Carebot

A caregiving robot or a “carebot” is what a spouse caregiver truly needs to be. Even in the care facility era it seems you still need to be always able to grind through any situation and detach human emotions. Today was a good example

 

It was a beautiful day and I found myself with some open time. It seemed fair to pick Patti up and bring her home for a cook out and dinner on the patio.

 

I arrived to find Patti napping and her room reeking of sh*t. Asking Patti if she had just had a bowel accident she responded by claiming, “No, she had just been changed”. Sometimes I think her mental confusion and memory loss is a blessing when it comes to bowel accidents.

 

Regardless it took almost 30 minutes to get her showered, and dressed, bed room and bath room floors cleaned up, bed linen stripped, and clothes bagged. This was a near daily routine at home. Pure ‘carebot’ mode is the only way to get through it. Strength is critical as Patti under stress is useless and when dealing with slippery floors lifting is involved.

 

The extra time quickly collapsed the available timetable rippling into evening plans for our daughter and we were right back to where we were before the care facility era with everything and anything having to pivot around MS. Of course Patti is oblivious to anything else so she enjoyed the cook out and dinner!

 

So much for nice ideas!

 

All I know is the first time I have a bowel movement all over myself I’d like to believe I would be on a plane to the Netherlands where it appears Euthanasia is legal. NO ONE will ever clean me up on a daily basis year in and year out.