Busy, Busy, Busy

We have had a lot to do the last few days....Dad went to the Senior Center on Thursday wearing his English cap like the other "boys". They all sit together with their hats on as I hear it. I haven't seen it yet but will try to get a photo of them all.
He had a good day at the center...good day means he didn't gripe that I was 5 minutes late and that they did weird things all day at the center. haha. We have TOPS diet group that night so we got back home and waited for Rod to shower and get ready then we all left. It was fairly nice outside and Dad didn't even need his gloves. We went to group and then we all went out to Panera Bread. It was Chris's treat. Dad loves the soup there...his usual veggie kind, and I got him a salmon croissant sandwich which he agreed to. ONLY Dad would say he couldn't chew a croissant. haha But YET he ate that harder French bread without a word. Now Dad just "ain't" content unless he finds something to complain about. I constantly say, "Do you have anything nice to say today?" Then I get those "patronizing" answers....."Uhhhhh, sure, I woke up!", "I ain't dead yet."...etc. *rolling my eyes*
My aim was to take photos at the restaurant and then those three start their goofy stuff with me and I completely forgot. I have my camera with me all the time, no matter where I go and STILL forgot.
I have another post to make about Hospice...but....
Right now I am headed out of the house to take a miniature class with my friends....Rod and Dad are in charge and I can only hope that the house will still be in tact when I get back.

Train Whistle

Dad's mental state is pretty good for the last couple days...he spent the day at the Senior Center. He wore his English hat and there are two other guys that wear theirs so they sit together. Dad was asking me today if I knew where the train whistle is that he made. It is a special LOUD whistle made of wood. When you blow it sounds just like a old time train whistle. He gets confused about what is here and what is in Indiana. I told him that I did have one at one time but not sure where it is right now. I looked in all the wood things he made for us but was unable to find it. I was thinking I might have given it to one of the kids....however I asked Dad why he wanted it and here is what he said. "I thought it would be fun to take it and walk into the room at the Senior Center and blow it real loud." I started laughing and told him that he would have given them all heart attacks. He hadn't thought of that. LOL Dad and his ideas.

Dad and his PILL Story....repeats almost every evening...

Dad's dementia started again in the middle of the night...naturally. He got me up several times.....two legitimate bathroom breaks and the others were because he was getting dressed at 2am and 4am. Ted P. was here apparently and at 4am he wanted his pants so he could go out in the living room to see him. He got me up again at 7am and I said OK, you are getting up, getting dressed, having breakfast and you are going to the Senior Center an hour early. He didn't say a word. Some things never change......We picked up Dad at the Senior Center at 4pm. He complained all the way to Walmart about this that and other stories from the Senior Center. Seems as though some of the men got half a side of chicken for lunch and he got some chicken pcs and bread cubes....lol Dad always did have his eyes on everyone elses plate. Now that he has his appetite back, it is a point of Interest with him now. So we get home and I am making homemade fries and hamburger sliders.....something new to Dad and he filled his plate. He got one slider and was eyeing how many Rod got.....Dad hadn't even eaten his slider and grabbed another one from the center plate JUST to make SURE he got more....hahahaha It was so funny because there were plenty left. Dad is on a hallucinating trip today.....little men everywhere....a little red haired boy, and bugs and just about anything out of kilter.....his watch wasn't working today because of that magnetic field he is always talking about. Dad gets done with dinner.....then Rod takes him to the bathroom and I go get him. I have him get his clothes off and take his teeth out and wash his face.....just to get ready for bed because he had a long day and I knew he would soon want to sleep. He wanted to go out on the sofa first....so we did and in about 30 seconds he was asleep.....I regretted then not giving him his meds first because it was going to be hard to get him up. I let him sleep for about 20 minutes. He was making so much growling noise that I finally had to get him up. 

Here's how it went.... 

Wendy:Hey Dad....wake up, let's go out to the kitchen and take your pills.... 

Dad:Mumbling without his teeth.....I already took my pills......and I don't want to go to the kitchen. 

Wendy: You did not take your pills and I want you to drink your other stuff and you can't drink it in here. 

Dad:Mumbling and laughing: I want to take my pills in here. 

Wendy:Oh sure, like I got nothing to do but wait on you hand and feet. {laughing}

Dad:Yeah, well, you're the one that wanted me to take the pills.{laughing}

I get to Dad with the pills and his Miralax in a cup and he is leaning way over to the left.

