Most of what he said made no sense to me, much of what he verbalized seemed to be about imaginary activities (or fragments of past experiences). I asked him if he would like to get out of his room and take a ride in his wheelchair (Dad is too weak to walk on his own) and he agreed. After getting him in the wheelchair I took him to some of the spots in the nursing home we'd been to in the past. As we sat by the courtyard entrance, he continued his conversation with me. Some of what he said that I could make out were, "Bruce, is doing good now, he's learning." And "Jay makes me laugh, he's just a boy you know." Then after a nurse made an announcement on the nursing home's PA system, Dad said with a loud voice looking upwards towards the ceiling, "Joyce, is that you? Where are you?" then he looked down and chuckled. I asked him if he remembered Shelley and he said, "Oh yes, she's been around. I saw someone who looked just like her, I think it was her sister."
A few minutes later, Pilar, one of the CNAs caring for Dad, came by and spoke with Dad in Spanish. She said, "I see your have a visitor." Dad looked at her puzzled and asked her if she knew who I was. She said yes. She said, "That's your son." Dad laughed at her like she was crazy and said, "No, that's my papa." Pilar smiled at him and me and continued on what she was doing before stopping to talk to Dad.
A little over an hour later he was tired and cold, so I wheeled him back to his room where he could get under the covers.
The following video is just under 3 minutes but it will give you an idea of what my visit was like. Most of what he says is hard to follow but you might be able to make out some of this thoughts. Enjoy Dad on a good day:
