Choices

Today was a day of small victories on the caregiving front. I finally talked my husband into getting his Meals on Wheels changed to vegetarian. I hope he likes the meals, but he decided he'd try it with the caveat that he could have it changed if he becomes dissatisfied with the new menu items. He grew up in a vegetarian family, and only took up meat-eating as an adult. It's just that change comes so hard for him with his dementia.

After talking with the dietician, I think Dean will be pleased with the offerings they have developed. We got a letter in the mail about some changes with the Meals program. They are attempting to make modifications to comply with the new guidelines of "My Plate", which has replaced the former "Food Pyramid". I think there will be a demand for healthier fare in the future, as more people are becoming aware of the importance of healthy eating choices in combating many of the diseases of our Western diet.

People sometimes wonder why I have been a vegetarian for so many years. It wasn't the hippie, love-the-animals movement of the 60s, the environmental consciousness of the 70s and 80s, or the health-conscious, jogging, exercise gym freaks of the 90s that sold me on the idea. Although I see merit in all those concerns.

My Seventh-day Adventist religion has been encouraging vegetarianism for well over a hundred years now. Through my church's influence, I have therefore come to the conclusion that we owe it to our Creator God to take care of our bodies so we can better serve Him. It's a personal choice we all make, and is not at all a mandate for church membership. But for me, the choice I made when I was 21 was not difficult. It was based on love for God and a desire to serve Him as well and as long as possible.

Please don't get the impression that my diet is perfect though. With vegans now on the scene, I continue to strive to eat as healthy as I can. I can't blame dementia on my unwillingness to change, now can I?

Here's a couple of "My Plate" suppers in the Thompson household.

Peas and carrots, sweet potatoes (sweetened with pineapple)

rice and stir-fry

Choking

The first question Dean's nurse had for him today was "Have you been chewing your food?" Then I remembered last week that Dean almost choked on a piece of meat from his "Meals on Wheels" while she was here. We both heard him say that his meat was too tough to cut, but we kept on with our conversation till he stood up suddenly with a scared expression on his face and we knew instantly that he was choking.

Even though Carla, the nurse, is a good foot shorter than my tall husband, I'm sure she'd have stood on a chair to give him the Heimlich any second if she had to. But he instinctively pounded his own chest and up came a gigantic piece of meat. It was a miracle it came up. And we were all shaken and thankful that the emergency was averted.

One of the first things that Dean said after it was over was that now he knows how I feel when I have breathing episodes and we've had to call paramedics. I said yes, that's exactly how it feels. It's pretty traumatic when you can't get air.

God breathed into us the breath of life. Our breath can't be underrated. Each one is a gift of God. I feel sorry for those individuals who feel they have to supplement their air with tobacco smoke. They are poisoning the air that God gave them to breathe. I know it's a hard addiction to break, but it's also worth every effort. Recognizing the true source of help in quitting should be easy though. If God gave us our breath in the first place, He must have an interest in restoring it to us. As a woman on oxygen myself and seeing my dad die of lung cancer and emphysema, I encourage everyone to keep trying as many times as it takes to quit the habit.