Wendy: Dad, sit up straight so you can drink this and open your eyes. Dad: laughing.....I don't want to swim up stream.......laughing again. Wendy:laughing hard now.....I don't care if you don't want to swim up stream, just sit up STRAIGHT. 

Dad is still laughing and just making it so difficult and he thinks he is a RIOT. 

Rod is laughing and Dad is making faces and complaining he is taking too many pills.....they are just vitamins and he has taken the same amount for months and EACH night we go through this with how many more pills I seem to be giving him. 

He takes 2 prescriptions. The rest are vitamins and supplements....he is so lucky to be 89 and take so few pills. 

One is a pain pill and the other is an anti-depressant. Very lucky! 

Oh this is a typical evening with Dad.....loves to argue and says it's me.

OMG you should have seen him in Walmart.....riding on the scooter......look out, here comes Dad!!!!! He was justagrinn'. He caught the attention of a couple gals in the store. They were smiling at his tricks.

No Matter What....he doesn't forget his Manners.

Dad is sitting in the kitchen now, watching the birds outside. He is eating peanuts and drinking ice tea. He is seeing birds do things they can't but you can't argue with him on it. It's happening and that's all there is to it. He called one of his friends today that had called him but had missed the phone call. Dad received some chocolates in the mail for Valentine's Day. He wanted to thank them so he is talking to them now. He wanted to talk to Debbie V. and we left a message and will try back again later. Debbie had seen Dad at his worse at home. She was upset when she left to see him so bad but I wanted her to talk to him in person so she would know that he is doing soooooooo much better. His friends can't get over the change in him.

Raymer Milk Bottles

YEA!! Dad and I were watching a RAYMER Milk Bottle on eBay today....down to the last second....and YEP! I won it! Won't say how much other than it was cheaper than the one that Dad bought me at Auction at the Armory. Less than HALF cheaper! It's all the way in Connersville, Indiana. They also had a Wagner Milk Bottle that went for $81.00 but that was a bit much for me. Wagners lived right behind us on Route 4 in Logan. Dad said HIS Dad worked for the old man. I did not know that. Here are both of the bottles.

Talking on the phone & This and That...

Three days have passed since the last post and Dad is still doing very well. He made some phone calls today. He says he is not much for talking on the phone because he finds it hard to think of things to say sometimes. 

So I suggest if anyone calls him just to ask some general questions for him to answer. It makes it easier on him. He finds talking easier than writing. I do the writing for him but he tells me what to say when it comes to answering anyone that writes him a card or letter. It would be nice if some of those people who write did have access to the Internet so they could read the Blog. 

We were lazy today and didn't go anywhere or do much. 

We all ended up taking an early afternoon nap after the brunch I made. It's been raining today and making us all sleepy. 

Tomorrow we are going to get out for awhile and do a little shopping and maybe go out to eat breakfast. 

Dad is right now talking in the bedroom and that always worries me because it makes me think that the dementia is rearing it's ugly head again. 

He has been seeing that "little boy" today. He knows he is not really really there but he still will talk to him. It's harmless so why not I guess?

