X post- Vent: My Apt. is totally trashed!

I have been so busy "eldersitting" that I haven't even had time to clean my own place! 

Not as bad as on "Hoarders"..you can at least see that someone lives here and there's not garbage all over the place, but it's not at the level of my usual neatness.

It's driving me crazy, but I only have about 5 to 6 hours to myself every day, and there's other stuff ( like de-stressing!) that takes priority.

I need a cleaning service!

Thanks for letting me vent !

if you cant afford a cleaning service, maybe putting on some fun music and spending 'one song I clean, one song I rest' time --- and knock out some of the clutter so you will feel better (and less stressed) with a cleaner place.

 

I like to listen to books on tape while I exercise --- when I need to clean house, I put on my book and just go from room to room first with a trash bag or empty laundry basket -- I pick up everything that does not belong in that room - either trash, or clutter that belongs somewhere else ----

Once the clutter is all picked up, I go back and clean/dust/wipe and vacuum each room --- then, I sort through the laundry basket and put things away --- since each room is clean the 'putting away' is easier

I always feel better in a clean house!  I just hate doing it!!!

Go to flylady website and do crisis cleaning. In one hour it will look like you cleaned for a week.

Do you have friends or family who could help with the eldersitting for a few hours a week so you can take care of your own place or they could come help with yours?

Also I'm not sure what your state offers but see if there is a senior services center in your area that provides homemakers/personal assistants for the elderly to help with some of their activities of daily living to take some of that off of you. Or Catholic Charities here has a companionship program that provided someone come in and sit with my mom for up to 4 hours a week so I could go get things done like grocery shopping etc.

My aunt is Catholic, so Catholic Charities would be a good solution.  We do have an agency on aging, and before my uncle died, they were over income by $50.00 for services, and couldn't afford the co-pays.  Uncle had debilitating stroke, and was in hospice.  Last time I saw him conscious was in the ER.  I think she might be eligible for some services now. I'm going to talk with my cousin to see if we can get her re-applied.

The bugaboo is, she's afraid to be in the house by herself at night, and I'm spending the night with her. Mom was in a nursing home after she became too ill to be cared for at home, so it was a non-issue for her.

She will eventually be moving to Florida where my cousin lives.   I'm on disability myself, too.  That's one reason I am always the logical (to my family) choice for eldercare - because I'm not "doing anything".  Took a hiatus from school this year to get my skin issue taken care of, which I must do before resuming classes. I'm retraining to become a bariatric RD - my first degree was in Broadcasting/Journalism - but Lupus & Fibromyalgia makes that too rugged for me now. I was a radio reporter in a major city - not the cushy job most think it is. I had nutritional issues with my labs immediately after my Mom died (expected, but not to be as bad as they were), since corrected, so I'm a little better than 6 months behind on my own issues.

My surgeon wants to stage my procedure - lipo first to get rid of fat deposits hanging onto the skin, then removal of the skin - 6 month healing between each procedure.  All lower body.  Upper body needs work too, but LB impacts my functioning the most.