I just liked this tshirt.
Today, the cleaner came. We got lots done and there is still more to do before she can vacuum. With Tommy's permission, I had her empty his chest of drawers. She first brought him a drawerful of socks. He was to sort into keep, give away, throw away. But, noooo, he had to get out his socks he stores by his chair and sort them, too. There are three huge bags of things from the rest of the drawers to sort.
Without looking at them, he allowed her to throw away boxers that had sprung elastic. There is a shiny pair of black boxers with red hearts. They look like a ten-year-old could wear them. There are more bags for him to sort. I know he wants none of the white t-shirts, so those will be put away for rags. Then, there are tshirts from Auburn and other colored picture t-shirts.
I own and use several Rubbermaid-type bins. One was empty. I cannot imagine. Now, they are stacked with my stuff in them. I found a shirt I like and forgot I owned. This makes three days she has worked on my room. There will be at least one more day and the next time she can vacuum. There are still tote bags and boxes of stuff that has no home. When I get the chest cleaned out and I am sure there are not silverfish in it, lots of the stuff on the floor will go in there.
We tried to get the kitchen drawer that binds back on track. I gave up. She used the swiffer thing with a wet pad and cleaned up whatever Tommy spilled in front of the refrigerator and said she went ahead and mopped in front of the stove.
Then, I had her get things I dropped behind my chair and table. There was lots of stuff. The space from wall required for this chair is so large that she could easily get back there. She also moved cans of food I had not put in the kitchen.
I have to rest when she leaves, so I did. We were sitting here when it started to rain, then storm. The electricity went off. And, I was stuck in my chair. I could have sat a little longer. However, I needed to go to the bathroom! So, I called 911 and two guys in a huge firetruck had to haul me out of my chair. Tommy was sitting in chair mode, so he had no trouble getting up. We will have motors for these things soon.
Since dinner is done, I am relieved. Watching someone move things is so tiring...lol. It is 4 pm, and I need a nap.
How cute is that tshirt? Speaking of tshirts, for what do you use old tshirts?
Thats good of the fire brigade to help you. I like that T-shirt message :). I use old t-shirts for duster cloths & cleaning cloths, I just cut them and overlock two pieces together, they wash well and last for ages.
ReplyDeleteJan,
DeleteI would really like that t-shirt, but they probably don't have my size. I didn't even check that. It felt good not to be trapped. I dashed right to the bathroom. There are so many white tshirts that we will die before we can use them all! At least we can throw them away if they get too nasty.
That was so nice of the firemen to help you out of your chair. It’s great that you got some help decluttering around there. It really helped me to have someone who could lift and move things around easily for me.
ReplyDeleteBelinda,
DeleteI knew if I called 911, I could get help. My friend weighed about 700 lbs and someone came to help her up when she fell off the bed multiple times.
She is great! There is nothing heavy to pick up. But, she can bend and get stuff, and lift it when it gets heavy. We found my pink house shoes. That was a plus. After two hours, I was exhausted. Then, I had her do other things around the house. She is wonderful.
There were many times I had to call and have the fire department come out to help me get someone off the floor, my husband, my mom and my best friend when he was recovering from an amputation. I would call 911 and tell them it was not an emergency, no need for sirens, just needed them to help me get someone off the floor. They would come, make sure the person was okay, check the blood pressure and oxygen levels. If they seemed okay, they would be on their way. What a great bunch of people. Don't know how I would have gotten thru all the caregiving without the support of these fine people.
ReplyDeleteI need to look into getting a person to some cleaning around here!
Texas,
DeleteThat is what I did, call 911. They asked if I were okay, and had I fallen. I had explained about the chair, but they missed that it was electric and the foot part was up. So, they came quietly, thankfully. No one check my blood pressure. But, I was off to the bathroom and I don't look like I am feeble. I was talking and moving about. I guess they figured I was okay.
This woman is worth every dollar she is paid.
I'm so glad you called the fireman. You never think what might go out when the grid goes down. P.S. I want your maid!
ReplyDeleteVickie,
DeleteI knew this would happen and ignored the fact! Now, I am not going to ignore it. Well, I kept saying, we are getting those motors. She is wonderful!
My son is a firefighter. He says 80% of his calls are helping people who have either fallen or slipped out of their chairs and can't get back up. I'll have to ask him if he has ever had to help someone out of a recliner!
ReplyDeleteBobbir,
DeleteRemember to tell him it was an electric recliner that was reclined and the footrest was up.
I warned you about the electric recliners when the power goes out! About 8 years ago, it was about 2 months after we bought DH's, and we had a power outage while he was reclined. The kids could roll off and out had they been on it, but as we age, we don't quite move like that, do we? I don't typically laugh when someone is in a jam like that, but when a boy said, in all seriousness, "What we need is a hydraulic jack," I actually fell on the floor in hysterics.
ReplyDeleteMeg,
DeleteI replied to this once, so not sure what happened. Yes, I was warned and listened, but obviously did not act. I will now. I think that is hilarious about the hydraulic jack. There is a huge table on both sides of this chair, so I would hurt myself on the table. Even if there were no tables, it would really hurt trying to roll over the side. No, my old body does not roll so well or land easily.
My mom used to have to call the fire dept when she couldn't get my dad up (he had MS and then a stroke) from his chair or bed. He was a big guy 6'1 and over 200lbs. I remember her telling me that after she had called them a few times for help (like over several months) they told her she had to stop calling. I was so surprised to hear that.
ReplyDeleteOne,
DeleteI don't think that was official policy. Of course, I did call 911 and I guess they made the decision to call the fire dept. That is shocking. My friend had EMTs come to her to help. I am so sorry that happened. What did she do after that?