Weight Gain, Dreaming and Senior Center

Dad doesn't have those boney knees anymore. He has now gained 15 pounds in the last 3 weeks. He came down off the dementia ride as of about 4pm this afternoon. He was sitting on the couch and we just finished watching Polar Express. He asked me if we had gone to Indiana Sunday....I said, Uhhhh, no Dad, that's 720 miles away. Then he said Good, because I was worried how we could have done that. Then he realized that he had been totally confused. He asked me more questions and I told him what he said and what he was telling me had happened to him, about getting up at 3am, etc.
He did laugh at some of the things I told him he said. Especially about the Plymouth Truck motor running and he had to get his shoes on to go out and turn it off. So I asked what was going on with that story and this is what he said. "I was having a dream about the government and they had shoved out a bunch of people on the street without food or housing. There was this place where you could get car parts. It became night time and Isabelle and I had to find a place to stay. You were just a little kid. We found this other family who had a little boy. So we all spent the night in this one big house and took a bedroom but we had no covers. I found this big truck and was trying to find the owners. This went on for about 4 days and the other couple had left. Isabelle and I had decided to drive the truck which turned out to be a big Plymouth Army truck. It wasn't running right and I decided I was going to try to get it going better. It had gas in it and I went to drive it away, I basically stole it. Another young guy was with me and it was kinda intriging to him. He wasn't part of stealing it. I took it to a store to see if they wanted to help him fix it but no one would help. Then I got it fixed the best I could. Seems like it was either in Kokomo or Peru. To get it really fixed this guy really said he would look at it and then I never went back to see if he got it fixed. Something happened in between time and I got suspicious and never went back to see about it."
Dad is fully aware NOW that he was really believing all that while he was "dreaming".
It all makes sense to him now.
He found it hard to believe it was 3 days long.
I told him it was like he has a black out and just stays in a state of dreaming.
Dad would make a good test study for dementia because he remembers almost everything afterward and is able to tell what he was feeling. I asked him about when I ask him questions or point out that there are no trucks outside running....what did he think at that time? Didn't it make him want to come back to reality seeing me as old as I am and that I am not the little girl in his dream? His answer to that? I wasn't really who I was in the dream. I am a relative trying to disrupt the order of things. I am not making sense to him when he sees all those things in his mind. So I am wrong and he is right at the time he is in that state of mind.
I wonder what it would take for him to be brought back or is it just something that has to run it's course? I do know for a fact that what brings Dad out of it is REST. He wears himself down so much during one of these episodes that he gets exhausted and sleeps soundly.
I have also noticed that he is no longer moaning in his sleep as he did in November and December. He sleeps soundly now as along as he is not have the Dementia take over. I truly believe that this medicine he is taking has helped with so many things that tormented Dad. He doesn't really seem to be depressed anymore. With no depression he wants to eat, talk and find some reason to live on.
Last evening I was mopping the kitchen and Dad was making hand signals to me from the living room sofa. I was also cooking dinner. I didn't quite understand the signals so I went into the living room and asked him what he was meaning. He said he wanted to come out there to the table. I said I didn't have dinner ready yet. He said that was okay, he wanted to come and and gab....lol I thought that was pretty funny. So he came out and started talking about his day at the Senior Center. He is starting to make some friends I think.
He has been approved to go to the center up to 23 days a month for one price according to scale. {$180 a month, no matter how many days he goes} Not too bad considering that it's normally $45 a DAY for many others who do not qualify for the program. There are other things Dad can get into around here but I am slowly letting him get used to being in unfamiliar situations. Dad doesn't like being out of his element often. He wants to know What's Next?, as I call it. Once he learns the ropes at the center we can move onto some other entertainment for him. They will do outings when the weather gets better. I know he will like that.

Selective Hearing...

Here is Dad wandering around with his funny answers to me. He is either really hard of hearing OR he likes to hear me holler. LOL Now there are days I WHISPER to Rod and Dad answers them......selective MALE hearing is what I say!! Usually he has his glasses on and his teeth in BUT prior to taking this video he was sound asleep on the sofa. He jumps up and off he goes to get his shoes in the entryway.

 

{The video was taken down when I deleted Dad's email address for Google. So I will have to spend some time uploading them again. I have to find them first...lol}

Wherever My Feet Take Me

Some have wanted to know what's been going on.....a lot....believe me. I am trying to catch up.
We had to postpone Brunch due to Rod getting a fever...snow came down Sunday morning but disappeared in hours. Rod was still sick during the day so by morning I knew we would have to postpone Brunch. Dad was fine with that but he did want to know what was for lunch.
So we will plan to go this Sunday to the Radisson. {I have stopped writing this ohhhh about 8 times....Dad will NOT settle down this morning. I can't get much written}
Here's one of our conversations this morning.

Wendy to Dad: Do you like to fall?

Dad: Uh hmmmmm

Wendy:Why do you like to fall?

Dad: Shows scars, shows you've been through the battlefield.

