Audrey McLaughlin, amclaughlin3@me.com, has established a Google calendar for Barbara Ann so that the information about who is visiting can be shared.
Please let Audrey know if you want access to the calendar. Send her your google account so that she can give you access. (If you do not have a google account please create one by going to
https://accounts.google.com/.)
Audrey McLaughlin
ReplyDeleteAug 17 (10 days ago)
After reading the message below, if you know of others who should receive this email please feel free to forward it on.
As you are all aware, our dear friend Barbara Ann and her family are now heading into a new phase of their life together as Barbara Ann's brain cancer continues to advance. Barbara Ann is aware of the continued deterioration of her day to day brain function and is very open about talking with her friends about how this process is impacting her ability to do even the most common daily tasks. If you have visited her recently you have seen this for yourself. In typical Barbara Ann style she is very willing to talk about what she is experiencing and the impact to herself and her family.
Where she seems to experience the most difficulty is in keeping track of time. This manifests in struggles with things like not knowing what day today is, not being able to differentiate between what happened today vs. what happened a couple of days ago and not having a sense of how frequently things happen. I have also noticed (as have others) that in the retelling of events the actors and their actions get twisted around a bit. She is also experiencing difficulty with tasks such as using her cell phone (both answering and placing calls) and finding her way around in her physical surroundings.
There are two specific areas where Barbara Ann has asked for my help with these items.
First, I have volunteered to organize a Google calendar to provide a shared environment for the coordination of visits with Barbara Ann. If you would like to schedule a visit with Barbara Ann, please send me an email and I will provide you with the necessary information to access the calendar.
Second, Barbara Ann and I recently discussed that she is unable to keep track of what she has shared with whom and how sometimes this leads to several people trying to solve the same issue or as an example, several calls to Hospice with the same information or question. Barbara Ann expressed concern about being able to keep track of these conversations and to remember to call Beau for things like pain medication or other immediate needs. After a little brainstorming Barbara Ann and I came up with the following plan of action which Barbara Ann asked me to share with Beau. I am writing to all of you today on behalf of both Barbara Ann and Beau with a suggestion of how we can continue to support Barbara Ann and more effectively assist Beau in providing his mother the best care possible.
When Barbara Ann needs assistance she will continue to call whomever comes to mind, there is no need for her to try and think through who the right contact person might be or to try and remember if she has already called someone. If you receive a call from Barbara Ann asking for assistance with immediate items like pain medication or needing to contact Hospice please contact Beau by cell phone (831.359.1969). If the matter is less urgent please contact Beau by email (aknijob@gmail.com).
Best regards,
Audrey