Month: June 2024

go forward…

CAREGIVER NOTE:
He was willing to go for a ride in the car yesterday and go to lunch! We were very surprised he accepted the offer. He said he enjoyed the time out and the food was wonderful! He had his favorite….. RIBS, corn on the cob and a few fries. Not the healthiest menu, but it’s something he really enjoys! He was in good spirits and even put off his bedtime for a couple of hours to enjoy a couple of shows he hadn’t watched in a very long time… at least we were able to put CNN aside for a few hours yesterday and it was very delightful.

He was in good spirits for most of the day. Lots of smiles, a few chuckles and even a little teasing. No sundowning, though he did mention that the house seemed a little dark yesterday after coming back from lunch. There was some cloud cover outside, but I’m pretty sure it had to do with the fact that he didn’t want to use his sunglasses yesterday while he was out — and the house always seems a little darker after coming in from outside when he doesn’t wear the glasses.

you are the keeper

CAREGIVER NOTE:

He must have read my mind that we both needed some good sleep. And for the most part he did sleep quite well. We switched up his TV watching and that seems to help a bit. Not so much news and change channels to something a little more lightweight. I’m hoping that will help a little. He’s still getting up earlier than what had been his norm. He had some smiles, a chuckle or two and was in pretty good spirits overall. He took quite a few walks — just need him to drink more water throughout the day…he prefers his Dr. Pepper to anything else.

S.M.I.L.E.

an oldie but a goodie.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Seems we’re back into a cycle of dreams and living in the past again. Yesterday’s afternoon conversations after a very early wake-up were about visiting with his parents and an uncle and his seeing his uncle’s clock on the mantle of his house yesterday. I do learn a few things about his experiences during these conversations… however, they often lead to vivid dreams during the night. Last night was no exception. Wide awake, dressed for the day and ready to take a trip north — he wanted to go to the bank and talk about some business with some property he was helping his dad with.

Thankfully, after some talk, a bit of laughter and his realizing that it was nighttime and not daytime, he was willing to have a “late night snack,” sit and visit for a little while and then go back to bed. I’m not sure how today will go, but I’m hoping for a good day overall.

Happiness is a choice

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Yesterday got off to a rocky start…. thankfully, it ended on a good note with all the boys checking in. We did miss one call and hope to hear from that son sometime today. He’s had an interesting night with some pretty coherent conversation going on. He must have been dreaming about a good experience during his military times — one segment dealt with his asking the “boys” about their rations. I wish I would have recorded it now. No yelling, no screaming or asking anyone to leave. It was quite pleasant for a change.

Make someone smile today….

CAREGIVER NOTE:
We’re having a “small” family gathering this evening to honor him and our sons for Father’s Day. I hope he’ll enjoy the laughter and time together – at least for a little while. It shouldn’t be too hot nor too chilly for him to spend a little time outside with the “guys” and maybe share a story or too. He had no preferences for a gift — and he really doesn’t need much of anything, so we did get him a pie. A cherry pie. It’s definitely his preference for desserts when he asks.

He did get “lost” in the house a couple of times yesterday. Couldn’t find the bathroom or his bedroom. Thankfully, he was still in good spirits and not angry about this…. he even smiled when we teased him about letting the walker “show him the way,” but still refusing to use his temporary handrail and preferring “a pretty girl” to lead the way….

PS: He has enjoyed using the iPad for his Facetime calls. He can see the caller more easily and interacts a little better as well. Now, I just have to show him how to use the easel backing on the cover when he’s sitting at the table and has a hard surface to set it on.

It’s a brand new day.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

The “new” iPad didn’t hold his interest yesterday… but we assumed that would be the case. It is all set up and ready for him when he does decide to try to use it. He had a pretty good day yesterday…. we laughed a bit, he had a few zingers to share with us and was thrilled with his ribs and corn on the cob for dinner. No evening snacks… he was ready for bed early due to his being up earlier than his norm. He was a little restless last night, but was only up once overnight to use the bathroom. I’d say overall, it was a pretty good day.

take note..

Find a few Kodak moments throughout your day.

CAREGIVER NOTE:
Interest in having access to a laptop computer and iPad has resurfaced. We updated the operating system on his old iPad, but found it was connected to an old non-working email address and the password isn’t written correctly in his password book to reset things to a new email address and password. Luckily, we have another iPad, though slightly smaller in the house that no one was using on a regular basis. We were able to reset that one and charge it overnight so he will be able to use it if he has interest in it. Hopefully, that will suffice… though he was nearly adamant about going to the Apple store and either having them reset the one he has OR buying a new Apple laptop and iPad. We’ll see if he remembers anything about it this morning…. I’d really rather he not invest in new tech equipment at this time as he really has an issue memory wise with things as it is and he gets frustrated easily when things don’t work like he thinks they should or respond to his tapping on the screen fast enough. But that story is for another day…..