Sheryl couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of this before. She’d been caring for Dan for over two years and never once had it occurred to her.
“What would happen if I got sick?” She ate healthy, slept reasonably well and kept her stress as low as someone could who dealt with dementia every day. She took vitamins and had her immunizations up to date, and truth be told, she seldom felt sick. Maybe a sniffle here and an ache there, but not sick.
Until the day she woke up well and truly sick.
She lay in bed as sleep slipped away and layers of nasty struck her. The slight tickle in her throat yesterday had turned into a racking, phlegmy cough. Her head ached. She felt nauseated and her nose dripped constantly. She tried to crawl out of bed and the room swam. As she thumped her head back on her pillow, twin thoughts raced through her brain.
Was this covid?
Who would look after Dan?
She groaned as a third thought assaulted her. Why hadn’t she made a backup plan?
Sheryl crawled out of bed and slipped into sweat pants and a hoody. She crept down the stairs and managed to make toast and coffee for Don, although the smell of the coffee, usually her morning treat, nauseated her. Then she struggled Dan into his coat and they headed out to get covid tests. Dan sensed something wrong and kept staring at her, but he cooperated. They stopped at the pharmacy and Sheryl loaded up on throat lozenges, ginger ale, soup, tissues and anything else that she felt might ease her symptoms. Always friendly, Dan kept wandering off to speak to people and looked hurt when she herded him to the self-
checkout. Few customers came to the store at that hour and she managed to get them out without any contact. On the short drive home she concentrated on the road, trying to navigate through her fuzzy brain and never felt so glad to see their driveway. She made herself drink some ginger ale and collapsed on the couch with a blanket.
Later that day, the call came. It wasn’t covid. Probably a cold or flu, but a few days of rest, fluids and more rest and she started to feel human again. Dan put together peanut butter sandwiches for himself for lunch both days and had watched more TV than she ever allowed, but they survived.
As soon as she recovered and she’d brought some semblance of order to the house, she started to put together a backup plan. Never again.
Organizing a Backup Plan
- Start a file on your computer, displayed prominently on your laptop. Call it “______________________’s Care.” Any time you make a change, reprint that sheet. Keep an updated hard copy somewhere prominent.
- The first sheet should be an updated list of medications. Make sure to note dosages and when you normally give them. For example, 3 times a day should also note “9 am, 3 pm, 9pm.”
- Print two copies of the medication list for the file. The extra copy is for you to grab if you need to take your elder to hospital.
- Make a list of all your regular routines and when you do them. If you aren’t
there, how should the day run? Try to minimize change as much as possible. - Favourite foods: what are they and how does your elder like them cooked and served. Do they need help with certain foods but can handle others? Do they have any allergies or need some foods a certain texture?
- How do you handle care? Is your elder able to shower on their own, needs limited help, or perhaps you have someone come in? What about dressing and other activities of daily living?
- List all the contact information of every outside caregiver or help. Your doctor, any caregivers who come in to help, the chiropractor, physiotherapist–anyone you can think of.
- Buy two whiteboard calendars, one for this month and one for next. Keep track of all appointments on them, making sure the person’s contact information is in the folder. Also put all appointments on your Outlook or Google calendar, with a reminder a week and the day before.
- Set aside a room for quarantine. If either you or your elder is infectious, this will be essential.
- Stock your cupboards with everything you’ll need when sick. Over-the-counter drugs to help with symptoms, tissues, food to help you recover, drinks to keep you hydrated.
- The last is the most difficult–find someone to care for your elder if you can’t. Ask family and friends, but the reality, especially if you are dealing with something contagious, is that there may not be anyone willing. Look into respite stays at a local care home and set up what you can. Perhaps even try one out for a few days to get a feel how your elder responds.
Like making an appointment for a physical, it’s easy to put off constructing a backup plan.
Easy, but not at all wise.
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