Friday, August 29, 2008
Bowling
Bob went bowling this week. He was very afraid and didn’t want to go. He told me to leave him at home, he wasn’t feeling well, the whole nine yards. I kept telling him he would be fine once we got there and if he didn’t feel like bowling he could just watch.
Well we got to the bowling alley and he sat and watched the kids for a while. I asked him if he wanted to bowl and he told me he had better not. I went and got a couple of bowling balls and let him try the weight out on them. The first three were too heavy, but the last one was just right. I let him throw one ball when it came Sarah’s turn to bowl. And he did it! He knocked down seven pins. He was so surprised and happy. All the kids clapped and cheered for him.
I asked for a lane and Bob and I bowled a game together. I walked him to the line and he would throw the ball while I stood next to him. After he threw the ball I would grab him and steady him on his feet. He bowled an eighty-eight. And now he has been bitten by the bug and wants to go again. Sarah’s home school group meets once a month for bowling so we will meet up with them and we are going to try and throw in maybe some bowling times on the week ends.
After we finished bowling I took him to Steak and Shake for lunch. He got a large chocolate milk shake. That is his favorite and we sat until he slurped down the last drop. He told me when we left the restaurant that it had been a great day. He didn’t know that it was going to get better.
We pulled up to the house and the mail was there. Bob used to be a big mail person. He loved getting the mail and would look for the mail man all the time. He was always taking important letters back to his room because his son has the same first name. Rob and I were always fighting with companies telling us they had sent something and we would tell them we had not received it. Finally one day we realized what was happening and when we went back to his room there were a stack of letters on his dresser of things he didn’t know what they were, but knew they were important. Opps!
I got the mail and saw that there was a card for Bob. In the past he would have gotten all excited about a card, but now he doesn’t know if it is really for him or not, so he waits until you open and read it to him and then gets excited. I took him back to him room and opened the card. It was from the people from his high school reunion. They had all signed a card letting him know how much they had missed him. I read the names off to him one by one and he thought hard to remember who they were.
He put the card beside his chair on the bed and that is where it stayed for the rest of the day. It might have even been there when he went to bed last night. We never moved it. I am even thinking about putting it in a frame for him and hanging it in his room. I will have to think about it. Sometimes things hanging on the wall make him nervous. He thinks they are moving. This may be a condition from his cataracts. We won’t know until after his right eye is taken care of on September 23.
When you call and talk to him this week end be sure to ask him about bowling and praise him for trying it. Encourage him to keep it up.
Well we got to the bowling alley and he sat and watched the kids for a while. I asked him if he wanted to bowl and he told me he had better not. I went and got a couple of bowling balls and let him try the weight out on them. The first three were too heavy, but the last one was just right. I let him throw one ball when it came Sarah’s turn to bowl. And he did it! He knocked down seven pins. He was so surprised and happy. All the kids clapped and cheered for him.
I asked for a lane and Bob and I bowled a game together. I walked him to the line and he would throw the ball while I stood next to him. After he threw the ball I would grab him and steady him on his feet. He bowled an eighty-eight. And now he has been bitten by the bug and wants to go again. Sarah’s home school group meets once a month for bowling so we will meet up with them and we are going to try and throw in maybe some bowling times on the week ends.
After we finished bowling I took him to Steak and Shake for lunch. He got a large chocolate milk shake. That is his favorite and we sat until he slurped down the last drop. He told me when we left the restaurant that it had been a great day. He didn’t know that it was going to get better.
We pulled up to the house and the mail was there. Bob used to be a big mail person. He loved getting the mail and would look for the mail man all the time. He was always taking important letters back to his room because his son has the same first name. Rob and I were always fighting with companies telling us they had sent something and we would tell them we had not received it. Finally one day we realized what was happening and when we went back to his room there were a stack of letters on his dresser of things he didn’t know what they were, but knew they were important. Opps!
I got the mail and saw that there was a card for Bob. In the past he would have gotten all excited about a card, but now he doesn’t know if it is really for him or not, so he waits until you open and read it to him and then gets excited. I took him back to him room and opened the card. It was from the people from his high school reunion. They had all signed a card letting him know how much they had missed him. I read the names off to him one by one and he thought hard to remember who they were.
He put the card beside his chair on the bed and that is where it stayed for the rest of the day. It might have even been there when he went to bed last night. We never moved it. I am even thinking about putting it in a frame for him and hanging it in his room. I will have to think about it. Sometimes things hanging on the wall make him nervous. He thinks they are moving. This may be a condition from his cataracts. We won’t know until after his right eye is taken care of on September 23.
