I stopped by to see Dad around 5:30pm. He was sitting at the table after finishing his dinner. They were planning to give him some strawberries and whip cream for dessert. Mamie, the 105 gal was sitting at the table too. Apparently her son, who visits frequently makes a point of talking to Dad because he was also in the military (marines). Mamie told me that her husband (deceased) was in the army and another son, who has also died, was in the Navy. making the point of covering every branch of service.
Dad was responsive when spoken to but then would put his head down and look down in his lap. When I asked him if he enjoyed his dinner, he said "I haven't had my dinner yet" which is something he used to say to me a lot as well. He was also mentioning something about "8 days" as well as mentioning that "he (referring to Al) gets it all set up for him." I also spoke to Anna who is the gal who fills in for Al on his day off and she mentioned that she had cared for Dad yesterday on Al's day off. She said everything has been going fine, and also that Dad's bowel movements have been coming daily for the last few days.
Laura, who is back in town having been gone for a few weeks, is planning to visit Dad tomorrow. Perhaps Ken will come up this weekend, and I will certainly try to get by there on the weekend as well.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Dad update
Hi everyone,
Got a call from Chris (administrator at Emerald Isle) yesterday morn... apparently Dad got up the night before a couple of times. Not sure of the exact chain of events, but Al heard Dad come out of the room (approx 2:30am?), walking without a walker, and holding his shoes from his closet. Al got him back to bed for a little while, and then when he got up again, Al let him sit in the recliner in the living room. Al sleeps on the couch in the living room by the way....at some point, Dad had walked over to the couch and apparently "hit" Al on the head while he was sleeping!
Chris mentioned that up to that point, Dad had been doing great...eating and sleeping well, conversing with others, etc. I had previously mentioned to them about the night time incidents, and certainly it is something they know can happen and are willing to deal with (to a point...if it persists, they may request additional night time care/support). However, she did raise the concern, which I share, about the physical aggression...not sure what Dad might have been thinking. Hopefully as he becomes more familiar with everyone, it won't happen again.
I stopped by yesterday and spoke to Al, who didn't seem shaken by the incident nor express concern. Dad was enjoying his lunch, but not very talkative. Al said his approach, in general, is not to force Dad to do anything he doesn't want to (giving him "time" and space when needed, for example), which is something I had discussed with him before (noting that Dad will sometimes get angry if forced when he's not ready.)
This morning I spoke to the other gal there and she said Dad slept fine last night and was doing great.
Got a call from Chris (administrator at Emerald Isle) yesterday morn... apparently Dad got up the night before a couple of times. Not sure of the exact chain of events, but Al heard Dad come out of the room (approx 2:30am?), walking without a walker, and holding his shoes from his closet. Al got him back to bed for a little while, and then when he got up again, Al let him sit in the recliner in the living room. Al sleeps on the couch in the living room by the way....at some point, Dad had walked over to the couch and apparently "hit" Al on the head while he was sleeping!
Chris mentioned that up to that point, Dad had been doing great...eating and sleeping well, conversing with others, etc. I had previously mentioned to them about the night time incidents, and certainly it is something they know can happen and are willing to deal with (to a point...if it persists, they may request additional night time care/support). However, she did raise the concern, which I share, about the physical aggression...not sure what Dad might have been thinking. Hopefully as he becomes more familiar with everyone, it won't happen again.
I stopped by yesterday and spoke to Al, who didn't seem shaken by the incident nor express concern. Dad was enjoying his lunch, but not very talkative. Al said his approach, in general, is not to force Dad to do anything he doesn't want to (giving him "time" and space when needed, for example), which is something I had discussed with him before (noting that Dad will sometimes get angry if forced when he's not ready.)
This morning I spoke to the other gal there and she said Dad slept fine last night and was doing great.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Transition weekend
I stopped by to see Dad Saturday afternoon. He was relaxing in a reclining chair that was in his room. The bedroom is quite nice...it's at the back of the house and has a fireplace and couch, along with a dresser, cabinet style closet and the recliner they put in there. I spent some more time sharing Dad's routine and various things with Al while there. I took Dad for a stroll around the outside of the house and he was moving well. Went to the great room table (two other ladies were in the sitting area watching TV during that time.) I shared the beach house family photo where Dad immediately recognized himself, and when I pointed to Mom he said that was me. I corrected him and went through the rest of the family. He seemed in good spirits, but was quite sleepy. Started to initiate a puzzle but he kept looking down and closing his eyes, so we walked back to the recliner in his room and I let him rest. It seems as though that's sort of a common "siesta" time at the house (after lunch). Al says he has a half hour break around that time. Al reported by the way, that Dad had slept well the night before, and also that he was a little surprised to hear Dad say "aw shit" when Al was helping him pull of the t-shirt for the shower n the morning. I have previously heard Dad use that term before, though not that often.
Today I just made a quick stop by on my way back from the Farmer's market...I dropped off a pint of strawberries and a tangerine for Dad. He had just finished lunch and Al was about to take him to the bathroom (in hopes for a bowel movement...didn't have one yesterday.) Dad gave me a big bright smile when I said Hi. I asked him how he was doing and he said something to the effect of "this guy's going to help me out" (referring to Al.) Al said he has named him his "captain" and I told him I thought Dad would like being called that, though Charlie was fine too. Am hoping to make a longer visit later this afternoon. I'll try to remember to get my camera out to take some photos that I could post.
Today I just made a quick stop by on my way back from the Farmer's market...I dropped off a pint of strawberries and a tangerine for Dad. He had just finished lunch and Al was about to take him to the bathroom (in hopes for a bowel movement...didn't have one yesterday.) Dad gave me a big bright smile when I said Hi. I asked him how he was doing and he said something to the effect of "this guy's going to help me out" (referring to Al.) Al said he has named him his "captain" and I told him I thought Dad would like being called that, though Charlie was fine too. Am hoping to make a longer visit later this afternoon. I'll try to remember to get my camera out to take some photos that I could post.