Five years ago on June 6, 2009 (D-Day + 55) I wrote this blog in honor of my Daddy (born on June 6 just 12 years before the famous invasion of Europe in 1944).
http://ministryhappens.blogspot.com/2009/06/d-day-my-dads-birthday.html
Today, my brother and sister-in-law are driving him from his beloved Mississippi to Georgia where he will, tomorrow, become a resident of a nursing home.
Several weeks ago- not long at all-he started suffering severe delusions and hallucinations. He had already been "seeing things"- something we thought had more to do with his progressive Macular Degeneration and subsequent loss of sight. But a few weeks ago things apparently took a nosedive. He was admitted at a hospital where he diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
None of us saw it coming.
None of us are able to give him the specialized care he needs.
None of us live in a safe-enough environment for him to live even if we could be at his beck-and-call 24 hours a day.
And so this morning he was finally released from the hospital; by tomorrow he should be a new resident of a nursing home that's as nice as nursing homes can be. It's a place where my oldest sister and her husband- and even my mother- have volunteered for years and so they already know the staff and many of the residents. I even spoke there about Ukraine when I was in the States this past Spring and found many of the residents there that evening to be very knowledgeable about current events.
In the weeks that he's been in the hospital I've heard about the good days and the bad days and the atrocious days. Hopefully properly balanced medication and a safe environment and a routine will eliminate the atrocious days. On those days, as I've heard about them, it seems his shell is the only vestige of who he is; who he always has been. On the good days of course, it's still Daddy inside and out; albeit quite confused about what's happening to him and around him.
At this point we're not entirely sure he understands what's happening today; what will happen tomorrow when, at the end of the day, my brother and sis-in-law take their leave and go back to Mississippi.
Daddy won't be alone. My sister and brother-in-law and Mom are nearby.
And you know, if you read the blog I wrote 5 years ago you might see that, my Dad is the most social "introvert" I've ever known. Being around people; being able to tell stories- even if they stem from an Alzheimer's induced delusion- might be good for him.
I have felt so bad for my sisters and brother over these past several weeks. I hate that they're the ones having to make these hard decisions; having to make this tough drive today. I hate that I'm thousands of miles away. And at the same time- I hate that I'm sometimes glad that I am thousands of miles away.
I'm hoping and praying for good days for my Dad. I'll get back to the States in December I think and I hope to be there for some good days.
http://ministryhappens.blogspot.com/2009/06/d-day-my-dads-birthday.html
Today, my brother and sister-in-law are driving him from his beloved Mississippi to Georgia where he will, tomorrow, become a resident of a nursing home.
Several weeks ago- not long at all-he started suffering severe delusions and hallucinations. He had already been "seeing things"- something we thought had more to do with his progressive Macular Degeneration and subsequent loss of sight. But a few weeks ago things apparently took a nosedive. He was admitted at a hospital where he diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
None of us saw it coming.
None of us are able to give him the specialized care he needs.
None of us live in a safe-enough environment for him to live even if we could be at his beck-and-call 24 hours a day.
And so this morning he was finally released from the hospital; by tomorrow he should be a new resident of a nursing home that's as nice as nursing homes can be. It's a place where my oldest sister and her husband- and even my mother- have volunteered for years and so they already know the staff and many of the residents. I even spoke there about Ukraine when I was in the States this past Spring and found many of the residents there that evening to be very knowledgeable about current events.
In the weeks that he's been in the hospital I've heard about the good days and the bad days and the atrocious days. Hopefully properly balanced medication and a safe environment and a routine will eliminate the atrocious days. On those days, as I've heard about them, it seems his shell is the only vestige of who he is; who he always has been. On the good days of course, it's still Daddy inside and out; albeit quite confused about what's happening to him and around him.
At this point we're not entirely sure he understands what's happening today; what will happen tomorrow when, at the end of the day, my brother and sis-in-law take their leave and go back to Mississippi.
Daddy won't be alone. My sister and brother-in-law and Mom are nearby.
And you know, if you read the blog I wrote 5 years ago you might see that, my Dad is the most social "introvert" I've ever known. Being around people; being able to tell stories- even if they stem from an Alzheimer's induced delusion- might be good for him.
I have felt so bad for my sisters and brother over these past several weeks. I hate that they're the ones having to make these hard decisions; having to make this tough drive today. I hate that I'm thousands of miles away. And at the same time- I hate that I'm sometimes glad that I am thousands of miles away.
I'm hoping and praying for good days for my Dad. I'll get back to the States in December I think and I hope to be there for some good days.
