Category: Journals

Having recently explained the complex situation regarding my mother’s declining physical and mental health, and the impact on my own wellbeing, I’m going to document how things are going as time goes on, to keep you up to date.

It seems easiest to do this in journal form, which I think will be more insightful anyway, as things keep changing so quickly that trying to do a summary roundup every so often would be rather difficult. I’m already keeping a personal diary anyway, so rather than writing something new, it’s much easier for me to just adapt my journal entries for public viewing, taking out details that are private, intimate or irrelevant – just like I did for my Devon journals from the early 2000s that I posted during lockdown, which proved to be surprisingly popular. It also gives me the flexibility to post whenever I need to, depending on how much there is going on.

To start with, therefore, I’m going to share more detail about events from earlier in the year, so you can get a sense of how things have progressed up to this point. This will help to add context to my previous trilogy of posts as well – so please do read those first if you haven’t already, to fully understand what I’m talking about here.

The months of January to April weren’t without their issues, as Mum did have a couple of falls in that time, which led to us having telecare installed. But it was in May that things really took a downward turn. So I’m just going to quickly summarise the key points from the first 4 months of the year, and then share my journal for May. In subsequent posts over the next few days, I’ll then take you through June, July and August so far.

So I hope you find it interesting, and it gives you a sense of how hard it can be as a carer for a loved one who is struggling and acting in unpredictable ways. As strange and difficult as it is to share such details sometimes, I think it’s important to be open to raise awareness and to let others know they’re not alone, as it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

Continue reading “Carer’s Journal – May 2025”