Drink plenty of liquids, and rest.
That’s the line when a person has a cold, but when they are 93, it isn’t quite so easy, or simple. The balancing act becomes a struggle, between doing what is needed, and what the body is willing to do.
Her walking isn’t great, at the best of times. Now with a weakened body, it is even slower, less stable. It is also draining. And yet, you can’t let her not walk, because the less she does, the more she is prone to lose that ability, that confidence.
Drink lots of liquids. Common Sense really and yet, she won’t do it. She’s under the illusion that she can’t, as well as the difficulty of swallowing. Her fear of choking, a real one, makes her think she can’t. So just the normal amount she intakes, is hard to manage, let alone increasing the amount. She won’t have soups, which would make it much easier, but again, that is because of the fear of choking. And the association with Dad.
That was their lunch time routine. They would split a can of soup, most afternoons. The association, memory, of that togetherness, is too much for her to handle, so she says.
When you are sick, you really don’t want to eat much. You are tired, quesy even, but you need to eat, to keep your strength up. More so when 93. And there too, comes the struggle, because you have to cajole, to basically beg, for them to eat something.
While we have a ‘transport chair’ getting her accustomed to using that, in place of her walker, isn’t beneficial. It makes it easier for me, & her, but it also enables her to not have to walk on her own.
Old people get health risks, but if they lose confidence in their own abilities to do things, that is far worse than some ailment. They need that confidence, to fight the ravages of old age. Walking is one of those confidence boosters. It creates a sense of independence, rather than dependence.
They need that, or they will fade away.
Yet the risks are enormous. When ill, the ability to keep one’s balance suffers, especially with a cold. Their ability to react quickly, to prevent falling is severely lessened. The time becomes enormous in just moving from sitting to the bathroom. And too, it does take energy, strength. Resources they need to fight off the cold, but again, it robs them of confidence, it makes them feel they are a burden.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF CARING FOR AN AGING PARENT.
