CAREGIVER NOTE:
He had a really bad night — not sure who he was yelling at for most of the hour long episode, but I did hear one familiar name he asked for help from at the very beginning. I do hope he’ll be in good spirits today and not as many “loose ends” as yesterday. T took him for a ride, to get a haircut and a shave and out to lunch before stopping at their favorite store before coming home. He took a mini stroll around the backyard checking out a few things — wanting to know how to unlock the gate before coming back into the house. I fibbed and told him it was locked from the other side. He did find the release, but didn’t lift it enough to unlock one side of the gate. I’ve no doubt that if left long enough on his own, he’d figure out how to get out of the yard through one of the gates or break the gate to do so.

Positives:
He enjoyed watching a college football game — it went into double overtime.
He was freely giving hugs yesterday
He had lots of smiles
He asked for help in before getting too frustrated

CAREGIVER NOTE:
Seems that driving was on his mind yesterday… so we talked a bit – he still isn’t sold on hiring a driver to take him around or to using the walker when he does go out. He’s still craving independence and autonomy — I don’t blame him. It’s not safe for him to be behind the wheel – but at least there wasn’t the big blow up I had thought might expand when he wasn’t getting too far with getting ahold of the keys and such.

Postives for the day:
He enjoyed spending some time out on the deck watching us pick peaches and clean up the area under the fruit trees.
He tried some new foods last evening and seemed to enjoy them. They were filling and he didn’t want a bedtime snack before calling it a night.
His sense of humor was spot on even when he got terribly confused about what the controller for his lift chair can and cannot do. I’m not sure how many times he tried to change the channel on the TV yesterday. 😉

Sometimes easier said than done; but definitely take some time and try.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

Another long night. This time, worries about a long gone vehicle. He was finally able to settle in after about 3 hours of ups and downs.

CAREGIVER NOTE:

He was all smiles as family members from around the state arrived for the family reunion at one of our local parks. He enjoyed spending time with them for several hours. We brought him home a little early as he was getting a bit anxious and using the restroom facilities at the park weren’t comfortable for him to use. It took a couple of hours for him to settle in back at home… he did a lot of pacing between the bathroom, his room and the living room, but he did settle in and went to bed just before 8.

We didn’t take any family group pictures yesterday, but one of the grandchildren caught some candids of everyone who dropped in and spent some time. It was a delightful day and we’re very thankful for all the help and support in making it happen.

CAREGIVER NOTES:

He noticed the calendar date on his clock yesterday — he realized his birthday is close. He asked how old he would be and kind of shut down. He as been a little more depressed the last few days — but I was linking that to his reminiscing and wanting to talk to family members who had already passed on. I invite him to share a story or memory with me and that often cheers him up. We’ve talked about his Mom’s garden quite a bit lately — he has lots of fond memories of seeing her work in the garden and helping there. That’s probably where he gained his “green” thumb and started building his own skills for his 1/4 acre garden we remember. Our kids remember shelling peas and snapping beans on the living room floor; helping to dig potatoes and pulling weeds.

We’re hoping that his upcoming birthday bash will bring him some joy.