Having Fun With Dad

On June 19, 2016, my Dad turned 88. My sister and I spent some time with him on his special day with the goal of having fun with Dad. Maybe getting old could be fun...at least for a few hours. I thought I would share some of that fun with you.

Following are a couple of videos, one with Dad playing ball with Joyce and the other with Joyce interviewing him about his special day.

Here are some pics of the day:

Joyce feeding Dad cake, milk, juice, and a milkshake.

Joyce trying to draw Dad's attention to the balloons (he wasn't interested).

We bought Dad some new shades.

Examining the baseball.

Getting reading to pitch...

Card from his sister Noemi.

Hope you enjoyed the videos and pictures!

Still David

It was in 2008 that my Dad was diagnosed with dementia and so much has happened during those eight years. Of those eight years, the last seven years have been here in California where he has been under my care. Two years were spent living with my wife and I, while the last five years have been at the Pine Ridge Care Center.

Seven years ago I could carry on a conversation with my Dad even though he had moments where he got confused or repeated his thoughts several times over. Today there is no two-way conversation, just me talking to him with him staring back at me with the “I don’t know who you are” look.

However, as much as my Dad’s condition has worsened, he is still David.

On my last visit with Dad, my sister conducted an informal interview with Dad asking him a few basic questions, such as: What is your name? Where are you from? Do you have children?

Observe his response to those questions in the following short video:

As you can see he knows his name, where he is from, and acknowledges that he has children. So deep down he knows he is still David.

In Other News

I met with Pine Ridge staff on May 6^th at our quarterly care conference meeting. Overall Dad’s health is fine. For the past year Dad has maintained a weight between 142 and 150 lbs.

Dad’s main meal is breakfast, which he tends to eat everything provided. He eats less at lunch and even less at dinner.

Most of all, Dad loves to have his back and shoulders massaged. Recently Pine Ridge had a “spa day” for their patients and Dad loved it! He enjoyed the massage while sipping on lemon water.

Taking a selfie with Dad

Dad and his daughter Joyce