me, my dad and dementia #59 – mayonnaise in the porridge
Yes, you read that title correctly. This morning, my Dad ran out of milk for his porridge (which we supply in small quantities so it doesn’t go bad….which it had….so we took it away but forgot to replace) and so he decided in typical Eric-like fashion to add whatever he had in his fridge that […]
me, my dad and dementia #58: another show, another speed bump
Forte Plus and Seniors Acting Out Together did two of their shows just last week. We started with an afternoon rehearsal followed by an evening performance and another evening performance the very next night. Dad was slightly surprised each time. Tiny speed bump…. “Oh, are we doing another show?” Plus, he really wanted to bring […]
me, my dad and dementia #57: are patience and love interchangeable words?
We’ve discovered a lovely rhythm and flow lately in regards to how my husband and I look after my father. I’ve gotten really good at side stepping some questions from my Dad that I don’t think he needs to hear the answers to….just sayin’. I also have found it easier and easier to not point […]
me, my dad and dementia #56 – the devil and the details…
For Dad and hence for us, the details really matter. He’s been forgetting, more regularly recently, to turn off his stove top after he makes his porridge. But he still makes his own porridge so….we just have to remember to check every morning and it’s all good! Dad received a lovely chocolate bar as one […]
me, my dad and dementia #55 – rings, lings, and dings…
We’re singing a song on Monday nights that involves a lot of “nonsense” words at break neck speed. Dad is not really getting them and yet is still enjoying his Monday night experience very much, unlike last term when he went home feeling miserable after almost every rehearsal. Now, that particular song is not the […]
me, my dad and dementia #54: short and sweet…
I caught myself wondering what it would have been like for me and for my family if we weren’t looking after my Dad through this stage of his life.At first, I felt that it would have been a relief. A kind of out of sight, out of mind type approach appeals here. I could blithely […]
me, my dad and dementia #53: a new helper begins…and ends…
Who knew that it would be so challenging to find the right “fit” for us and for my Dad? We started with a lovely young woman who – as Dad described her – was “enigmatic” and as I described her was “hard to connect with”. But man, could she clean! Actually, thanks to this young […]
me, my dad and dementia #52 – a whirlwind weekend
This past Thanksgiving weekend, as is our tradition, we headed to Jasper with the whole family and one special relative who made it out here at the last minute from Winnipeg. Very nice! Dad knew where Jasper was and the context of Alberta/BC/Canada was all very obvious to him. What was not obvious, was that […]
me, my dad and dementia #51: physical therapy, meet and greets, a bear (!) and wallet found
Last Friday we met a physical therapist who came to our home to assess my Dad’s balance and stability. My father decided that despite still getting over the cold/flu thang, he should rise in a typical Eric-like way. First, the PT asked if he could get up from his couch without using his arms. My […]
me, my dad and dementia #50 – don’t get sick!
Here’s a little something I learned this past week…..don’t let your 87 year old father get sick! Not even a little bit. AACK! All 3 of us suffered from some kind of cold/flu bug this past week and while it seemed to hit me the hardest, I also seemed to recover more completely than my […]