Our Thanksgiving went well. We celebrated the occasion at my dad's house. Our daughter from Austin TX, her boyfriend, and a nephew joined us. The next afternoon, another nephew and his wife came from Atlanta to visit. Everything went well.

I had planned to borrow my dad's truck to move a large grandfather clock up to our house. I installed a bed extender, then drove the truck to town so I could get a new state inspection sticker. Unfortunately, some of the paperwork was missing. I needed the current registration certificate and proof of insurance. We had the insurance document, but no registration. I ordered a duplicate online. Hopefully it will arrive soon.

A neighbor came by to give my dad a ride in a restored 1956 Chevy pickup he recently bought. After visiting a little while, he realized my dad was too weak to go on a ride. As he was leaving, I could tell he was visibly shaken by my dad's condition.

We were able to take my dad to the care facility on Tuesday. He was unable to walk to the car, so we used his walker as a wheelchair to get him out of the house. None of us are happy about the situation, but we can no longer provide the care he needs at his home. After getting my dad settled in, we drove back out to his house and packed up. We got home around 6:00pm. We plan to visit again this weekend.

Love always -- Jess

Take the time you need, Jess.
As always, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

You are a good daughter Jess.

Christine

Thanks Lori and Christine.

My dad has fallen twice today. No major damage, just a few minor cuts and bruises. He's too proud to ask for help. They have moved him to a room with rails on the bed and pads on the floor. We'll be leaving soon so we can visit him later today.

Love always -- Jess

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on December 06, 2024, 02:12:26 PMThanks Lori and Christine.

My dad has fallen twice today. No major damage, just a few minor cuts and bruises. He's too proud to ask for help. They have moved him to a room with rails on the bed and pads on the floor. We'll be leaving soon so we can visit him later today.

Love always -- Jess

Jess,

Often when older people fall, they need surgery.  This is not good as many develop complications from surgery.  I am glad that he is okay from his falls.

Cushions on surfaces such as window sills and sinks may also be helpful.  Avoids more serious issues that can come with falls.


Christine

The first fall was while he was headed to the bathroom. The second? Somehow he fell out of bed. He has a large bruise on his forehead from the second fall. His new room has a bed with rails, and padding on the floor. They also added an air mattress to help reduce the possibility of bedsores. The room is right next to the nurse's station.

We saw my dad three times during our recent visit. Friday evening, he was asleep. He had a rough day, and we didn't want to wake him. Saturday afternoon, we went for another visit. The nurse said he was very irritable and had a bad night. He was asleep, so we didn't wake him. We went again early Sunday morning (7:30am). The nurse said he had a good night, so this time we gently woke him up. He was very weak, but he did recognize us. He asked when we would be able to visit again, and I told him we would be back on Friday. He said he hoped he would be doing better by then.

His neighbor, a nurse, visits him frequently. During her visit Saturday, he was very confused and he didn't recognize her. He didn't know where he was, or why he was there.  We were also told that the nurses couldn't use adhesive bandages anymore, because removing them would tear his skin.

We plan to keep our bags packed.

Love always -- Jess

@Jessica_Rose
Dear Jessica:

       

HUGS, Danielle

Hugs, Gina

Hang in there Jessica. I know it's hard but spend as much time with him as you can while you can. We lost my Grandpa a few years ago. There was a steep decline at the end of his life and it happened fast.

Thanks for the support, Danielle, Gina, and Natalie!

I had a mammogram the week before Thanksgiving. The results were negative. During previous exams I have been asked when my last period was, but not this time. I'm not sure if they made a note in my records from the previous exam, but the technician never mentioned anything. She was really nice, and it was the least uncomfortable mammogram I've ever had.

We have collected the paperwork to get a new passport for Susan, her old one expired decades ago. She has an appointment to submit the paperwork at the Post Office on Thursday (tomorrow). While reviewing the paperwork, I saw my old birth certificate in an envelope and noticed an interesting detail. The name of the hospital where I was born is the same as the name of the cemetery where my mom and brother are buried.

My dad's neighbor visited him today, and she said he was doing better. However, he isn't asking for anything to eat or drink. We plan to visit him again the weekend.

Love always -- Jess

I am wishing the best for your dad Jess.

Christine.

Difficult times one after another, eh?  Wish you calmness and effective coping, am your Dad comfort and good company.

__________________________________________

I used to think being an adult is about dealing with crisis.  Come to find out, it is not just one at a time.  Its lots of them.  Concurrently. Forever.

We always knew there would be days like this.

No one told us they came in bunches like bananas! 

Thanks Christine, D'Amalie, and Lori.

It feels like my life is on 'pause' right now, waiting for my dad to pass. I'll have a lot of work to do then, as the executrix of his will and as a co-trustee of the trust he set up. We started boxing up some of the figurines which were displayed in his house. They were my mom's. My brother and his wife are still in Missouri, so everything is on my shoulders right now.

My dad is getting weaker by the day. They finally prescribed a 'comfort pack' for him, which includes Ativan and several other medications which may help ease his discomfort. His skin is so thin they can't use band-aids anymore, they will rip his skin off. He fell again a few days ago, he's too proud to ask for help when he needs to use the bathroom. We plan to visit again Friday evening and over the weekend.

It doesn't feel like Christmas. Although Susan decorated the house and I put up the tree, neither of us has done any shopping for gifts. The only 'shopping' I've been doing is looking for houses online in case we decide to relocate. We know what we want, but it's hard to find. Looking as far south as Las Cruces, NM and as far north as Colorado Springs, CO, we've only found a handful of houses that are close to what we are looking for. We were hoping our last move was our 'last move'. We love the house, but the politics of Arkansas make us feel like we're being hunted. They've also destroyed the beautiful meadow which used to be behind our house, it will soon be filled with new homes. Now instead of looking past our backyard to see deer wandering around, we'll just see roofs, brick walls, and fences. If we decide to move again, it will be for more open spaces, and to be closer to our friends in Colorado.

Love always -- Jess

We're leaving in a few minutes to visit my dad. We planned to leave earlier, but were notified of a delivery and decided to wait for it. I'm amazed at how fast the government can work -- Susan's passport arrived today. We submitted it last Thursday (12 Dec), so it only took eight days. That's got to be close to a record.

Love always -- Jess

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on December 20, 2024, 03:31:04 PMWe're leaving in a few minutes to visit my dad. We planned to leave earlier, but were notified of a delivery and decided to wait for it. I'm amazed at how fast the government can work -- Susan's passport arrived today. We submitted it last Thursday (12 Dec), so it only took eight days. That's got to be close to a record.

Love always -- Jess

That's great! That means mine will be here soon!

Thanks, Emma!

Unfortunately, this Christmas will not be very 'merry' for us. Our daughters and their loved ones are travelling to visit other family members.  My brother and his wife are still in Missouri. Susan and I will be on our own this Christmas.

They started giving my dad morphine a few days ago, and he seems to be more comfortable now. Other than an occasional nod or grunt, he doesn't communicate anymore. He is very weak. Any time the phone rings, I expect it to be the care facility calling with the news. We will visit again at the end of the week.

We've done very little shopping, most of it was online. My manager said we could take off early today if we were caught up on work, so I'll be wrapping gifts later today. We will need to ship some of them, but our daughters understand why their gifts will be arriving a little later than usual this year.

We did find a new ornament this year. For those of you who played 'The Oregon Trial', or had children who played, it's a classic. Someone at Hallmark definitely has a twisted sense of humor.

Love always -- Jess

I remember that game. Wow, a blast from the past.

Merry Christmas Jess!

Christine