Which explains the red mark above his left eyebrow. {read on}
It's just been a very active 2 days. To make it short because hard telling how much time I have to finish this before I have to jump up again. Yesterday early evening, Dad started with the hallucinations again. He will NOT let loose of something once he gets it in his head. Distractions used to work with him but no more. They are short lived.
All evening he was wired. He sticks with the story of certain relatives who moved into his house, taken over and have tore up his cars. Makes no difference what we say to assure him, he comes back to the same story. This has been going on with the same story since last November. It only comes up when the hallucinations start. He wouldn't go to sleep until midnight and then he was up every hour after that.....AND to Rod and My SURPRISE, he came in our bedroom at 3AM, {YEP, you were right Debbie...almost 100% haha}turns on the light....which really surprised me because he can't find the switch in any other part of the house.....scared the heck out of both of us and then he asks, What are YOU doing in here? {meaning me} Needless to say, he knows how to find the bed alarm and turn it off even before I heard it go off. I did have my earplugs in because he talks all night to "others" in the room at times like these. I can hear the bed alarm even with the earplugs because it's so loud. Rod sleeps more soundly than me thank goodness.
Dad told me later today that I had left him with a bunch of people last night that didn't know where I went. He had been outside and couldn't find out where I was. {He was NOT really outside.}
He had a red oval mark above his eyebrow....I asked him where he got it and he said he fell outside on the sidewalk. It's hard to find out exactly what happened when Dad is like this.
Usually when it passes is when he tells what was going on in his mind. I was put out to say the least with him turning the alarm off. Now I have to outsmart him and find a better way to hide it.
Just like an electrician. Ah ha, I think the solution is to attach a fake cord and at least confuse him for time enough for me to get to him after the alarm goes off.
You cannot imagine how fast he can be for someone who is suppose to be disabled and 89!!
Dad’s new Podiatrist said that HE only wished the pulse in his arteries in HIS legs were AS good as Dads when he reaches 89! Dad is in better shape than he thinks. He bounces back fairly quickly.
The main thing I am concerned about is him falling with all the walking that he wants to do without help.
Today he has been on the go all day. I have tried to get him to take a nap but he hops up and starts walking around the room looking for car parts. His car parts are in the house. Those people, Bob being one name, whoever that is because he does not know the last name...has totally tore the cars apart. I try to bring him back to reality with, "Well, we better call the insurance company and cancel now that the cars are totaled." Then he goes into that I better not because we have to find out the details to what happened. He is having fits today about anything and everything. His mind won't rest. Rod came home a little after 3pm and Dad is telling him all about the cars, money disappearing and other unrelated issues.
Dad 'saw' a service man {Military} outside in our back yard. He said that the Sergeant was waiting for him to come out after he got off work. They were trying to get Dad in the Draft.....oh I tried to reason with that one and Dad just thinks I am full of hot air. ha-ha Rod tried to play the other way and tell him that he better get ready before the guy knocked on the door.....Oh no, Dad thought it was time to change his clothes and tried to get up to do so.
He has been on the go since Sunday Morning at 8am. I figure he has to wind down eventually. I sure hope he sleeps well tonight.
Tomorrow Diana comes to give him a bath and Mark comes right before her at 8:30am. Then, if all goes well, I will take Dad to Senior Day Out and maybe he will find something to enjoy there and stay focused.
It's been an issue that Dad doesn't like some things there at the center. Rod and I had a meeting with the nurse and the director last Thursday. I told them about the things that Dad complains about and they both told me that Dad has never acted as though he is not having a good time. It was as I suspected and WHY he didn't want me to say anything to them. However, when we were about to leave the meeting, there was Dad walking unassisted to the closet to get his coat. He was very upset that I was not there to get him. The nurse had told him I was there but we were in a meeting. I saw her do it and I waved at Dad but he said she didn't tell him any such thing. This was the first time the nurse saw Dad behave as such and was very surprised. I was upset that Dad was walking alone when I specifically stated that he is NOT to walk unassisted as he was a serious fall risk. The nurse apologized and said it will be the topic of concern to ALL the staff in the morning at their daily meeting. I was assured today on the phone that it was taken care of. I will be taking Dad's walker with him each day he is there so he can at least have the walker for better stability. Dad is walking so well for such a short time here. He is stronger and quite determined. He gets up off our sofas without trouble at all. He does it better than I do.
~~I will try and get a video posted of his walking on here soon.~~
It has taken me all day to write this....literally all day. I started this morning at 9am and it is now 9pm. That's how busy he kept me. He was into everything and anything all day.
I have known all along that there would be danger in Dad regaining his ability to walk again. It's a good thing for sure but it's also a major concern and reason to worry he will have a serious fall and break something.
As close as I watch him, there is always that time when he is faster than me. :-)
OMG, Dad is here in the living room.....wandering mind wise.....and he has his cane in his hand pointed out like a rifle....he asks me what he is suppose to do with it....I said with what? He says with this gun....I said GUN? What kind of gun?  Dad's smart alec answer??? Bang Bang, with a big grin!! haha One big show after another around here.

Been so busy, no time for much posting this week...but....

I have been asked if everything is okay by several people reading this. Yes, everything is just fine. Dad had just one day of dementia that wasn't even that bad. He is doing just fine. His gal friend called tonight to thank him for his Valentine's Day present. He had a nice conversation with her. He is practically walking on his own with a cane now. I have to MAKE him promise not to walk without me and then maybe in about three weeks when his PT is overwith, I will see if he can walk with the walker without assistance. I keep reminding him that he has to be patient. Dad....and patient...hahahaha Right.
He still gets up with the cane and will start walking.....I am nearby, a foot at least without my hand on him. More to that story when I get the time.
Video to follow soon....
We are going to Brunch in the morning at one of the hotels here. He is looking forward to that.