When you call and talk to him this week end be sure to ask him about bowling and praise him for trying it. Encourage him to keep it up.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain, rain, and more rain is the weather report from Florida. Tropical storm Fay moved herself in and decided that she liked Florida so much she extended her trip. Well, we are tired of Fay and will be glad when she moves on.
Bob had a quiet week for the most part due to the rain. Thursday he went to see his primary care doctor and had a good report. He has been released for eye surgery which will be in September. He also is now on a one month visit instead of every two weeks.
His Alzheimer’s medication has been increased and we are hoping that will help with sleep and some other issues.
The storm had him upset some about his daughter Robin that lives in Cocoa. He was worried that she would have flooding or need help. He finally reached her Thursday evening and felt better after he spoke to her.
He went to bed Thursday watching the “football Olympics” game. He told us that the preseason football game was part of the Olympics. They had started with six teams and now this was the final game. He was glad we had turned it on for him, because he had forgotten all about it. What ever works!
Friday he went to the VA and while he was there, he needed to use the restroom. Well, at first he told me no, but I told him he better try before we started the trip home. Well, he went into the restroom fine and Sarah and I waited outside. He was taking a very long time, so I cracked the door and called for him, asking if he was alright. He told me yes. We waited longer and in that time two other men went in and used the restroom. We waited and waited. I twice more cracked the door and asked if he was alright and he again said yes. All of a sudden the red alarm that is outside the bathroom door started blinking red and sounding an alarm. Sarah and I looked at each other and I opened the door and called for Pop. A worker was in the bathroom and told me that he was fine and he had the situation. I closed the door and told Sarah he had a worker helping him.
Well the alarm never went off and finally the worker came out and told me that Bob had set the alarm off and didn’t know how to turn it off and he didn’t know how to unlock the stall door. Before you knew it there were six people all running in the bathroom, one was a doctor and one was a guy with a lot of brass. Sarah crawled off to a corner in the waiting room and hid her head and I just apologized and explained he was an Alzheimer’s patient.
Well, we finally got him out of the stall, turned the alarm off, flushed the toilet, washed our hands and he wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Everyone had a really good laugh. Bob told one of the guys that it was tough getting old, and I replied, yeah on the young and old. Sarah had a good time teasing him about going to the bathroom and letting the whole VA know that he had to go.
After the bathroom break we went and delivered the crafts he and Sarah’s home school group have worked on. Bob works on these crafts for therapy and the children work on them as a community service. The VA uses the crafts for decorating the nursing home. It is nice that we can provide a great service for them.
Bob likes to paint and work on the crafts most of the time. He used to be quite the painter. He told me that when he was in high school he used to paint horses on ties for people. He would paint the head of a horse on a silk tie for a small fee. I would have like to have seen one of those ties. I bet they were really something. He has a hard time painting now. Picasso would be more his style I would say. Abstract art is what he has progressed to.
Hummmmm, now there’s a thought for you all….Did Van Gogh, Picasso, and all the rest of those great artists really develop into their style of painting or would they all be classified as having Alzheimer’s disease if they were still around today?
Bob had a quiet week for the most part due to the rain. Thursday he went to see his primary care doctor and had a good report. He has been released for eye surgery which will be in September. He also is now on a one month visit instead of every two weeks.
His Alzheimer’s medication has been increased and we are hoping that will help with sleep and some other issues.
The storm had him upset some about his daughter Robin that lives in Cocoa. He was worried that she would have flooding or need help. He finally reached her Thursday evening and felt better after he spoke to her.
He went to bed Thursday watching the “football Olympics” game. He told us that the preseason football game was part of the Olympics. They had started with six teams and now this was the final game. He was glad we had turned it on for him, because he had forgotten all about it. What ever works!
Friday he went to the VA and while he was there, he needed to use the restroom. Well, at first he told me no, but I told him he better try before we started the trip home. Well, he went into the restroom fine and Sarah and I waited outside. He was taking a very long time, so I cracked the door and called for him, asking if he was alright. He told me yes. We waited longer and in that time two other men went in and used the restroom. We waited and waited. I twice more cracked the door and asked if he was alright and he again said yes. All of a sudden the red alarm that is outside the bathroom door started blinking red and sounding an alarm. Sarah and I looked at each other and I opened the door and called for Pop. A worker was in the bathroom and told me that he was fine and he had the situation. I closed the door and told Sarah he had a worker helping him.
Well the alarm never went off and finally the worker came out and told me that Bob had set the alarm off and didn’t know how to turn it off and he didn’t know how to unlock the stall door. Before you knew it there were six people all running in the bathroom, one was a doctor and one was a guy with a lot of brass. Sarah crawled off to a corner in the waiting room and hid her head and I just apologized and explained he was an Alzheimer’s patient.
