Just got back from a visit with Dad. It was Bingo time at the house so he and a couple of the other housemates were sitting around the table getting ready to play with Janice, one of the administrators leading the game. Dad was sitting with his eyes closed, and stayed that way for the most part of my visit. I did get him to open his eyes to look at me and have some eye contact, but not much. He's a little more responsive to Anna. She was feeding him some chocolate "thicket" milk with a spoon and he was consistently opening his mouth for each spoonful he was presented (seems to do it with his eyes closed.) Anna said he does this for most meals, though he appears to have lost weight from the last time I saw him (could feel his spine through his back). Anna said that he had definitely lost weight...the hospice group, which had been considering taking him off, told Anna because of the weight loss (measured by his arm circumference) they would keep him on for another 2 months and then re-assess again. I haven't received any phone calls from the hospice nurse since the last time that Justine and I met with her in October.
Janice told me that Dad was surprisingly very alert last Wednesday, and vocalizing a bit. Anna reports that mostly Dad is sleeping or sleepy, but does have occasional "agitation" days where he is more alert, up all day (and into the night)...though unlike before, he really can't get up on his own, so hopefully is safe from any falls in that scenario.
When Dad is sitting like he does, with his eyes closed, it does appear to me that he is still hearing what's going on for the most part, and knew I was there (when Anna said 'it's your daughter, Barbara, he nodded)...in some ways it seems he is choosing to shut it out. At one point during the Bingo game he was focused on wanting to pull the card up off the table (it was taped down with scotch tape.)
