Dean seems to be enjoying the bounties of the assisted living home we found for him. As a matter of fact, he's enjoying them a bit too much this first month he's been there, we've been told. His weight has increased, and his blood sugar levels are not very satisfactory either. If they get much higher he'll be going back to the hospital.
Just as I knew it would be hard for me to do at home, getting Dean to take control of his own diet is proving to be a monumental task. And there's just no way it's going to get done without his cooperation and approval. He has to quit asking for seconds and sometimes third helpings, and even turn down some of the desserts.
This all sounds simple enough for us, but for someone with limited cognitive function and will-power, it can be very challenging. I have faith that it can be done though, and after a serious talk from the nurse there, I'm hoping Dean will be on board for the needed dietary changes he's not going to avoid with his new diagnosis of diabetes.
I'm glad they've waited this long to let him get adjusted to the staff and program. Now he can see the evidence of his wrong eating, by the medical record they've been keeping on him.
Dean's assisted living arrangement is a great spiritual illustration for me. Just like with any lifestyle or behavior choice, it belongs to no one but the person making it. God is always available for us though, just like the "call-button" Dean wears around his neck, in case he needs the nurses to come help.
God must be in the assisted living business too. He never bypasses our choices, allowing us to make bad choices just long enough to see the error of our ways. I hope I listen to His Holy Spirit and make any necessary life changes I might need to keep spiritually healthy and alert. We may fail to use it, but God's assistance never fails.
4 comments:
My mom was a diabetic living in an assisted living facility. It is the responsibility of the facility and possibility of a nutritionist to serve him the proper diet. I once caught one of the people giving my mom a glass of cranberrry juice full of sugar and I told them she could not have it and they gave it to her anyway. So when thew home health nurse can to give her the insulin,of course her readings were high. I do not trust these places...
Rebecca, I can fully understand your frustration with the dietary set-ups in many of these homes. Evidently there are different levels of care, I'm learning, and many assisted living arrangements cater to people who need just minimal nursing care needs, if any. They assume the residents are capable of making their own dietary choices without assistance and therefore have open dining rooms for all residents who chose to eat there. But as we all know, many seniors just aren't on board with what they should eat, especially those newly diagnosed with diabetes, or even those with some dementia. If it gets bad enough, they would most likely have to transfer to a more skilled nursing facility that would be able to provide more rigid dietary restriction for them. This is unfortunate, but I guess it's just the way the system usually works. We family caregivers can still lament and continue to advocate for better, more sensible, and compassionate care. We must be their advocates! There's a need for more residential options that follow an "age-in-place" concept, bypassing all the transitions seniors face as it is now. Thanks for giving me this soapbox!!!
Stephen, I appreciated your comment, but was hesitant to post it with your telephone # included. I wish you well too though, brother! I'm glad you are blessed by my blog. God be praised!
Teresa
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