One Family, the FD wanted your mom to stop calling because they wanted her to find a better, more permanent solution. If she needed help for everyday issues like getting her husband out of chairs and bed, she needed to get a lift chair and a home aide. If someone randomly falls and hurts themselves, the FD will help. But they are not there to provide patient mobility solutions on a regular basis.
DeleteI should not have laughed at the thought of you getting hauled out of the chair by firemen, but I did. I was having a really bad flare with my arthritis, and I could not use my arms to get out of bed. I tried rocking my body to get closer to the edge of the bed and maybe get my feet on the floor so I could go to the bathroom, but then I realize I would have to pull down my pants and my shoulders would not move enough to do that. Hubs always woke me up to give me ibruprophen before he left at 5:30 and also placed a cell phone by me so I could call for help. Fire department came and of course they laughed at me as they all knew me. Turds!
ReplyDeleteI've missed so much these past few years. Tell me about this housecleaner! What does she do for you, how often, expensive?
ReplyDeleteJane,
DeleteI found her in the grocery store. She had on a uniform advertising a business that helps people so they can stay in their home or when people need caregiving for whatever reason. I stopped her and she said she had her own housecleaning business. I am sure she gets more going to me directly instead of through her job.
I told her what I needed--mainly declutter, sort, clean out things that are Tommy's, too. And, when we got to the carpet, vacuuming. She said she charged $18/hr. I told her if everything was okay, I would give her more per hour or a tip each time.
That first time she cleaned the bathroom that was disgracefully nasty. That took her almost three hours. She did a bit of other stuff and instead of the $54 she wanted, we gave her $70. She said, Ohh! and looked happy. This was the third time she has come.
Monday--She mopped up a huge spill that Tommy left in front of the refrigerator and voluntarily mopped on across in front of the stove. She has worked to get the bedroom cleared out, cleaned out the closet, picked up cans of food in living room and put it in a box in kitchen, and a few other piddling things.
The first time, she helped me to put an app on my new phone. The first two phones, I could do this. Now, I know how. She carries things to Tommy to ask him to sort--like his socks.
Other than cleaning, she is going to bring in the ladder to put a bulb in the ceiling light in the bedroom and help to sort the freezer into bins so we can find what we want and need. Oh, this last time, she cleaned out one drawer and one door in the bathroom for my things so I don't have to store everything I need in the bedroom.
The bathroom grout was not clean after three hours of cleaning. Next time, I will get grout cleaner! I will pay her to clean in there again, rather, clean more.
So, she is not strictly cleaning or sorting, lots of that but whatever we need done. In the end, she makes $23/hour.
She sounds like a wonderful help!
DeleteWhen I had first come home from the hospital on my first knee replacement I was exhausted when I got home , and weak. We were in the middle of our dinner and the phone rang and it was the medical equipment guy called and he insisted on coming to the house to bring a machine that moved and bent my knee as I laid on my back on the bed. He absolutely insisted. When he got here he insisted that I needed to try in after he had it hooked up in case it needed any adjustment. He adjusted things and he was ready to go and told me I should just stay there and let it bend my leg for a while, and he left. I rested my body as the thing moved and bent my leg, but pretty soon I was too worn out from the surgery and being in the hospital that I just wanted to get into my recliner and nap. I was so weak. I have an adjustable bed and when I went to get out of it I could not stand up from it. My husband helped to pull me up and I didn't have enough strength in my legs to stand up, so I was still sitting there. By this time I was crying and startng to get kind of hysterical. Finally I settled down and quit crying about getting out of that bed. I sat there and tried to figure out what to do. My husband sat down beside me and said what are we going to do? Then I had and idea that I would scoot my booty down to the side edge of the foot of the bed and see if the adjustable bed would raise the foot of the bed up high enough that I could get up. I was able to reach the closet door knob to pull myself with one arm and Michael pulled on the other arm and I sprung right up. from the height it had raised me. It never dawned on us that we could call 911. When I told the physical therapist about it the next day she asked why we didn't call 911.
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago when my Dad died and we came home from the funeral service, I started to stuggle to get up the steps to the front door. My legs, or my back, or something just made it so I didn't have any strength to pull myself up the hand rail and even Michael giving me a hand wasn't enough. It felt like I was going to fall backwards. I went back out to the car and sat down and my strength sill didn't come back. I called 911 and really quick explained it wasn't a severe emergency, but I had just come home from my Dad's funeral and I was too weak to get up the front steps and into the house. They sent a police officer. No lights and sirens. I already felt humiliated in front of the neighbors. Between the police officer, who was such a nice young man, and my husband, I was able to get up the steps and into the house. The step up at the threshold of our door is the hardest for me. The next day I ordered a ramp for the front porch steps and didn't go anywhere intil that ramp was in. Every time I go anywhere I am so thankful for that ramp.
You are so lucky to get such a good person to come help get your house cleaned and organized.
susie,
DeleteI can imagine how upset you were not being able to get out of bed or up the steps. Thank goodness you had a bed that would raise. And, I do understand the embarrassment in front of neighbors. I was thankful the fire engine, even though it was huge, did not have on lights and siren. 911 is the answer everyone gives me. If you cannot get up out of bed or up the front steps, it is an emergency!
Sounds like you found a great helper. I am excited for you to have her help. I can imagine how great it feels to be making progress.
ReplyDeleteSassybear
https://idleeyesandadormy.com/
sassybear,
DeleteShe is great, for sure. Progress that I cannot do feels better than anyone knows. But, I am sure you can imagine.
Here that sort of help is called a "lift assist" It is a WONDERFUL service.
ReplyDeleteJanet,
DeleteThanks. I never heard it called that. So, it is a service. I am glad I did not have to get help when I rolled off my bed in the middle of the night due to the mattress scooting off. I was twisted in the oxygen tubes, sheet, blankets, nightgown. It was awful. I wrote you an email.