She suggested it!  “Let’s go to Braum’s for ice cream.”  Understand, the closest Braum’s is in Emporia, Kansas, an hour’s drive on the Interstate.  We usually take more scenic roads resulting in closer to an hour and a half drive time. 

Noble husband that I am, I will make the sacrifice, drive us to Braum’s, and out of the goodness of my heart join her in eating a two scoop Hot Fudge Sundae topped with salted pecans, real whipped cream and a cherry on top.  Sometimes I surprise myself with my generosity. 

Here is the rub.  When Mary Ann suggested going, it was too late in the day and storms were coming.  Thinking through that sort of information and making a decision demands using what is referred to as the Executive Function of the brain.  The mild Parkinson’ s Disease Dementia that has recently been added to the Parkinson’s Disease has dimished that particular function. 

The plan then was to go the next day.   As the next day progressed a combination of intestinal activity and fainting (Orthostatic Hypotension) flipped the nap switch in her.  I say it that way because the fainting spells sometimes drain from her the capacity to be up and about.  When the nap switch flips, it is sometimes a challenge to get her to the bed and settled there.  She may crumple to the floor wherever she is when the need for a nap hits. 

The next day included an evening activity, the Parkinson’s Support Group.  There was no moving fast enough to get the trip in before the meeting.  The day after that (yesterday) we planned to go again.  The day was completely clear other than the outing to Braum’s.  The weather was spectacular.   It didn’t happen.  It was a nap that filled the time we were going to use to make the trip.  This time it was not that the nap switch flipped, but it was the need that comes more and more often. 

Parkinson’s Disease Dementia is a Dementia with Lewy Bodies.  It patterns itself differently than Alzheimer’s Dementia.  There is a different part of the brain affected.  One of the symptoms of the progression of the disease is daytime sleeping.  Some days there have been two naps.  The usual length of a nap is two to two and a half hours.  We never know when the need will arise.

Yesterday there was no trip to Braum’s.  Today, I was determined it would happen.  I planned to add another stop along the way.  I thought phoning a friend of Mary Ann’s to come along would make the trip more enjoyable.  Jeanne and Mary Ann enjoy each other, she helps when Mary Ann needs to use a public bathroom, and since Mary Ann is barely verbal, Jeanne adds to the conversation when we travel.   She was not able to join us for the trip, but I was still determined to go. 

Again, the day was beautiful.   We ate some lunch at home.  I made some surprisingly tasty chicken salad.  Those who have read many of the posts on this blog appreciate what a remarkable accomplishment it is when I make a meal, especially one that is fit for human consumption. 

Almost immediately following lunch, the nap need arose.  By the time Mary Ann awoke, the trip to Braum’s was again out of the question.

Why bother to plan anything?

I am a planner.  I get in my mind how the day will go, what needs to be done, and varying from that plan upsets my equilibrium.  The role of full time Caregiver has resulted in the dismantling  of my daily structure. 

Caregivers respond, they do not work a predetermined plan.  Mary Ann’s needs come when they come.  She cannot fill them herself.  That is my job.   The challenge is trying to figure out how to keep from going crazy since as a Caregiver, I have very little to say about what I will be doing and when I will be doing it. 

For eighteen years of my almost forty years in ministry before I retired, I worked with Youth.  The first three years in the ministry I taught religion classes and served as a Pastoral Counselor at a large parochial high school of some 900 students.  For the next fifteen years, working with Youth in a congregation was a major part of my portfolio.  When leading Youth activities and classes and retreats, I learned quickly that there needed to be a detailed plan in place but along with that plan a willingness to throw the plan out completely if circumstances demanded it.   

That is exactly the sort of planning needed to be the primary Caregiver for someone who needs help with most everything they do — without the Caregiver going crazy.  My goal from the day I retired has been to have options immediately available so that if Mary Ann’s needs eliminated whatever we had planned, something else could be substituted. 

What that means most of the time is that I need lots of small tasks that can be done here at the house while Mary Ann is napping, or interested in a televsion program.  The hardest part of adapting to this new pattern has been gaining the ability to let go of plans I have in my mind without becoming resentful and grumpy.  In that regard, I am still a work in progress. 

Today, when Mary Ann woke up, instead of heading for Braum’s an hour away, we went to the Baskin and Robbins on the other side of town, drove by the beautiful Ensley Gardens and came home.  A Hot Fudge Sundae made with Nutty Coconut ice cream with chopped nuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top goes a long way in calming the ruffled feathers of a planner whose plans have just been frustrated. 

If you want to write a comment about this or any of the posts on this blog, look to the column on the right side of this page, titled “Recent Posts,”  click on the name of a post and you will find a box at the end of that article in which you can write a comment.  Clicking on the title of the post you are reading will accomplish the same thing.  Comments are appreciated.