It never fails....

So, once again, another day sucked away from my school work by my family. My step-mom moved her parents in with her and my father because they got kicked out of assisted living. They both are in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and kept forgetting to come back to the facility (step g-ma still owns a home, so they would go "home" instead of to the home), so...they got the boot.

This was last August. I moved to Isolationsville in order to help step-mom and father take care of the old folk while they worked. It sounded like a pretty good deal in the beginning. I stay at one of the 'rents rental properties and drive out the the family farm in the true middle of no-where to cook for g-ma and g-pa, and help them up if/when they fall and can't get up. Hell, I couldn't find a real job after undergrad, and I certainly couldn't handle a FT job while in grad school, so I said sure.

Well, that arrangement lasted for about 6 months until I'd had enough. I started getting treated like the help. I was exhausted (getting up at 4am to get out there by 5am, getting home on non-school nights at 4pm to do homework, and going to class an hour away from 3pm until 10pm). I started getting sick all the time...I think I have been on antibiotics like 4 times in 6 months. G-ma lose all functioning, so not only did I have to wipe her butt and such tasks, but if she fell off the couch or out of bed, I had to lift about 160lbs. of dead weight on my lonesome....not at all what I signed up for! And then g-pa started turning mean. I couldn't sit down for two seconds and he'd be on my ass like I was his maid, telling me to do this, that, and they other, around the house (mind you, it's not his house, and I didn't sign up to be the maid for two 90 year olds and my parents who are absolutely filthy housekeeper). My kiddo also started acting out...I mean can you imagine how frustrating it would be to be four years old and know that mommy is in the house, but you can't have more than ten minutes of her time at once because the crazy (or as she says, "mean") 90 year olds won't leave her alone?

When I told my parent's that I was exhausted and depressed and felt used, I was the bad guy. It was always, "well, what do you want us to do, put them in another home??" and "What if this was your grandma (the one I was really close to growing up)?"....when I told them that there needed to be boundaries and structure (something recommended for dementia and Alzheimer care) they wouldn't listen.....dad escaped out to his farm when he got off work, and step-mom escaped into a bottle of vodka....for about two months I sucked it up, until I'd had enough and left them high and dry.

They found someone to else in about a week, but she didn't last long, so I got a call last night. Step-mom pleaded with me to come over this morning so that, yet another care giver could come by and get introduced. I finally gave in....I have such a hard time saying no. So, instead of writing my paper for class tomorrow...I'm sure you see where this is going...

I'm home now. My kiddo is taking a nap. I'm exhausted. But on a happy note....I have a real job now. Got the call about 20 minutes ago. I start Monday!! It's only PT, thank goodness. About 30 hours per week at a daycare. Should be fun though. Now all I have to do is find a sitter.....hmmmm....