During my July visits with Dad, I have observed his continual memory decline but his overall physical health has improved. He is no
longer in hospice care, he is eating more, and most importantly, he is drinking
plenty of fluids.
It seems like every time I visited Dad in July he was in bed
asleep, yet, according to the night time staff, Dad is awake at night and walks
around.
During one of my visits when he was sleeping, I nudged him a
little. He opened his eyes, smiled and said to me, “Hi dad.” Then he closed his
eyes and went back to sleep. Instead of trying to wake him, I just sat at the
edge of his bed and watched him sleep, probably the same way he used to watch
us when we were young children. It is moments like these when it becomes so
overwhelming in realizing just how much has changed as we’ve grown older. In
many ways, it has not been fun but it has provided the opportunity to
appreciate life more.
I took Dad for his follow up visit with his neurologist this
past Friday (July 27th). He answered a few of the memory test
questions correctly, such as correctly stating the current month and season but
he couldn’t answer any of the other questions posed. His doctor confirmed that
he is in the late Alzheimer’s stage. However, as long as he continues to eat
well and drink fluids, which will minimize any complications that could
negatively affect his health, he should be just fine.
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| If I were to have taken a photo of Dad during my July visits, most would look like this one! |
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