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 would and makes and eats his breakfast in a more timely fashion on Tuesdays. He even remembers to open his blinds. So interesting. He often sleeps late and is disoriented when he wakes and takes a long time to not only make his breakfast but sometimes forgets to even eat it. Not on Tuesdays!
Do people “rise” even when cognitive function is impaired? Hard to say but I would lean towards a “yes”. I know my mother did. Of course, on the flip side, Dad found our last Monday rehearsal incredibly difficult and decided he had not sung most if any of those songs ever before. Where did those memories of the last 2 months of rehearsal go? And most of our songs are now “very close” to being performance ready (even the tough ones!) so what happened for my Dad’s dementia to be able to control this? Is this related to confidence? I kinda think so….but am not sure….
I think I’m gonna try practising with him at home but only on Monday afternoons in order to keep it fresh in his memory bank. If that’s even possible. I know I could be setting myself up for some tears but I don’t care. I’m gonna try anyway! Take that dementia!! We’ll see though how I do with Time Warp…..I don’t think he’s a fan of that one….
In the meantime, we now look forward to Tuesday mornings with a new energy in the house. Turns out, a new friend for my Dad can bring a lot into all of our lives here. Nice.
aaack – now to run and stop my Dad from shovelling snow!!!
