All posts by: Caroline Castillo Crimm

About Caroline Castillo Crimm
Retired Professor Emeritus from Sam Houston State University, interested in writing novels and speaking about topics such as the history of Latin American. Would like to share the AMAZING world of the 18th century in Northern New Spain, that's Spanish Texas and Mexico!
December 2, 2017

Elderly Mothers and Food

It seems that going Herbal also means going Vegan. (Oh, by the way, it is Herbalist not Herbologist). My sister is a great believer in the vegan lifestyle. She has recommended it to me on many occasions and I keep meaning to try it. I’m certain that I could benefit from eating all those good-for-you […]

Elderly Mothers
December 1, 2017

Elderly Mothers and Night nurses

What, exactly do night nurses do? I’ve made myself the night shift “nurse” and sleep in the big bed beside Mom. If she starts thrashing, or crawls out of bed, I usually hear her and get up to help. My only duties are to readjust Mom’s covers, get Mom up to sit on the bedside […]

Elderly Mothers
November 30, 2017

Elderly Mothers and Battling Back

The reinforcements have arrived. The herbal witchdoctor is with us. I will be the first to admit that I know very little about herbs and essential oils and all the physical or metaphysical aspects of wound care. There is an entire field of herbal healing out there now. Who knew? It seems there are schools […]

Elderly Mothers
November 27, 2017

Elderly Mothers and the Wait

I lie in the big, comfy bed beside her hospital bed, waiting. Waiting through the night. Waiting during the day. Perhaps it is something as mundane as waiting for her to wake. Or waiting to fix her breakfast and then waiting for her to want to eat it. Waiting for her to speak lucidly, other […]

General
November 26, 2017

Elderly Mothers and Old Habits

It’s a certainty. Old habits don’t die, dementia or no. I lift Mom’s arm to put her bathrobe on. Her other arms comes up automatically to slip into the other sleeve. Same with underpants, or shoes. Same with food. She knows how and the habit is there, her reactions just don’t always work the way […]

Elderly Mothers
November 24, 2017

Elderly Mothers and going Herbal

There is certainly nothing to lose. Anyone who has ever been to a country market in Mexico has seen the old Curanderas (women who cure) sitting behind their small wooden boxes of herbs and potions, happy to offer any number of herbs or oils to cure everything from a broken toe to a broken heart. […]

General
November 23, 2017

Elderly Mothers and Thanksgiving

I do have a great deal to be thankful for. Mom is 98 years old and her blood pressure is 125 over 91, heart rate 101, oxygen level 98%. More or less, gets herself up at night to use the bedside commode. Is lucid some of the time. Sleeps most of the time. Doesn’t argue […]

Elderly Mothers
November 20, 2017

Elderly Mothers and the Pros and Cons of Hospice

It was the battle of the doctors that led us to call Hospice. The wound care doctor noted the gangrenous toe and the lack of blood flow in my 98 year-old mother’s right leg. He was determined that we should immediately admit her to the hospital for surgery. He insisted that a “roto-rootering” of her […]

General
November 1, 2017

Elderly Mothers and The Big Move

Blessings on family. What do other people do when they don’t have family to help? I was talking to a friend yesterday and she mentioned a neighbor who only has an Autistic son to help her. Her brother and sister have written her off, and no one comes to check on her. Her son won’t […]

General