Whenever I visit Dad I am usually greeted with a look of confusion and defensiveness in his body language. I see the confusion in his eyes as he tries to figure out who I am. His defensiveness is reflected in his readiness to argue or fight with me (hands in a fist). However, once I start talking to him his face slowly becomes relaxed and his attitude begins to soften. He may not remember my name or my relationship to him, but he knows I'm family.
Over the years since Alzheimer's taken hold of his memory, I have been his father, uncle, cousin, and son, usually in that order. When he looks at Shelley, my wife, he tends to treat her like a nurse or CNA at first. When I ask him if he'd like me to call his daughter for a chat, he responds with, "my daughter?" Yet within minutes of conversation, he begins to speak with ease and will use terms like, "mija" or "mijo" and that's why I believe he knows we are family.
Here are some photos from our visit yesterday evening (May 11, 2013):
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| Dad making me laugh while talking with Joyce. |
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| Dad checking out what's going on down the hall. |
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| Dad smiling for Joyce. |
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Dad looking out the window watching cars go by saying,
"There goes another one!" or " They sure go fast." |
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| Shelley thinking, "Will you stop taking my photo!" |
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These birds joined in our conversation to which Dad said,
"Shut up!" |