Seven Days of Bliss...

We had seven whole days in a row of the old Dad.....sad to say it ended during the night Sunday....Dad woke up disoriented yesterday. I had requested no Home health care on Mondays and Thursdays since that was Dad's Senior Day care day. So that meant I got to be shower person. It's really a tough job with a sore back....{that would be ME...lol} but I can't stand him going unbathed to the center. {Note to self...make appt for another epidural shot for me} ha
Yesterday wasn't a real good day. I did get Dad at the center by 10:30am....even though it was snowing and Rod was having a fit because I was going to drive in the snow....which really didn't amount to anything anyway......I just came home and worked on catching up on house duties. How I got behind, I am not sure at all. Too much farming at FV? lol It's how I wind down. Could be.....
So I went back to the center at 5pm on the nose to get Dad and OMG, looked like he had been in a food fight! No upper teeth in his mouth.....food residue all over his sweater and pants. I asked Dad where is teeth were and he had them wrapped in a tissue stuck inside the gait belt. He was using his walker but I couldn't see that the girl that brought him out had her hands on his gait belt. That's just not acceptable. I have a meeting with them on Thursday and I will address that issue. I made myself clear about someone having a hand on his belt at all times but apparently I didn't make it clear enough.
Dad couldn't wait to start complaining but I asked him to wait till we got in the car. He is so impatient when it comes to certain things. I have my hands full with his teeth, his bag, his gloves they didn't even put on him...and trying to hold him and he is all round up dragging me out the door. He grabs the door handle of the car and won't let go of the walker....haha I tell him to LET GO of the walker and he says WHY? haha That's when I want to say, Scottie, Beam Me UP NOW!
I manage to get the walker away from him, seat belt him in and load the walker and finally get in the car. I am not even in my seat before he pours out all his complaints. Apparently they dragged him all over the building....alligators were in the hallway and they were slick with mud and he was made to stay in the hallway with John, another Senior, along with the alligators. The girls don't pay any attention to him....they just pass him by never doing anything he asks. If it anything like it is at home about him wanting stuff....they just don't have the time to deal with all of Dad's demands. haha I can imagine they do ignore him.
I didn't say that to him. lol
So I just asked a couple simple questions after he was done telling me all the wild stories. By now we are home and I finally drag myself in the house with all the stuff I am bringing with me. I asked him if he ever wanted to go back there again.....his answer? {get ready for this}
"Oh yes......sure I want to go back.....if they would just listen to me." hahahahaha
I did explain that he was not the only one to attend to like it is here for me....and that patience is something he could work on even at his age. He gave me some line about time lines, magnetics, and the world order. lol Nothing that had to do with what we were discussing but entertaining nevertheless.
He was on a roll....didn't want to nap but wanted to know what I did all day after I 'dumped' him off at the center.
I reminded him that I asked him if he really wanted to go before I ever got him showered and dressed and he said of course. Oh but he didn't remember that.
I told him I washed clothes and made cinnamon cookies.....and that's all it took for him to want to go see them. LOL Dad and sweets are synonymous. He wanted a glass of milk and sat himself down at the kitchen table.
He stayed there in the kitchen while I made dinner....Rod was home now and they both were at the table. Dad started telling Rod his adventure for the day.
Dad was just out of it for the rest of the evening. He didn't want to go to bed at 8pm even though he had been up all day without even a nap. So he sat on the sofa....I went back to doing the laundry. I came into the living room and Dad was sitting on the floor....in front of the sofa. I asked Rod what was going on and he said he just wanted to sit on the floor. I asked Dad what he was doing and he looks at me like I am nuts and says, "What's it look like? I am sitting on the floor." haha
Okay, nevermind.....comedians I live with.
So eventually I got him to go to bed and I have been up 5 times with him during the night and I am just exhausted. I decided at 3am there was no going back to sleep....next time Dad got up was when Rod woke and Dad was somehow tangled up in his sheets hanging halfway out of the bed. Just amazing how he does this stuff.....I am not the most patient person in the middle of the night with Dad saying to me.....as I am trying to untangle him...."Why did you wake me up?" LOL
Again....Scottie....where in the hell are you? BEAM ME UP!!

