Wishing To Go Home

By Catherine A. Sharp

I have written this book for when I grow old; for when I need help, can no longer drive, manage my money, shop, cook, clean, or remember to eat and shower.

It is for my children and grandchildren. It is for all my friends whose parents are ageing and who want to know what to do for the best; knowing there is no time to waste. What if they have a stroke tomorrow and cannot speak, write, or remember. It is for every great-grandparent, grandparent, parent, child, niece, nephew, grand-child, great grand-child, aunts and uncles and cousins. And it is for every single nurse caring for the aged, whether you are the Director, assistant, the care worker, the bus driver, kitchen hand or cleaning lady. It is to provide you all with some understanding of those affected by memory loss / dementia and who cannot communicate normally with you. I want to give you some insight into some behavioural changes that may occur because of memory loss or dementia and to offer some tips for you to help you deal with the illness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Oct 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798369493632

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Copyright © 2023 by Catherine A. Sharp.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 10/27/2023

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

855059

The fifth Australian Aged Care Employee Day

7 August 2023

‘Thanks for Caring’

CONTENTS

Dedication

Disclaimer

Preface

Acknowledgements

Your Gut Feelings – Trust Them!

What Does It All Mean?

What Can, Or Should, You Do To Help?

Power Of Attorney (POA)

Aged Care Assessment

Finding An Aged Care Facility – A ‘Home’

Person-Centred Care

Sleep And Sleep Deprivation

Becoming Involved In The Facility

What Is An Advanced Care Directive?

What To Tell Individual Staff Members

The End

About The Author

My First Visit To A Residential Aged Care Facility

Some Of My Qualifications Include:

Some Of My Publications Include:

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my darling Mother. We had such a close, loving, chatty relationship over many wonderful years. We would talk for hours and hours at a time, over lunch, out shopping and on the phone in the evenings. Without sharing so much with her in her later years, I would never have learnt so much, felt so much, dealt with so much and this book would never have been written.

My parents lived in a lovely Benevolent Society retirement village in Sydney, for many years. They had lots of friends. They had barbeques, did the gardening together, went on holidays, outings to cafes, and to dancing. My Father did not dance but my Mother certainly did and it kept her so fit.

Later, some years after my Father had died, my Mother went to a locked dementia unit where she lived with 11 other ambulant women. I never saw any of them talking to each other. Even when they sat in the dining room together, they did not speak to each other. My Mother did not make friends with any of the other women. They all seemed to be lost in their own world of dementia.

When she could no longer walk I took her to a nursing home where she spent her last months. The nursing home was old, but it was warm and there was always music playing. The staff, who were all gorgeous, would put Mum, and the other residents, in recliner chairs in front of a giant television to watch old musicals from the 1930s and 1940s. My Mother was so happy listening to them. I could see that. She always had a smile, even though she could no longer communicate with me. I