Been a while

Well, it has been a while. Right after the fish story my computer was hit by lightning. Boo hoo. Then, since I had received no feedback from the blog, I figured no one was reading it except the one person who kept telling me how depressing it was and why did I write it. So, when I got my computer repaired and was no longer in the habit of blogging, I stopped. But, over Christmas I was asked why it had disappeared. That's why. I will start again.

Dad had a pretty good Christmas. It was wearing on him and he was often bothered by all the company. He can, however, go to his room and have time to himself, and he did that a lot. His favorite pastime is to do "word search" puzzles. He got a couple of books for Christmas and has been busy doing them. Just before Christmas he had also won a big word search book at the adult care center he attends 3 days a week. He should be taken care of until February.

Dad is still at the adult care center 3 days a week. It had been up to five, but my bride and I went on vacation last summer for a week. During that week he stayed at my brother's house. It was a routine breaking event. When he got home he announced that he was never going back to "that place" again. He didn't mean my brother's house. Well, we did all that we could do to get him to go back the first Monday after Labor Day, and he agreed. But when he was there he told them he was never coming back again. He didn't either, not for a while.

It was in his mind, the one thing that is always in his mind, to go see Dar. That is his conversation daily. He had figured that if he didn't go to adult care, then obviously he could go to Chicago. Therein lies his faulty thinking center. There was no real connection between the two ideas, but he was convinced that if he didn't do the one, then he could do the other. Since his health care benefits are partially tied to going to adult care, this was not going to be good for him, but he neither understood or cared. Finally the visiting nurse impressed upon him the absolute need to go back, and how he is back 3 days a week.

He came home from the center on this past Tuesday so happy that he had met a new man who was coming and they had hit it off well. He was talking about what a good time he had had and on an on. At supper that night I suggested that since he had a new friend and was having such a good time, he might want to go back to going five days a week. He didn't hesitate a moment, but snapped sharply in reply, "I don't want to go any days. I want to go less not more." The subject was dropped. That is how it is. If you try to feed off of what he seems to be saying, it doesn't mean that he is thinking those things at all.

So, how has he been in general since last May? Well, according the Alzheimer's material we got, he should have shown significant decline in all areas. He hasn't. There has been decline in some areas, but none in other areas. He actually has learned some new things, which according to the literature and the seminars, is not supposed to be possible. He absolutely cannot take care of himself. He doesn't initiate things. But, if my wife gets him going, he can accomplish a good deal. With guidance he operates fairly well. We have a new message board by his room where my wife writes down his schedule for the next day before she goes to bed at night. It helps him get the one or two things on the schedule taken care of. Those items might include things as simple as taking a shower, which needs to be scheduled or it is not done. That's it for today. I will try to get back on next Friday.