Taking care of both my grandparents is a very hard task. They have two professional nurses during the week: a night nurse and a day nurse. During the weekends we as a family have a rotation system that happens between the six families. The day nurse leaves at seven so to take over for her, you have to be there at or before seven. My Mom has been the one going to care for my grandparents on our family's behalf. They are actually my Dad's parents but he works nights on the weekends, so she and sometimes either my brother or I go with her to help because it really us a lot of work.

What she does is, go to Maryland where my grandparents live right when she gets out of work at four and gets the grocery list that is made throught the week. So before the nurse leaves, my Mom will go to the store and get all the groceries needed. After the day nurse leaves, my Mom makes dinner for them and makes sure they take their medicines. After dinner she's then to clean up the kitchen and do the dishes. My grandparents go to sleep fairly early but my Mom sleeps out on the couch so she can hear them if they wake up and need help.

Saturdays normally go as follows:

• When my grandpa wakes up in the morning to go to the bathroom, Get my grandpa's dirty clothes from the day before out of his bedroom (sometimes he pees himself so you have to get his clothes before he tries to put them back on. And whenever he goes to the bathroom you have to wipe down the floor because sometimes he misses)
• Help my grandma get up and give her her walker
• Get my grandma dressed; my grandpa dresses himself 
• Give them their morning pills
• Make breakfast
• Eat
• Clean up after breakfast
• Start laundry
• My mom usually starts a project or activity like cleaning out their drawers or cabinets, looking for things my grandpa loses, dusting, or looking in photo albums with my grandma. Things to keep them busy
• Make lunch 
• Clean up after lunch and my grandparents usually nap after
• More laundry
• My mom will try to take a short nap or read a book and relax for a bit
• Then dinner time, pills, and clean and the nighttime routine goes on.

Sunday is pretty much the same except my grandparents get up earlier and have to get ready because they want to attend church. They go to different churches and usually their friends like to come pick them up and take them because they like to visit with them for a little while at church. Then Sunday night at seven, the night nurse comes and then you get to go home. It's a lot of work to take care of two elderly sick people who are both equally stubborn about medicine and needing help. But at the same time, this is the time where real quality time with them can happen and when i'm there with my mom when she goes, I try to think of it more that way.