can you imagine what it is like? I don't think you can until you experience it yourself. Thank god I'm used to hard labour so I just imagined that I was cleaning my cat's feaces...
I guess this is the cycle of life. The old takes care of the young then the young takes care of the old. In this case the young is me. I guess this could be the scenario I would be facing when I take care of my parents when they are old. Now, I wonder, when is my aunt coming to fetch him.....