Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Happy July 4th
Well, it’s been awhile and it has been good and bad. We have had some busy months. It started off with a great visit from Charlie and Harold life long friends of Bob. In May, the three friends enjoyed a short visit by the lake talking about old times. Bob was in good spirits. He was put on an anti-depressant from his medical doctor and the first two weeks were great. He wanted to get outside and do things. He was in high spirits and we really had a good time with him.
After about two weeks, Bob started to return to his normal self, but it wasn’t as bad. We had a lot of work to do and we got him outside to help with the yard work, and painting of the house. Pat and Tina came over to help, and Bob worked hard when Pat was around.
Before we knew it, we had more company. Dave, Ronnie, and their families came to a week visit. Bob really enjoyed sitting with his brothers by the lake, fishing, and talking about old times. It was too short and fast of a week. They had to leave before we knew it, and we were all sad to see them go.
Bob was especially sad. He sat around for a week after they left feeling sorry and sad. Rob and I went to talk to the pharmacist about his anti-depressant medication. Well, low and behold the pharmacist had to pull him off of the medication due to other medications that Bob takes for Parkinson’s. The pharmacist is now researching a new anti-depressant medication that will work for Bob and trying to work with the doctors to get this problem fixed.
One thing that did boost his spirits was a visit from his grand-daughter, Christina. She arrived on July 4th for a week visit. We had a great 4th of July with food, fellowship, and a great fireworks display thanks to Pat and Tina. Since everyone was here and Christina won’t be here on the 17th for Bob’s birthday, we had a small cake and sang the traditional, “Chipley Birthday” song.
So other than being busy, and trying to keep him happy and not depressed, Bob is doing surprising well. On July 17, 2010 he will turn 80. We are very thankful he is still with us and we are still able to have some great memories with him. If you can, drop him a card with a photo for his birthday. He loves looking at memory books with all the photos of family and friends. And you know me; I have a ton of photos and memory books for him to look at.
After about two weeks, Bob started to return to his normal self, but it wasn’t as bad. We had a lot of work to do and we got him outside to help with the yard work, and painting of the house. Pat and Tina came over to help, and Bob worked hard when Pat was around.
Before we knew it, we had more company. Dave, Ronnie, and their families came to a week visit. Bob really enjoyed sitting with his brothers by the lake, fishing, and talking about old times. It was too short and fast of a week. They had to leave before we knew it, and we were all sad to see them go.
Bob was especially sad. He sat around for a week after they left feeling sorry and sad. Rob and I went to talk to the pharmacist about his anti-depressant medication. Well, low and behold the pharmacist had to pull him off of the medication due to other medications that Bob takes for Parkinson’s. The pharmacist is now researching a new anti-depressant medication that will work for Bob and trying to work with the doctors to get this problem fixed.
One thing that did boost his spirits was a visit from his grand-daughter, Christina. She arrived on July 4th for a week visit. We had a great 4th of July with food, fellowship, and a great fireworks display thanks to Pat and Tina. Since everyone was here and Christina won’t be here on the 17th for Bob’s birthday, we had a small cake and sang the traditional, “Chipley Birthday” song.
So other than being busy, and trying to keep him happy and not depressed, Bob is doing surprising well. On July 17, 2010 he will turn 80. We are very thankful he is still with us and we are still able to have some great memories with him. If you can, drop him a card with a photo for his birthday. He loves looking at memory books with all the photos of family and friends. And you know me; I have a ton of photos and memory books for him to look at.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Remember, he's special!
We had a quiet Easter with Bob. He doesn’t do much anymore. Getting him to get up out of bed seems to be a struggle these days. There was one day that he decided to stay in bed the entire day, until Rob came home. Rob and Pat are the only ones that can motivate him now. It seems that Rob comes home at least three days a week now and sits to have a heart to heart with his dad.
His mental health is failing more and more. When he returns to the doctor in a few weeks we are going to ask for a PET scan on him. I don’t think it will give us information to help improve his quality of life, but rather it will give us the information we need to understand what he is going through.
He likes to get up in the middle of the night and wake the house up. It will be two AM and he will start calling for everyone asking, “What’s going on? What are we going to do today?” One night I sat in the hall reading my book telling him to go back to his room every twenty minutes. He was in a state of sleep walk and we were told that this is a symptom of Parkinson’s. There isn’t a medication that will stop this and he has no memory of it the next day. He tore down his curtains and rods in his room, so we put brown craft paper over his windows. I left about 12” at the top of the window to allow light in. At first we just left the windows bare, but that was really bad, since he could still see out the window. Covering the windows up stopped a lot of the confusion at night seeing lights and shadows out the window. If he pulls the paper off, it is a whole lot cheaper to replace than curtain rods that are bent in half.