Dad and the Honey Roasted Peanuts

Dad seemed to have fun in Sam's......free samples of food kept him and Rod from driving me nuts. Dad and Rod end up near the isle with the peanuts. Dad chose a HUGE can of Honey Roasted peanuts. I think it weighed 6 pounds. It was so funny cause he had never seen a can that big. We stopped and ate at Schlotszky's for sandwiches and soup before going home. {Dad has found another good soup place} He had the vegetable soup and LOVED the sourdough bread.
So we get home and it wasn't long and Dad was hinting at where that can of honey roasted peanuts were....haha The can was buried under all the groceries and told him I would get to it as soon as I could find it. Rod got up from his chair and the Super Bowl and got them for Dad. Dad munched on them for about an hour and then I took this photo.

A Day of Shopping

We three left the house yesterday at about 10:00am for shopping at Sam's, Walmart and JCPenny's. Dad wants a new pair of shoes....lol I had brought only his slippers because he was having trouble with his long toes...and he couldn't get his other shoes on without it hurting. He still has trouble with the toes but he insisted on a new pair of shoes. So I had coupons so we chose to look at Pennys for shoes. It never fails that we get someone who just gives me a story to tell....I went to Pennys for them to PUT the shoes on Dad.....not where they throw me a box of shoes and I am on my own. I told her that Dad needed shoes and I gave her some styles to start with. Dad and I had already checked out all the shoes before he sat down.
She comes over, I asked her to measure his foot,  I show her the shoes he wants and she goes back to get a few pairs. She hands them to ME.......whooooooooaaaaaa lady.....I said Oh, aren't you going to put them on HIM? She looks at me funny and says, Oh you want me to do it? Uhhhhh, yeah....that's what I think you are to do. I pointed to one of those stools where they sales person sits on and the customer puts his foot on and said....You do know the purpose of that contraption don't you? hahaha Rod grins....Dad looks as though that lady will snatch me baldheaded if I said something like that one more time.....oh but wait, don't feel sorry for HER.....keep reading. She said we do help if asked. I asked.
She is taking out the shoe of the box and asks me....."Which is his right foot?"
Uhhh, what did she just ask me? hahaha Which is HIS right foot? So I thought OH BOY, we got a ringer. Someone planted this woman here to completely drop me off the ridge of reality. So stunned.....I just asked her slowly just to make sure of what she said.....So you want to know which one one of Dad's feet is the RIGHT one?? I looked at Rod....and Rod was about to burst with some total obscure question for her but I made my eyes big as not to aggravate her or she will bring the wrong shoes for hours. hahaha
Oh he couldn't help himself and asked her how long she had worked there.......She comes back with TEN years.....so for TEN years this woman has worked in a shoe store at Pennys and STILL doesn't know her right from left. {ya sure can't make this stuff up}
So Dad, hearing all this, pipes up......lifts his right leg and shows her which is which!! hahahaha

A Short Conversation...

Dad's in the living room on the sofa...I am standing near him handing him some tea. Rod is sitting in his chair by us.
This is how the conversation went...

Dad: Now look down there on the carpet....you see them? They look like alligators but their skin is smooth.
Wendy: So Dad....Did you hallucinate today at the Senior Center?
Dad: I don't hallucinate!
Laughter from Rod, me and even Dad laughed.
Wendy: Okaaaaaay....let me rephrase that.....Did you SEE any "odd" things today at the Senior Center?
Dad: Nope, I wasn't looking for any.

Laughter breaks out again.....

And so it goes.

The Day at the Senior Center

Okay, here we go. Dad was excited about going to the Center on Thursday morning. Maybe I should say he was anxious....he wanted to be sure the night before that I had him wearing the "right" thing. He didn't want to wear those awful sweat pants. {his words were I hate them things.} Maybe so but when he is saying he is about to wet his pants we need SPEED! lol

So I got him a pair of dress pants, and a belt and a shirt with cars on it from Rod's closet. He even wore Rod's dressier jacket that Mom got him. So he was ready to roll after discussions of whether to tuck the shirt in and out and how his hair should be and I didn't shave in the right DIrection, haha It goes on and on. So we get in the car....."How far is this place", What time is it?, Who comes to get me", Where are you going?......questions all the way over.....and HE and Mom used to tell ME that I asked enough questions to make a good lawyer when I was a kid. HAH!

So we get there and he walks from the car to the door {about 20 ft} pulling me all the way....Slow DOWN Dad, I can't walk that fast. He does that once in a while in the last few days. I signed him in and here comes the greeting committee. An old man with a walker who ALSO is 89 years old. Dad was raring to go with him and they walked down the hall together.....Dad didn't even say goodbye to ME. {thanks alot Paw!} So I chatted with the nurse and the director a while about his needs and off I went.

