CAREGIVER NOTE:
We found a large print copy of a book he wanted to read. Yesterday’s experiment of using his new readers and seeing if he could read the print was a success — his interest didn’t hold for too long, but it was a step forward. YIPPEE!
CAREGIVER NOTE:
Still not wanting to try something “new.” We’d talked about doing a few different things, made a few plans, gathered the materials and made time in the day — but when it comes down to doing it, he’s not ready to try it. We’ll keep looking for that opening. Maybe this week….
Give thanks today and every day for the little things.
CAREGIVER NOTE:
YIPPEE! He took a stroll around the new deck and down the stairs. Walked across the yard, through the east gate and around to the ramp and up to the front door! He said he loved smelling the air — a little bit of wood smoke still lingered from early morning and seeing all the brilliant colors on the trees in the neighborhood. He felt safe on the deck now that the railing is up and all around. The stairs and rails are extra sturdy and there’s no “wiggling” when he holds on to go down. He was all smiles! But sadly they didn’t last long.
He asked several times yesterday to call his brothers — and before I could answer he said, “don’t tell me they’re dead.” How do you respond? He asked to see their obituaries, and thankfully, his wife had saved the newsprint copies in a binder and I was able to share that with him. I need to scan those and upload them into the cloud so I can pull them up when he asks again, because he will. He “remembers” seeing both his brothers working on an irrigation head gate and his Uncle Pert asking them to repair another gate for him — all this happening just a couple of days ago. These memories/hallucinations make things pretty hard for him to reconcile. He knows things aren’t right, but can’t put the pieces together. He had tears yesterday, again. Dementia/Alzheimer’s sucks!
Take one more step. Turn one more corner. Repeat as needed.
CAREGIVER NOTES:
Tentative steps. He’s watched the progress of the deck build with great interest the last 2 weeks. Asking questions, offering advice from his huge bank of wisdom of his own building knowledge. However, yesterday, there was a lot of hesitation about taking that first step out onto the deck. There’s no step down on to the landing. It’s handicap accessible now and the deck flooring is level with the threshold of the door. He’ll be able to access using a walker or the wheel chair if that becomes necessary in the future. I wonder if it has to do with the memory of having something to hold onto when he stepped out previously and now there’s no railing for him to hang onto as he had to do previously with just the landing and steps down into the yard. Hmmmmm….
… throughout every season.
Greatitudes 