Daddy's girl
Growing up, I was always Daddy's Girl. Even when we didn't get along perfectly, I was the apple of his eye. Being the youngest of the family often puts you in that position, I think.
As I grew up and older, Daddy was first in my eyes, too. But then things began to change. He became forgetful. He began sleeping longer during his naps. And every time he woke up, he thought it was meal time, regardless of the time of day. He still drove a car, but was dangerous in it, so when one of the tires went flat in the driveway, Mama wouldn't let anyone fix it. She knew he wouldn't drive that car on a flat and he was too old to try to change it himself.
For better than two months, the car sat there. Daddy would look out the front door window and proclaim, "That flat needs to be fixed. It's been flat for a couple of days now." ...a couple of days. He lost sense of the passing of time.
After Mama and Daddy moved up to where my sister lives, it only got worse. He thought he was back in his mother's house, with his mother's things surrounding him. He didn't know us anymore, but he thought one of my nephews was my long-deceased brother.
He slowly lost the ability to speak. He lost control of body functions. When you looked into his eyes, nobody was there.
My Mama took care of him until the end, when we took him to the VA for long-term care. He survived only two weeks there. Mama was getting sick from taking care of him, and she ruined her back lifting him up from the bed and helping him into the bathroom and kitchen. She wore herself out constantly changing his clothes and his bedding, but she refused any sort of help coming in.
He had never wanted to go to the hospital or a nursing home. His own father had been taken to the hospital with pneumonia and never came home again.
When Daddy passed away, he was 87 years old and had suffered with Alzheimer's for probably 10 years. The worst of it was the last 5 years of his life, when he forgot all of us and pretty much forgot himself, too.
He was gone long before his body died.
If you love someone suffering with this disease, or if you are the caregiver for someone like this, please make your donation to research so this disease that robs us of those we love long before they pass away can be cured. My dear friend Cass is sponsoring a walk for this very cause. Her own dear grandmother is in the same shape. Donate to her walk. The cure could help someone you love.
As I grew up and older, Daddy was first in my eyes, too. But then things began to change. He became forgetful. He began sleeping longer during his naps. And every time he woke up, he thought it was meal time, regardless of the time of day. He still drove a car, but was dangerous in it, so when one of the tires went flat in the driveway, Mama wouldn't let anyone fix it. She knew he wouldn't drive that car on a flat and he was too old to try to change it himself.
For better than two months, the car sat there. Daddy would look out the front door window and proclaim, "That flat needs to be fixed. It's been flat for a couple of days now." ...a couple of days. He lost sense of the passing of time.
After Mama and Daddy moved up to where my sister lives, it only got worse. He thought he was back in his mother's house, with his mother's things surrounding him. He didn't know us anymore, but he thought one of my nephews was my long-deceased brother.
He slowly lost the ability to speak. He lost control of body functions. When you looked into his eyes, nobody was there.
My Mama took care of him until the end, when we took him to the VA for long-term care. He survived only two weeks there. Mama was getting sick from taking care of him, and she ruined her back lifting him up from the bed and helping him into the bathroom and kitchen. She wore herself out constantly changing his clothes and his bedding, but she refused any sort of help coming in.
He had never wanted to go to the hospital or a nursing home. His own father had been taken to the hospital with pneumonia and never came home again.
When Daddy passed away, he was 87 years old and had suffered with Alzheimer's for probably 10 years. The worst of it was the last 5 years of his life, when he forgot all of us and pretty much forgot himself, too.
He was gone long before his body died.
If you love someone suffering with this disease, or if you are the caregiver for someone like this, please make your donation to research so this disease that robs us of those we love long before they pass away can be cured. My dear friend Cass is sponsoring a walk for this very cause. Her own dear grandmother is in the same shape. Donate to her walk. The cure could help someone you love.
posted by Ann crum @ 12:25 PM
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