On Friday I took Dad to see his doc at the VA. When I picked him up he was still having lunch so I didn't have time to properly get him together. Plus I was a bit flustered so I wasn't thinking clearly. His wheelchair wasn't in his room and I forgot to get his jacket and extra Depends. I used his walker as a wheelchair and took him out to the car. When we got there I gave him my jacket to wear and covered his legs with the down throw I still had in the car from the hospital stay. I also found a fresh Depends back there.
I dropped him off at the door and asked a security guard to watch him while I parked the car. The security guard took him to Module 3 and checked him in. Nice guy! We got in almost right away but they hadn't told me that he first needed to go up to the lab. We went up and Dad had some blood drawn. We also had to get a urine sample (more great fun for Donita). Then we went back down to see Dr. Griffin. Dr. Giertz joined us. She's the psychiatrist who talks like Edna in The Incredibles. I told them all about Dad's hospital stay and what put him in there in the first place. Dr. Griffin wasn't happy to hear about Sunrise dropping the ball in managing Dad's meals and blood sugar. They both think Dad has a severe case of sundown syndrome which is common in AD patients. They actually discussed admitting him and putting him in the psych ward! If they had seriously considered it I would have said no. Dad does NOT need another hospital stay. He needs regular meals and sleep. They adjusted his meds and ordered a sleeping pill to be given every night plus a second one if the first one doesn't take effect within an hour. YES!
Then we went to the ID office to get him a new VA card. The guy had Dad sit in front of a blue screen so he could take a photo for the new card. Dad kept insisting that I get in the picture with him. We kept trying to explain that it was just for an ID photo. We went round and round with this one. He wouldn't let it go. He wanted to call Drew and get him down there for a picture. He wanted the guy to send him copies so he could mail them out to his kids. AAAIIEEEE!!!! Then we went to the pharmacy. I knew we would have trouble because Dad had no ID and the meds we were picking up were narcotics. I told them to call Dr. Griffin and gave them my drivers license. They told me I wasn't in their records as the person who could act on Dad's behalf. Damn it! I've been taking him there for four years! I'd been picking up meds for him all along. When I first started taking care of him there was a problem with getting me into the system but it had been resolved. They tried asking him questions to verify his ID. I told them Dad wouldn't be able to answer their questions. We finally got the pills but it was a big mess. Next time I need to remember to bring the scans we made of Dad's wallet contents.
By the time we left we had been there for four hours. Dad was starting to get surly. When I wheeled him out the door there was no one out there. Like, NO one. I've never seen it like that. Usually there are people milling about and there's always at least one security guard. It was cold and windy. The courtesy shuttle came up but Dad would have had to climb up some pretty big steps to get up into it. He couldn't even lift his foot up enough to get up a small curb. I told the driver no thanks and turned to go back into the building. Dad started griping about how he would have no problem getting into the shuttle and about how stupid I am and blah, blah, fuckin' blah. After dealing with his bullshit and piss and spending four hours of my day off where I had actually had plans to work on building a much-needed rabbit cage I was in no mood to put up with any of his crap. I told him the only words that should come out of his mouth were "thank you". I took him back inside to the emergency desk and asked the woman there if she could keep an eye on him while I went to get the car. I ran to my car and drove back up the entrance as fast as I could. Sure enough Dad was standing up and shuffling around dragging the blanket and the walker looking like he could keel over any minute. The woman at the emergency desk had just jumped up to help him. He was pointing his bony finger in her face. I got him back into the walker and pulled him backwards to the car, him bitching the whole way. We were both silent on the drive home.
When we got back to Sunrise his mood had changed and he knew I was mad at him. He said he was sorry and asked for a hug. I told him I loved him and said goodbye. Then I went to the Wellness Office and gave them his new meds. I was so glad to get out of there and go home.
Later I went to Ken's and played music with him and John. Gawd, it was fun. I really needed that. Last night Jeff, Bill and I went to the Folk Center to see Janet Klein and Hobo Jazz. It was an evening of Tin Pan Alley type music. We met up with Jeff's friend, Tim. Janet Klein does cutsey, naughty songs from the 20s and 30s. She's completely adorable. Like, really adorable. She had a fiddle player and an amazing guitarist with her. His style was very Django Reinhardt. His grandmother was ZaSu Pitts!
Before the show we had dinner at this Mediterranean/Indian/Afghani restaurant. Major yum. I had the best salmon fillet ever with some kind of creamy sauce and peach chutney. The boys were happy with their meals. After the show we were going to have drinks with Janet (Tim was her dad's best friend) but they wanted to go to this jazz place that had a $5 cover and played loud, noodly music I just can't relate to. We left and came back to Riverside. Bill called Virginia and she and Sue met us for drinks at El Torito. It was the perfect way to end a very enjoyable evening.
On Friday morning I stopped by an estate sale and bought myself a couple of matching dressers. They were a bit dirty but after some cleaning and waxing they look really good. Yay! My room is coming together. Now I just have to cut my bed down to fit my new mattress and assemble it. And then I'll take it all apart so I can paint!
7 comments:
Yay for drugs for your dad and yay for nights out with pals.
Yay, verily yay.
Whew! Today I went to Home Depot and bought stuff. This morning I dug up all the roses in the back yard. Then I got out the two big planks we brought from the farm. They're going to be part of the base for the rabbit cage. I had to buy two more planks at HD. I also got 4 half wine barrels that I'm going to plant bamboo in and put in front of the sun room window. I bought a bigger pot for the Ponytail palm that came from Dad's. I also got a new shower head and handle because the only working handle broke this morning. I wanted a new shower head anyway. I got two dowels to use as rods for the spiffy ring curtains I bought at Ikea. It's hard to describe what they are. Kind of like a bead curtain but they're made of little wicker-like rings. Bought a lot of potting soil.
All of this digging and hauling was a lot of work. it feels good because I feel like I finally got a start on fixing things up around here. Once things are rolling it's easier to keep up the momentum. The hard physical work will be good for me and each little (or big) thing I do makes this place more and more mine. Right now I'm waiting for my drill to charge. We're workin' now, baby!
Wow--you've been active. I don't want to jinx you, but your back seems to be holding up lately!
Oh, it squawks occasionally but I'm trying to be careful not to tax it too much.
Man, the place is a huge mess but I got a LOT done this weekend. My bedroom looks great. It's the first room that's pretty much put together. There's a lot of work to be done but at least it looks like a real room.
We're getting some rain for the next few days. Puh!
This is terrible, but it must be said:
...So... he's got Sundown at Sunrise?
There's got to be a depressing Fiddler on the Roof parody in there somewhere.
naaorpi: National Association for the Advancement Of the Republican Party of India
Republicans like rupees.
Kyle- HAR! Of course YOU would think of that!
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