Well, we finally got him out of the stall, turned the alarm off, flushed the toilet, washed our hands and he wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Everyone had a really good laugh. Bob told one of the guys that it was tough getting old, and I replied, yeah on the young and old. Sarah had a good time teasing him about going to the bathroom and letting the whole VA know that he had to go.
After the bathroom break we went and delivered the crafts he and Sarah’s home school group have worked on. Bob works on these crafts for therapy and the children work on them as a community service. The VA uses the crafts for decorating the nursing home. It is nice that we can provide a great service for them.
Bob likes to paint and work on the crafts most of the time. He used to be quite the painter. He told me that when he was in high school he used to paint horses on ties for people. He would paint the head of a horse on a silk tie for a small fee. I would have like to have seen one of those ties. I bet they were really something. He has a hard time painting now. Picasso would be more his style I would say. Abstract art is what he has progressed to.
Hummmmm, now there’s a thought for you all….Did Van Gogh, Picasso, and all the rest of those great artists really develop into their style of painting or would they all be classified as having Alzheimer’s disease if they were still around today?
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Glass Blowing Field Trip
Well it was a good and bad week. He painted on Monday and worked a small amount on a word search puzzle. On Tuesday he glued the pieces he painted together to make a collage. They turned out really nice. Wednesday he baked chocolate oatmeal cookies that were very good.
Thursday was a nice day and he went and got his hair cut and we ate lunch at a small local restaurant where the waitress fusses over him.
Thursday night was bad. He called and talked with his dear friend Harold and things were going well, and then suddenly when it was time for bed things got ugly. He somehow thought that instead of going on a field trip I was taking him to a nursing home. He wanted his shoes and his wallet and he was leaving. Rob had to talk to him for a good twenty minutes before he would go to bed. It was an ugly twenty minutes.
Friday morning we get up to head off to the glass blowing studio and again he is in bad shape. He tells me he can't go to the studio he needs to go to the emergency room. Well, I called Rob at work for support and Rob told me to take him to the field trip and if he didn't perk up to take him to the emergency room. Once we got to the studio he perked up and enjoyed the presentation.
After the presentation we went and had lunch at Denny's. That is one of his favorite places to eat. He got pancakes, and a chocolate milk shake. Yummmm. He ate and drank every bite. Now that we are home he seems to be fine. They told me at the doctor's office that patients will constantly think you are going to put them in a home because they recognize that things are not right. They can't put their finger on what the problem is, but they know there are problems.
Well, all I can say is that there are going to be good days and bad days. We had almost four good days. That is pretty good. I will take those odds. Call and talk with him and ask him about the glass blowing demonstration.
Thursday was a nice day and he went and got his hair cut and we ate lunch at a small local restaurant where the waitress fusses over him.
Thursday night was bad. He called and talked with his dear friend Harold and things were going well, and then suddenly when it was time for bed things got ugly. He somehow thought that instead of going on a field trip I was taking him to a nursing home. He wanted his shoes and his wallet and he was leaving. Rob had to talk to him for a good twenty minutes before he would go to bed. It was an ugly twenty minutes.
Friday morning we get up to head off to the glass blowing studio and again he is in bad shape. He tells me he can't go to the studio he needs to go to the emergency room. Well, I called Rob at work for support and Rob told me to take him to the field trip and if he didn't perk up to take him to the emergency room. Once we got to the studio he perked up and enjoyed the presentation.
After the presentation we went and had lunch at Denny's. That is one of his favorite places to eat. He got pancakes, and a chocolate milk shake. Yummmm. He ate and drank every bite. Now that we are home he seems to be fine. They told me at the doctor's office that patients will constantly think you are going to put them in a home because they recognize that things are not right. They can't put their finger on what the problem is, but they know there are problems.
Well, all I can say is that there are going to be good days and bad days. We had almost four good days. That is pretty good. I will take those odds. Call and talk with him and ask him about the glass blowing demonstration.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Questions that have been asked by friends and family
There have been a number of questions asked from friends and family and I will share them with you all because I know everyone is concerned.
Can Bob travel and move back to Kentucky?
Bob's traveling days are done. We thank God that his last trip was to Vegas and he saw the Grand Canyon on his return trip to Kentucky. He still talks about that trip and had a great time with his brother and family.
Rob and Bob's brother Dave both have power of attorney and when Dave comes to Florida hopefully in October they will sit together and discuss Bob's long term care and what might happen in the future.
How is Bob's physical health?
He is healthy. He is only on a medication for acid reflux, a steroid to help control his blood pressure, and a calcium tablet for his bones. He is also on two medications for Alzheimer's.
How long might he stay like this?
Phase two is the longest recognisable stage. It could last up to 10 years. Bob has shown great signs of decline since his accident with his neck. He seems to have settled now and we hope that he will stay like this for a long while.
