Finding Replacements For What You Take Away

The reason many people go downhill faster when they are not able to do what they use to be able to do is because the things they can’t do discourages them. The end result they stop doing for what than can do. They start to lose confidence and in time may give up altogether. Therefore you need to find replacements.

Here are some examples

My Father was told he could no longer drive a car. That was hard to swallow, especially because he was in the automobile business. He was beside himself. He took the keys and was in an accident. His confidence level was dropping. So I said Dad we are going to play golf. You can drive the golf cart. Being in a wide open area there wasn’t much to hit. He was in his glory Yes it was a bumpy ride because his body shook but he was driving and that’s all the counted. That gave him the confidence he was still able to get behind the wheel. That gave him more confidence to do other things. That gave him more confidence to do even more. It also took the urge away driving in the street because he was driving that golf cart.

Don’t Always Believe Others ,Find A Way 

Doctors who wanted me to feed him because it was hard to hold onto the handle of the fork, knife, and spoon. I was determined to find something. I had taken him to a restaurant and he picked up his knife and fork and did very well. They had a knife, spoon, and fork with an oval handle. The traditional handles are flat. The spoons had lips on the so the liquid held in better. I asked the restaurant owner where to buy them. He feed himself for about seven more years and was proud of it. Since I found the utensils in a restaurant, they were utensils normal people use. We bought enough for the whole family to use. That way I was treating him normal.

Treating a Special person Normal

When a person has difficulty walking and may need a walker from time to time. No one likes using a walker and sometimes is embarrass others seeing them use it. So a replacement for the walker is taking them to a supermarket. Have them push the supermarket cart. It is something normal looking. That is like pushing a walker and at the same time they are helping you choose the food and see what it cost. Since they help you and see the cost, they are more likely to eat it than they are if you bought it and put it in front of them.

Finding A Replacement Under Any Conditions

When my Father  did not have the coronation to bring the drinking glass to his mouth without spilling it. I found a sports bottle with a built in straw. I tried a couple types. He became very happy that he was drinking for himself which allowed him to even drink more often, which kept him from becoming dehydrated as he once was.  When he ended up in a nursing home and they did not want to use the bottle because they said the straw could not be reused and they wanted to use a glass they could wash. I went to rummermaid.com and called them and bought 400 straws and made the nursing home use that sports bottle and he happily drank for himself for 3 more years. See what finding a replacement can do. If someone knocks you for what’s working you find a way to get back at them, just as I did the nursing home.

A replacement For When They Can’t Read

When my Father could not read anymore that didn’t mean we stop looking at books and newspapers. Pictures mean a thousand words. Have the person who can’t read look at colorful pictures; pictures mean a thousand words Colorful pictures stimulate the brain. When my Father was dying is the hospital we were going through books of colorful pictures. He was smiling and enjoying them, the nurses were in tears how he was enjoying them when he should have been lying in bed to die. Those books of pictures kept him functioning to his last day of his life. Colorful pictures are powerful

How To To Keep Confidence Up No Matter What

In the last two weeks of my Father’s life the doctors said to me there wasn’t any more I could do. I had a plan how to get my Father to do things if he could not do it one way I thought of another way before the time came. I had a backup plan if it did not work. I told doctors and nurses what to do. When the time came and he could not do whatever it was  they went to the plan and backup plan if need be.  They were amazed how we did things in another way. You have to think ahead of time, because timing is important. You do not want the person to lose their confidence. So you immediately have to go to your next plan. You can’t wait and think at the time. The person could have started to lose their confidence and it may be hard to get back. That is why when I use the next plan; I either made up another plan and another backup plan if needed ahead of time. That kept his confidence up and he did things, and enjoyed doing them until his last breath.

Don’t Always Believe What Others Say

I will tell you the doctors and friend who told my Father he could not do it; he never showed them what he was capable of doing. He wasn’t going to lose all the attention they were giving him. If you treat a special person special you will not get any production out of them. If you have them do things for themselves and treat them normal they will act normal and do things for you and live a more normal life.

Help them by They Helping Themselves

I want to stress to you. When you do something for the person you think you helping them but you’re actually hurting them. The more you do for them the less they will do for themselves. Overtime they will feel useless, give-up, and die. They haven’t any reason to push to live. What would there be anything to live for?

So Never Give Up

Always try to find a replacement for everything and you will learn that you will be able to do a lot more than if you never try to find that replacement. Live life to its fullest.