I told the nurse I would be back at 5pm after she telling me the plans they had for that day. I NEGLECTED to tell Dad. Oooops. Dad is a clock watcher if you didn't know that. I mean he spends his days by the clock...IT's noon, time to eat. It's 9pm, time for bed. If I ask him if he is hungry, first words out of his mouth is....'What time is it.' I say, Who cares, are ya hungry? haha

So I spend my day cleaning up some things at the house.....I wrapped some Valentine's Day goodies for his sister and girlfriend.

BULLETIN....good NEWS...the aid just weighed him and he is now up to 140 pounds! YEA! That's 13 pounds in the last 2 weeks. Awesome!

I left the house around 1pm to go visit a girlfriend that recently had surgery and was off work....I was there a couple hours. Then back to the house again to loaf around and play on the computer till time to get Dad. I left at 4:50. Got there right at 5pm and the girls came up to me and told me Dad was more than ready to go.....

Oh brother....he told them at 2:30 that I was suppose to be there and why wasn't I here......he insisted on getting his coat on....he didn't want to play in anymore of their activities but wanted to sit by the door and wait for me.....Oh Lordie.

Then I see Dad....he was not smiling and first thing out of his mouth, Why weren't you here at 2:30 to get me? 2:30??? Where did you get that? He insisted I told him that. So I let him carry on a bit...he wasn't mad ......but irritated was the word to use. I just let him go on for a bit and told him I wanted to take his photo for the Blog. Oh brother......he said he wasn't in the mood, so I said Fake It anyway. hahaha Then he laughed.

{Photo above and he faked it fine.}

So we get in the car to drive home. I told him it was my fault because I didn't tell him the time I was coming back before I left. I told the nurse and staff because he took off with that other gentleman. He said he didn't believe them. haha Naturally. He said he was worried more than anything that I had been in an accident.

I told Dad that I would someHOW let him know if I was going to be late and for him to try and not worry about things and just enjoy his time there. He said, 'You women worry about us men so I suppose I can worry about you.' {I didn't think men worried, lol}

By the time we got home he seemed to be hungry and wondered what was for dinner??

OMG, Stay Tuned for the Story of Odie and the Senior Center!

I just got back from getting him at 5:00pm. We are headed to the other Senior Center for a TOPS meeting.....I have to catch my breath and write my story later. Besides that....there might be yet another story from the next Senior Center cause Dad's on a roll for adventures. If there isn't one there already he will create one. LOL

Dad's First Day @ the Senior Center

Dad seemed anxious to go to the center to see what they had for him to do. This morning was Bible Study so he got there just in time for it to start. He took off with another gentleman who was also 89. He already made a friend in the few moments he walked in the door. They all were anxious to meet him and have someone that is social and can entertain them. Oh boy, here goes Odie and his stories. LOL They call him Odie already and he said that was fine.
On the way over he asked me if they were going to give him lunch.....haha He JUST ate breakfast and was already worried about that. YES, Dad they don't starve you. Getting him dressed this morning was an event. Had to round up a belt and find the "right" pants for him so he didn't look like a dork I guess. So what was the old gentleman that greeted him wearing? PARACHUTE PANTS! haha I told Dad he may be over dressed.
Here is the menu for the week. If we get money assistance for this program then Dad can go as many times a month as he wants. If not, then we have to decide how many days a week he can afford to go at $45 a day. We will know in a couple weeks if he gets help.
I am not going to burden him with all that....I will just see how it goes and then see what we can do from there.
I will write more after the day is over and the dust has settle from his adventure @ Daddy Day Care. LOL

Dad in his Knickers 1929

The Last Few Days...

