Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. That is so true and when you think about that, it makes today a better day. One of the things I have learned in caring for my husband is that each day is a new day to start again. I recently learned how important hydration is to an injured brain. My husband was in the hospital in July with pneumonia and dehydration. As I always try to make sure he is getting enough liquid, I guess I didn't realize that he wasn't getting enough liquid. I learned the hard way about hydration and the effects on the brain, especially a brain that has been damaged.
Here are the things I have learned over the course of his caregiving:
1. Repeat, repeat, repeat what you want the brain-injured person to learn (or re-learn)
2. Hydration - so very important
3. As much exercise as you can help with (in my case, taking his hand and making him walk around the house as much as possible).
4. Read to them
5. Help with words. If I just start the first syllable of a word, he can many times remember the whole word.
The doctor explained to me that our brains are like file cabinets. In my husband's case, his file cabinet was emptied and scattered everywhere. Trying to get this back together over the last 12 years has been a challenge, but in some instances, it has worked.
Today is the first day of the rest of our lives, and we will live it to the fullest.
1 comment:
I have tried some of the things you have mentioned but my husband has enough fight in him that he is not open to my suggestions.He doesn't think there is anything wrong with him.
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