This is a picture of my mother about 6 months ago …

This is a picture of my mother taken last weekend …

This is why doctors say that Alzheimer’s is harder on the family of the loved one than on the loved ones themselves … she was relatively alert in the first picture … even smiling. But look how vacant and “not there” she looks in the second one.

Well since this is my website, I’m going to post something that I’m sure my sister won’t mind me posting even though part of it has to do with my mother. If you’ve read my site for any length of time, you know that my mother is in a nursing home. She has Alzheimer’s in the moderate to severe stage. Well this post concerns old age and Medicare. It’s no wonder all of us have to pay such high taxes! I’ll tell you one reason why I think that way. While visiting with my sister this past weekend, she received a statement from Medicare on my mother. We noticed 3 charges from a doctor located in Houston. Now mind you, my mother hasn’t lived in Houston for 15 years or more. So that piqued our curiosity. The claims listed on the statement showed that Medicare paid for a Houston doctor to do a psych evaluation on my mother. (Remember now … she’s almost 93 years old and has Alzheimer’s … what is there to evaluate? Hello??) So we decided to investigate this mystery.

After numerous attempts at finding a phone number on this particular doctor, we were not successful so we began to think maybe this was a bogus claim. There’s so much Medicare fraud, and it’s mine and your tax dollars that pay for that! (You see now why I made the statement about high taxes?) Anyway, my sister finally called Medicare and got info on the doctor. She explained to Medicare that we didn’t sign any type of consent form to have a doctor (psychologist) see our mother. She also told Medicare that we were concerned there might be some fraud going on and requested that Medicare deny payment on any further claims this doctor reported to them.

So then we checked with the nursing home. Nobody there had requested this doctor see our mother. Hmmmm … this was getting more interesting by the minute. Well nothing was ever truly settled by the time I left Saturday to come back here. So Monday I got an email from my sister with the doctor’s # asking me if I would call the doctor (since she has a Houston # and it wouldn’t be long distance for me) and tell her that we didn’t sign a consent form and we didn’t want her to see our mother anymore, blah blah blah. So I did. But I didn’t get to talk to the doctor …

… the number we were given was a billing service this doctor uses. So I very strongly stressed to the young man I spoke with how displeased we were and suggested he might want to contact the doctor and relay that information to her. Lo and behold! Last night I got a phone call from the doctor! I nearly fell over. She told me that she routinely made visits to the nursing home where my mother is, not to evaluate the residents, but to “talk with them” since most of them didn’t have many visitors. Wellllll …. this really wasn’t the best thing she could have told us. My sister visits my mother every, single day since she only lives a few miles from the nursing home. My mother is far from being neglected by her family!

Anyway while talking to this psych doctor she mentioned that she was going to be at the nursing home today (Wednesday). So my sister decided to meet her there and talk to her in person. And the doctor also called my sister last night to talk to her. Anyway, my sister made it pretty clear to the doctor this morning that we hold the Medical Power of Attorney on my mother and NO medical decisions are to be made without our notification and/or consent.

We’re hoping that all this is settled now. We did find out that my mother’s regular physician requested the psych doctor visit with my mother when she was there … but there again, the regular physician didn’t bother to let us know or ask if we even wanted it!

No wonder the wheels of government move so slow and cost us so much … nobody ever tells anybody what the other person is doing!

Well, at any rate, everyone’s opinion was interesting. I’ll pass that info along to the person who needed it. They will have to decide how they’re going to handle it. Who knows? Maybe they’ll come up with something entirely different. Or maybe the confrontation will never take place. That would be nice, wouldn’t it?

Ya’ll have a good day. I’ll be back later.

Now it all makes sense! I should’ve had a V8! You know, I wondered why my sister would post an answer as a new post and then make a comment on the original one I posted.

Oh “Wise One of the West Coast and Formerly of Texas” … I am truly repentent for my senior moment … (heh heh heh heh) Hey! Maybe that should be your new screen name … WISE ONE … kinda has a certain ring to it, ya know? Of course, I do try to be honest on this site so changing your name might be stretching it …. guess we’ll just have to ask Mary for her opinion!

The post about the 8×9 was mine, couldn’t ya tell a guys point of view always has some sort of violence goin on! Oh well hope it helped.

Mike

I think, once again, my sister has given me wise information … especially the part about the 8×9 cell and toilet! Heh heh heh

(Ooops! Looks like I’m too late. He’s already writing me up!)

But sis, actually there is ONE more option … let the individual blow off all that steam, and when they’ve run out of everything they wanted to say, you ask: “Is it my turn now?”

And when they say “Yes” then you say: “Okay. Well, it’s been nice seeing you again.”

