me, my dad and dementia #27 – a whirlwind week
On Monday night we had a fab rehearsal which gave us all a chance to see the video clips that “go with” the songs we’re singing. I believe people not only understood them but enjoyed them….not so for my Dad. He had a very hard time understanding what they were about. He is also still […]
me, my dad and dementia #26 – phrases my father says…over and over again
–didn’t I take them? I usually take them every morning! (in reference to us almost every morning reminding Dad to take his morning vitamins/pills)-well, she must be dead. (in reference to my Dad’s sister who lives in a care home in Winnipeg and likes to visit others in the care facility…a lot. So she doesn’t […]
me, my dad and dementia #25 – did you know….?
Did you know……(in no particular order) 1-that dementia can give you new friends…every single time you meet them again! 2-that dementia can help you discover a newfound appreciation for food you can’t remember you used to quite despise? 3-that you can wash dishes with 36 different dish cloths and yet not find a single one […]
me, my dad and dementia #24 – vikings, in the mood
AHA – got your attention with that little title right? I take my Dad to a lecture series at the West End Seniors Centre every Friday. I’ve been taking him for 4 years now. He loves it. They all seem to know his name and he cannot name a single person. Thank you NOT dementia….then […]
me, my dad and dementia #23 – in real time
Monday 1:10 Let the experiment begin. I went over to work with Dad on the 2 pieces I think cause him the most discomfort. And indeed, I guessed correctly but not for the reasons I thought initially. “Time”, our very wordy, rhythmically challenging, unaccompanied piece that starts our show is one of these songs for […]
me, my dad and dementia #22 – a new friend
My Dad has a new friend. He’s actually a wonderful volunteer for a wonderful organization that has stepped up to simply give my Dad some social interaction once a week.Dad’s friend comes to visit with him every Tuesday morning. Amazing. And my father really likes him!My father now gets up slightly earlier than he normally […]
me, my dad and dementia #21 – he’s not a worrier…
…But I am! Now that the weather has turned, my Dad went out for a walk the other day and I realized that it’s really time to get an air tag for him. Maybe that way I won’t worry about how long he’s gone or if he’s tripped somewhere. Of course, figuring out where to […]
me, my dad and dementia #20 – a swollen and bruised ankle
#20 – a swollen and bruised ankleAAGH! We have no idea how it happened but I’m gonna guess sometime on Wednesday since he only showed it to us on Thursday. It had many wild colors to start and those have dissipated a fair bit. The swelling has gone down but it is not totally gone. […]
me, my dad and dementia #19 – raising an 87-year old
Well the trip was lovely. Not exactly totally relaxing but still really really lovely. We’ve discovered that if we simply spend every waking moment with my Dad while on our holidays, it goes much better. Last summer we tried to take some time to ourselves while in Canmore and that didn’t work so well….Dad felt […]
me, my dad and dementian #18 – odds and ends
We’re about to head out to the magical island so I’ll just give you a quick update. Yes, he LOVED the show on Saturday night. Me too! HAH He is maintaining happy thoughts for the most part. Interesting side note….about a week ago, he was full out angry that we had “taken his pencil sharpener […]