My mother is special to me. She was very unwell recently. Despite visits to the doctor and medication, her recovery was slow. She caught a cold off my brother. Maybe. I am not absolutely sure. He had a cold. She got one after he stayed with her while my husband and I were away on a holiday. To most of us it’s only a cold. A few days of coughing and sneezing. Then, we are back on our feet. My mum, not so.

She has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). This is a lung ailment characterised by chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing. It is not fully reversible[1]. When she has a cold, phlegm gathers in her lungs and she has difficulty breathing. The more phlegm gathers, the more laboured her breathing. She also has scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. This makes bringing up phlegm difficult[2]. In addition, my mum has asthma, a disease that causes inflammation and narrowing inside the lung, restricting air supply[3]. If that isn’t enough, she has angina. Chest pains caused by reduced blood flow to the heart [4]. All in the chest area.

With this combination of ailments, the common cold can be my mum’s undoing especially as she is 86, and frail. It may sound like an exaggeration, but it isn’t. My mum’s cold can easily turn into pneumonia if not treated early enough and correctly. What is early enough is a difficult call. It is a fine line between being a little too enthusiastic and a little too late. This time around, it was just right but even then the doctor said, rather matter-of-factly, that it would be a long recovery process. And, a long process it was – three weeks. Medication (meds), nebulizer and expert on-site physiotherapy (physio) sessions helped but not enough. I followed instructions and did the best I could but without real medical knowledge (Google helps but only so much) and experience, progress was not as fast as it could have been.

Fortunately, my sister returned from Brisbane to help nurse my mum back to health. She immediately put in place a plan of action. A structured program that was adhered to diligently. Meds, nebulizer treatments, breathing exercises and chest and back physio were administered like clockwork, as best she could. This was because at the time, my mum was like a floppy doll, who only wanted to sleep, all the time. She slept in her bed and snoozed on her wing chair. And repeatedly placed her head on any surface to doze. While having her meal or in-between taking her meds. With no appetite, she was weak and devoid of energy to do anything.

It was difficult to make or force my mum to get on the program but my sister, gently but firmly, convinced her to try harder in order to get well again. My sister woke up at 5.30am, and organised each day for my mum. By 7.30am, my mum had her breakfast and meds. A short rest. Followed by nebuliser, chest and back physio treatments and breathing exercises. Shower and rest. Between 10.30am and 11am were passive exercises and morning tea and biscuits. Rest or sleep. From 1pm to 1.30pm, my mum had saline nebuliser, gentle chest and back physio treatments followed by lunch and meds. Rest or sleep. Between 4.30 and 5pm, were passive exercises and afternoon tea and cakes. Rest again. Between 7.30 and 8.30pm, my mum had her dinner, meds, plus nebulizer, chest and back physio treatments. Bedtime was no later than 10pm.  

Rest times were for recovery and energy building. Tea times consisted of fortified milk, biscuits and cakes for nutrition and much needed calories. Yakult to help with digestion. Small, tasty and easy to digest main meals. And, hot water to hydrate and facilitate an easier exit for the phlegm. Physiotherapy was not easy. Coughing up the phlegm was strenuous as my mum didn’t have the strength to expel mucus. This made her ribs and upper body hurt. Not nice but it had to be done.

My mum worked hard and cooperated. She had her little moments of rebellion from being unwell and overwhelmingly tired. But, who wouldn’t under those conditions? My sister, on the other hand, was a true professional. Never upset. Always focussed and encouraging. My mum, naturally, acknowledged and appreciated the fact that my sister – a first time grandmother to an adorable three-month old baby girl – put her life on hold, to take care of her.

I watched my sister nurture my mum back to health. Her full-day program, each activity with an objective, helped my mum get back on her feet. She gauged my mum’s progress daily, and adjusted the program accordingly. From my sister, I learnt how to be a more effective carer.  What to do and how to do, how to listen and what to look out for. To my sister, I am grateful.