And you turn around and walk away. Talk about taking the winds out of a person’s sails. That’ll do it I bet!

Hey MDAVEY: What’s your take on all this????? Let’s hear from the male side.

Inquiring minds want to know …….. (ooooh … that’s scary!)

If someone is going to confront you and have it out because thats what they want to do, there isn’t a whole lot you can do to avoid it…..so you have 4 choices……have it out with them….tell’em to get lost….talk it out and resolve the matter….or punch’em! I wouldn’t suggest the last option unless you like a 8X9 cell with a bunk bed and a toilet! …………………” If you must choose, choose wisely “

Go to the link below and take the test … it’s fun … but watch out because it’s tricky, too. I got all but 3 correct and those 3 were so obvious I can’t understand how I missed them!

http://www.risingstarkaraoke.com/monday_test.html

Okay … a friend of mine asked me to take a survey on my website, so here’s the question: How would you handle a situation where someone was determined to “have it out” with you and you really didn’t think it was worth your time or theirs? (Take that to mean whatever you want. I can’t divulge details. I promised I wouldn’t. Anyways, when I do, I get in trouble.)

I’m anxiously awaiting input … I’ll let you know what the results reveal when I get all the information.

If anybody out there has an idea of what I can do to alleviate this pain, let me know. I think I really irritated it Sunday for some reason. Maybe sitting in church for an hour and not being able to move did it. Anyway, I found a script of naproxen my doctor had given me late last year … that’s the same thing Aleve is made of. But the script doseage is stronger. I took one this morning and it has eased it up a little … but I can still feel the pain. It seems to be worse when I sit. I took a nap about noon and when I woke up I didn’t have any pain at all. Standing doesn’t seem to hurt as much either. But I can’t stand or lay down all the time! I’m in a fix, I’m tellin’ ya!

There are several people at the nursing home that aren’t old … they’re there because of physical problems or mental problems like strokes, etc.

Here are a couple of pictures of two of my friends.

This is Hosia. She’s having to learn to talk all over again. I was teasing her and telling her that Elvis was going to be there to perform and I said, “When he gets here, Hosie, we’re gonna PARTYYY!” And she flashed that big old smile she always gives , wiggled around as much as she could in her wheelchair, and snapping and waving her her good arm while she was yelling: “Partyyy! Partyyy! Partyyy!” I LOVE Hosia … sometimes I take McDonald’s breakfast to my mother and I pick up breakfast for her, too.

This is Jack … my domino buddy. He luvs to play the game and he’s good, too. He’s always making sure nobody cheats! Ha! Miss Elsie used to play with us but she’s gotten worse over the past couple of months and can’t play anymore … but she was good, too. And let me tell you, these guys play for blood! Forget being a good sport! Ha!

Anyway, that was the rest of my weekend adventures.

Well … kinda … I spent Friday and Saturday in Giddings visiting with my sister and mother. Friday evening the nursing home held a hamburger and hot dog cookout for the residents and their families. A local guy who does Elvis impersonations, was the entertainment. He didn’t do the whole costume routine so the illusion of Elvis wasn’t quite there, but he has a decent voice. And the old folks and those that are mentally challenged LOVE the attention he gives them. He donates his performance free to the nursing home a couple of times a year. Here’s a picture of my mother with him.

As far as how my mother is doing … in order to treat the superbug she has, the doctor had to remove a couple of the Alzheimer’s drugs they’ve been giving her. I guess I didn’t realize how much the Alzheimer drugs helped because we sure could see a difference since she’s been off them for a week. She was pretty much zombie likc the entire time. So continue to pray for her and for me and Glenda.

Thanks for remembering my family in your prayers. I’m leaving in the morning to go to Giddings to visit with my sister and mother a couple of days. I’ll probably post while I’m there but if not, I’ll let you know what’s going on when I get back.

And the jokes ???? Well, I love ‘em!!! I needed a laugh. Thanks!!!

Sara, I am sorry to hear your mother isn’t doing well, I will keep your family in my prayers.

Mike

A woman gets home, screeches her car into the driveway, runs into the house, slams the door and shouts at the top of her lungs, “Honey, pack your bags, I’ve won the lottery!” The husband says, “Oh my God! What should I pack, beach stuff or mountain stuff?” The wife yells back, “It doesn’t matter….. just get out!”

One day, in a small town in the middle of no-where, a redneck wearing nothing but jeans and suspenders was pumping gas into his pinto at the local gas station. To his surprise, a rich man in a Ferrari pulled up next to him to pump gas into his $600,000 car. As the rich man was pumping gas he looked over at the bewildered redneck. Noticing the admiration on his face the rich man asked, in a cocky tone, “what, you wanna race farm boy?” Not one to back down to a challenge the redneck replied in a defiant tone “I sure do city boy!”