Dad has changed a lot for the better in the last few days....I almost hate to report this and then have it turn 180 degrees overnight but the point of the blog is to report frequently no matter the outcome.
Since Sunday afternoon Dad is really "with it". He is eating better than he did in the last two years that I was with him. He frequently asks what's for lunch or supper. He eats seconds and DESSERT. I can't say how much weight he has gained because we haven't weighed him since last week. I think it will be a few pounds though. The nurse comes again on Friday and she will do it and mark it down in his home health book.
As hard as it may be to believe....Dad is walking basically on his own WITHOUT dropping and his knees caving in. That has not happened for over a month anyway. Now I am guessing that the epidural shot is doing the trick....We will know that in about 3 months and if he starts the dipping again with the pain in his hips, I will make him an appt with my pain dr for another epidural shot. Dad actually should have had the 3rd shot but he is not complaining about the hip pain at all. Now he does have pain in his back on occasion but not at all like he was.
We took him to the eye doctor on Monday. It's funny how he "wakes" up when he is questioned by professionals. It just fascinates me how he can answer like there is nothing wrong with him.
Basically the outcome with the eye doctor was that with his glasses on, he has 20/20 vision, close up and far away.
He read letters that I couldn't even see and I had my glasses on and I was closer than he was.
Now how do you explain the fact that he says he can't focus and that he sees double?
Well, it's like this......his glasses were made wrong in Logan. Yep, simple as that. I could see that when I really looked at them more closely.
The bifocal line is right in his viewing area cause a double vision. The fact that he used to wear the glasses and complained that he was seeing double caused him to take them off and he wore them to prevent seeing double and blurred basically.
It was that everything was blurred giving the double effect. The Dr told him that Parkinson's can also affect the muscles in the eye and that he could have trouble focusing without his glasses because the muscles of the eyes can become lazy and affect his vision considerably. Dad does have cataracts in both eyes but they are not interferring with his vision. He has not other diseases of the eyes. They Dr was actually impressed with Dad's vision and condition of his eyes for his age.
Dr suggested to Dad that he keep his glasses on all the time. He had us go to the optician to have her fix them for him. So when the gal in the eyeglass section of the office bent his nose pieces so that he could have that bifocal line moved downward, he could see again without double vision. She did so for free.
He has been reading the closed caption on the TV. Go figure. He wrote a nice readable note in a card to Louise....something he hasn't been able to do for months. He looked at photographs for me tonight and told me who people were. {I have been scanning and editing}
So we may still get new lenses and have them made correctly. Dad is still thinking on it.

Dad still hallucinates. {maybe 3-4 times daily he will bring up a subject} He sees money gone when he had it in his hand. He still has "dreams" about property being sold and wonders where certain things are and I tell him where they really are in reality. Eventually he lets it go and stops worrying. He still loves to argue about what's what. Rod just shakes his head at us. Dad will swear there is a door to the basement here......and I say no there isn't and Dad says yes there is.....and I say we have no basement....and she says yes you do. LOL
Dad is going to the Senior Day Center tomorrow for the first time. They have all sorts of activities for Seniors. It's not the typical center where most are independent and can do anything on their own....this is a center for those Seniors that need assistance. I have already toured the facility and I think Dad might like it. They have meals served as well. Dad will no doubt complain about that but then that will make him appreciate my cooking all the more. 8-)
Tomorrow is Bible Study in the afternoon and that's why I chose Thursdays for him to go because I knew he would like that and he did. I will pick him up between 4 and 5 as the center closes at 5. There are recliners there if he wants to take a nap. I know he will speak up if he wants something.....no doubt there. It may take him a time or two to get to know the gals that work there. I met them already and I think Dad will like them. He has already told me that he is not wearing sweat pants to the center...he wants regular pants and went to lengths to tell me exactly what he wanted to wear. I explained to him that I didn't bring all those clothes with me and he can find something in Rod's closet since they wear about the same size. He said OKAY then! He said he hates those sweat pants.....but I told him that they were bought because of his inability to take his own clothes off and that it was easier for the caretakers to help him if he had sweat pants. It's a good sign though that he is aware of what he looks like and tells me exactly what it is that he wants to do to look good for tomorrow.
Home health will soon come to a close. I think Dad will be able to do a lot on his own from now on. He shaved himself this morning. He has not done that for months either. One step at a time but my personal goal for him is to at least be able to get up and go to the bathroom on his own. That would be a huge improvement and would really please him. My sofas are cushy and soft and they sink down. He is able to get himself out of them without a lot of difficulty to my surprise. He can stand up from them too. It may take him a time or two of trying but he does get up. Good exercise for him though.

I have been told in previous months what an adjustment we were going to have to make to have my Dad live with us.....I think they were all wrong. I knew they were wrong when they said it.
The main adjustment I had to make was being woke up in the middle of the night cause I would rather have bamboo shoots under my fingernails than to be woke up. haha Almost. It's not really that bad when Dad is not upset and hallucinating to have him around. I rather like having him around and knowing that he is being taken care of and that he is safe and eating well. I have down time....I don't mind taking him with us when we go out. He goes out with us when we eat out and he seems to really enjoy it.
Rod helps Dad all the time. Dad and Rod talk alot about men stuff. I just stay out of it. I find something else to do when they are watching TV in the evening. I have plenty of projects to get done.
And so it goes.