Make someone’s day a little brighter.  Share a smile or two.

A sunny smile (even on a cloudy day) can never be ignored.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

A little time sitting in the sunshine yesterday afternoon was a welcome change in the routine. It’s been a while since we’ve had him “want” to go outside and enjoy some fresh air — listen to the birds sing, watch the clouds and get away from the TV and the news of the day. He sported his new sunglasses and opted not to wear a hat for a change. It was fun to hear a change in conversation, note the changes in the scenery since our last time out and enjoy a beautiful spring day.

CAREGIVER NOTE:
We took a long walk down memory lane yesterday — several hours of stories with slight embellishments with each retelling. He was all smiles and a bit of laughter as he shared. After he finished, he sighed and wanted to rest. His gait is more of a shuffle now and he would rather hold onto the walls and furniture as he moves around rather than use the walker which he strongly suggests is a hindrance rather than a help. He will take an arm or a shoulder for extra help if it is offered.

He is still in love with his talking watch and he was checking it about 2am this morning. He was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t any later than it was, but went back to sleep after about 5 minutes of near constant checking and recognizing that the time hadn’t changed much.

CAREGIVER NOTE:
I think I jinxed us. Sundowning and the vivid dreams made an appearance again and he was adamant about having helped his folks move to an apartment at the end of the street. From his description of the “experience,” he was back in his hometown. Thankfully, he didn’t demand a ride in the car to go check on them. He was able to settle down a bit after we reminded him he’d done everything he could to help them earlier in the day and they were probably exhausted and sleeping as he should try to do as well. We shared a list of things on the agenda for today with him and he seemed excited about helping check off a few of those things including his weekly trip to a favorite restaurant for a meal.

Fingers crossed for a good day and a better night ahead.