Still here

Poor, stale blog.

Ok. Dad is in the hospice section of an air force retirement community. We're talkin' waaaaay across town, for me anyway. More convenient for Stacey and Drew. It's a pretty nice place. I just hop they'll be able to handle Dad's special needs. He has a bed that can be lowered almost all the way to the floor to minimize falls. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees. Last night as they were transferring him he fell and hit his back on the AC unit in his room. They kept an eye on him last night and today he's doing ok.

The first time I visited him there I arrived while he was taking a nap. I sat there and watched him as he was waking up. I didn't speak or let him know I was there. I wanted to observe him to see what he does when he's alone. Man, he looked awful, really like a moving corpse. One of the nurses came in and woke him up. She tried to get him to eat but he only got three bites down. Another nurse came in and changed his Depends and got him into a hospital gown. Stacey and Scotty showed up soon after. We got him to drink some water which brightened him up quite a bit. I'm thinking they're not doing enough to keep him hydrated. That's a problem for obvious reasons but also because his meds can sometimes build up in his system and put him into a stupor. Then the hospice people get concerned and want to reduce his meds. We're trying to get them to understand that he needs his meds or he becomes agitated and combative. When I went there yesterday they told me he's been fighting them. Yeah, duh. Give him his meds and make sure he has enough to drink.

Yesterday he looked much better. I got there just as he was finishing up his lunch. He was in a good mood and the staff commented on his sense of humor. He even laughed at a couple of my jokes. But his aphasia was very bad. He'd start to ask a question and then get stuck halfway through it and start using the wrong words. When he fell last night the staff called Dede to let her know what happened and so she could talk to Dad and calm him down. She said it was pretty amazing. Everything Dad said was gibberish.

After he finished lunch we went back to his room. The nurses wanted to change his Depends so they hoisted him out of his wheelchair and into the bed. Even as weak as he's been he's always been able to stand. When they were lifting him I said, "Stand up, Dad. They need you to help them. Stand up." But he couldn't use his legs at all. It was like he was paralyzed. He's supposed to get some physical therapy at this place but they won't do it if he refuses or if he doesn't make progress. I don't know when they're planning to start. He sure needs it.

Everything else in my life is pretty good. Progress on the house is slow but at least it's progress. Yesterday I planted some Mexican feather bamboo in three wine barrels lined up outside the sunroom windows. I think in a year's time they'll shade those windows really well. They actually look pretty good right now. That was a big job. Three wine barrels hold a LOT of dirt.

We've been missing some uke practice. Jeff and Bill's mom has been having health issues so our practices have been put on hold. Gonna miss this week, too. Jeff and I haven't walked lately. I'm feeling blobby. Yeah, I know. There's no excuse. Well, I'm being kind of good. I get two 15 minute breaks when I work a full day. Instead of sitting around I'll go out and take some laps around the building. It helps wake me up when I start dragging in the afternoon.

I'm really enjoying my job. I really like the people in my office and I'm learning a lot. On slow days I can do my psych homework. I LOVE that.

Ok, gotta go to the store and buy some food for my rotten doggies.