Shortly after that, the two men had there cars lined up on a super long stretch of straight road. The two men were standing in between the two cars discussing how to insure a fair start.

They finally concluded that the rich man would hold up 3 fingers and do a count down. When the last finger dropped they would go for it. So the rich man opened his door and stepped into his car, then the redneck walked around to the door of his car and climbed in.

The rich man started the count down and when the last finger fell they took off.

The rich man decided to toy with the redneck and only shift up to second gear, but by the time he got to full speed in second gear the pinto was just a dot in his rear view mirror. “What a waste of time.” the rich man thought.

suddenly, RRRRROOOOOOMMMMMM!!! The pinto went roaring by.

“Whoa!” the rich man said. So then he shifted up into 3rd then 4th gear to still give the redneck a sporting chance. Once again the pinto became a dot in his rear view mirror.

RRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!! To the rich man’s surprise the pinto went flying by again!

“FINE!” The rich man shouted. So then he went all out, shifting up into 6th gear and putting the pedal to the floor. By now the Ferrari was doing about 210 Mph. The Ferrari blew by the pinto and once again the pinto became a tiny speck in his rear view.

RRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!! The pinto blew by him again, practically blowing the Ferrari’s doors off.

Having been beaten by the pinto the rich man pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. In a rage he got out and slammed his door as the redneck backed up next to his car.

“WHAT KIND OF MOTOR DO YOU HAVE IN THAT PINTO!” Shouted the rich man.

The redneck climbed out of his Pinto shaking like a nervous Chihuahua and replied, “I have no idea, BUT I GOT MY SUSPENDERS CAUGHT IN YOUR DOOR!!”

Two things Navy SEALS are always taught: Keep your priorities in order. Know when to act without hesitation. A college professor, an avowed atheist and active in the ACLU, was teaching his class. He shocked several of his students when he flatly stated that for once and for all he was going to prove there was no God.

Addressing the ceiling he shouted: “GOD, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I’ll give you exactly 15 minutes!!!!!”

The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by. “I’m waiting God, if you’re real knock me off this platform!!!!”

Again after 5 minutes, the professor taunted God saying, “Here I am, God!!! I’m still waiting!!!” His count down got down to the last couple of minutes when a SEAL, just released from the Navy after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq and newly registered in the class, walked up to the Professor. The SEAL hit him full force in the face, and sent the Professor tumbling from his lofty platform.

The Professor was out cold!! The students were stunned and shocked. They began to babble in confusion. The SEAL nonchalantly took his seat in the front row and sat silent. The class looked at him and fell silent… waiting. Eventually, the professor came to and was noticeably shaken. He looked at the SEAL in the front row. When the professor regained his senses and could speak he asked: “What the hell is the matter with you?! Why did you do that!?”

“God was really busy protecting America’s soldiers, who are protecting your right to say stupid crap and act like an idot!!!!!!!! So he sent me!!”

God Bless America!!

I talked with my sister tonight. She called to tell me that the sore on the bottom of my mother’s foot is something called MRSA. It stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. It’s what the Center for Disease Control (CDC) calls a “super bug.” That means it’s highly contagious and highly resistant to treatment. We can still visit with her but will have to be careful to wash our hands both before and after we visit her. And of course, we are not to touch anywhere near the sore on her foot. If the antibiotics don’t work, it means the infection has most likely gotten in her bloodstream. In that case, she will probably not last much more than a month or 6 weeks. Please pray for our family. My mother is 92 years old and has Alzheimer’s.

Mike … I commented on your Tsunami posting but I’m not sure it went through so I thought I’d post here. I can’t begin to imagine what must hae been going through yours and Mary’s minds when you heard the warning put out. I would have freaked if it had been me. I was even a little concerned about Chase because he was in San Diego all last week teaching a class. I emailed him and razzed him about going out to California and “shaking things up.” LOL I told him he had now experienced something his dad and I hadn’t … an earthquake.

Anyway, I was glad to hear that the tsunami warning was cancelled. We were just talking about that at lunch today with some friends who used to live in Oakland. My Mike explained that when the plates shift horizontally, the “wave” is pushed down to the bottom of the ocean and does no harm. But when the plates shift upward, like they were forming a teepee, it forces the wave up and you have a tsunami. And depending on the severity of the quake, you either have a big tsunami or a small one. At any rate, I’m glad all turned out well!

By the way … I don’t know if you checked your email before reading this post, but I sent you an email a few minutes ago. You need to read it. I need your input and counsel. You’ll understand when you check your email.

Gotta go. I know it’s early there but it’s getting late here. This has been a very emotionally draining evening for me. I can see an early bedtime in my future!