Will he get better?
No, he will not get better. He can stay the same, but not get better. He has lost the ability to tie his shoes. Once you loose a motor skill you don't get it back. What we don't want is for him to loose any more motor skills. That is why we try to stimulate the brain as much as possible. The old saying says "If you don't use it, you will loose it." that in this case is very true.
Please ask as many questions as you like. That is what this blog is for, to keep you all informed.
Can Bob travel and move back to Kentucky?
Bob's traveling days are done. We thank God that his last trip was to Vegas and he saw the Grand Canyon on his return trip to Kentucky. He still talks about that trip and had a great time with his brother and family.
Rob and Bob's brother Dave both have power of attorney and when Dave comes to Florida hopefully in October they will sit together and discuss Bob's long term care and what might happen in the future.
How is Bob's physical health?
He is healthy. He is only on a medication for acid reflux, a steroid to help control his blood pressure, and a calcium tablet for his bones. He is also on two medications for Alzheimer's.
How long might he stay like this?
Phase two is the longest recognisable stage. It could last up to 10 years. Bob has shown great signs of decline since his accident with his neck. He seems to have settled now and we hope that he will stay like this for a long while.
Will he get better?
No, he will not get better. He can stay the same, but not get better. He has lost the ability to tie his shoes. Once you loose a motor skill you don't get it back. What we don't want is for him to loose any more motor skills. That is why we try to stimulate the brain as much as possible. The old saying says "If you don't use it, you will loose it." that in this case is very true.
Please ask as many questions as you like. That is what this blog is for, to keep you all informed.
Sarah's Birthday
It was Sarah's birthday today and we took her to do a simulation sky diving with her best friend. Afterwards we went to eat pizza. Bob had a great time watching the sky diving. We asked him if he wanted to try it and he told us no.
The doctor was pleased with his progress and he now returns in two weeks. He sits all day and it is causing him discomfort on his back side so he now has a donut pillow for awhile. So encourage him to get up out of the chair and walk around the house some. We don't want him going for walks unless we are with him so be careful of suggesting he go for a long walk.
He worked on a painting project this week that turned out very nice. He even liked it and said he enjoyed painting it. He also decorated two pots for his plants. We will be planting plants tomorrow in them. On Wednesday it was very nice to come home from work and grab a peanut butter cookie off the plate. He did a great job baking them with Sarah. I would have taken a picture of them, but all that was left were a few crumbs. Sorry guys, maybe the next batch I can get a picture.
The Lord ended Sarah's birthday with a beautiful rainbow in the sky. What a great gift he gave us on this wonderful day. We ended the evening by watching the Olympic games.
He has a lot to talk about this week end, so be sure to give him a ring and hear about all about the things he did this week.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Making cards
Bob made some birthday cards today. He loves to send cards to people so I decided to have him make the cards he sends instead of buying them. This way it gives him a project to do and everyone gets a little something that he made special. This was a simple project of glitter and stickers, but they came out very nice.
The cards he made are for his two cousins who are identical twins. He said they used to go out on double dates and in the middle of the date switch partners. Oh My! I can just imagine all of the trouble those boys must have caused their parents.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
word search
Bob worked on a word search today and planted a new plant. The new medication is working we saw great improvement today. We are very happy about that. He was joking around this evening and even fixed a peanut butter sandwich by himself before dinner. I guess I was a little late fixing anything this evening. He couldn't finish his meal, but that is fine. I was so happy that he was active with us and telling jokes.
He told me about how his Father used to love to work word searches. He said he used to work them with a ruler. He said he didn't have the Patience like his Dad did. I was just glad he was telling me a story about his Dad. The word search brought forth a memory and that is very good.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Update on Dr. visit
Bob went to see the Doctor today and has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He is in stage two of this disease and now has been given medication for memory and behavioral problems. If the new medication does not work he will be sent to a neurologist. He will be going to the medical Doctor once a week to follow this process.
We have been told to get alarms for the doors and we are going to get those this week end. He tried to go out yesterday for a walk without anyone. Last night he got up and was in the kitchen and hall closet and I never heard him. I didn't know he was up until he came to the bedroom door and ask if he could sleep with Rob and me because he had a bad dream.
The medical Doctor also at this time can not release a medical form so he can have his eyes operated on. He must get his mental state stable first before any surgery can happen. We have until September for his eyes, so there is still time and we are hopeful his eyes will still be taken care of in September.
We wish for you all to call and talk to him. He loves your phone calls and talks about everyone and Kentucky all the time.
The osprey came for a visit in the back yard. Bob won't remember it, but you can tell him you saw the picture of it on the computer.
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