Rob takes Bob outside after he gets home from work to walk around the house and the back yard. They walk around the house twice and then Bob has to sit and rest for awhile. Rob can get his dad to walk about six times around the house before he is exhausted and done. Then we sit on the back porch for awhile. The weather has been nice lately and sitting outside seeing the birds, squirrels, and ducks have been a real treat.
He misses Kentucky and his friends and relatives that he can’t see anymore. He talks of his grandchildren and asks how they are. If you think about it, try and drop him a card with a picture. He doesn’t read anymore, it’s not that he can’t see; he can’t comprehend what he has read. He will pick up an advertisement from off the table and carry it around with him for hours, looking at it, and trying to figure it out. After a few hours, I will ask him if he is done with it and after he hands it back, I will read it, or ask if he’s hungry for pizza since it was a coupon for pizza. Then he will understand what the paper was and respond. Pictures he likes. He sat one day for almost the entire day looking at old photo albums.
We got him a new chair! He kept lying down on the couch and I told Rob I was tired of fighting with him to sit up. We went and bought him a recliner. He can’t figure out how to push back with his back and lie back, so he sits up half the day and then Rob or I will walk over and push on the back and he can lean back half of the day. I honestly think he would prefer the couch, but we told him that we bought the chair special just for him.
We thought about a lift chair, but I am against it at this time. It would work with him, but Bob is the type that if you give him on inch of help, he will go for the mile. He will get to the point that he will refuse to get up without help, and he can get up. He will also play with the buttons which will be a nightmare. I know we will wind up covering up the buttons to keep him off of them. Then he will refuse to get up unless WE pushed the button. No, bad, bad, bad idea.
Remember the special one this week. He remembers all of you, it may not be all the time, but he does still remember.
His mental health is failing more and more. When he returns to the doctor in a few weeks we are going to ask for a PET scan on him. I don’t think it will give us information to help improve his quality of life, but rather it will give us the information we need to understand what he is going through.
He likes to get up in the middle of the night and wake the house up. It will be two AM and he will start calling for everyone asking, “What’s going on? What are we going to do today?” One night I sat in the hall reading my book telling him to go back to his room every twenty minutes. He was in a state of sleep walk and we were told that this is a symptom of Parkinson’s. There isn’t a medication that will stop this and he has no memory of it the next day. He tore down his curtains and rods in his room, so we put brown craft paper over his windows. I left about 12” at the top of the window to allow light in. At first we just left the windows bare, but that was really bad, since he could still see out the window. Covering the windows up stopped a lot of the confusion at night seeing lights and shadows out the window. If he pulls the paper off, it is a whole lot cheaper to replace than curtain rods that are bent in half.
Rob takes Bob outside after he gets home from work to walk around the house and the back yard. They walk around the house twice and then Bob has to sit and rest for awhile. Rob can get his dad to walk about six times around the house before he is exhausted and done. Then we sit on the back porch for awhile. The weather has been nice lately and sitting outside seeing the birds, squirrels, and ducks have been a real treat.
He misses Kentucky and his friends and relatives that he can’t see anymore. He talks of his grandchildren and asks how they are. If you think about it, try and drop him a card with a picture. He doesn’t read anymore, it’s not that he can’t see; he can’t comprehend what he has read. He will pick up an advertisement from off the table and carry it around with him for hours, looking at it, and trying to figure it out. After a few hours, I will ask him if he is done with it and after he hands it back, I will read it, or ask if he’s hungry for pizza since it was a coupon for pizza. Then he will understand what the paper was and respond. Pictures he likes. He sat one day for almost the entire day looking at old photo albums.
We got him a new chair! He kept lying down on the couch and I told Rob I was tired of fighting with him to sit up. We went and bought him a recliner. He can’t figure out how to push back with his back and lie back, so he sits up half the day and then Rob or I will walk over and push on the back and he can lean back half of the day. I honestly think he would prefer the couch, but we told him that we bought the chair special just for him.
We thought about a lift chair, but I am against it at this time. It would work with him, but Bob is the type that if you give him on inch of help, he will go for the mile. He will get to the point that he will refuse to get up without help, and he can get up. He will also play with the buttons which will be a nightmare. I know we will wind up covering up the buttons to keep him off of them. Then he will refuse to get up unless WE pushed the button. No, bad, bad, bad idea.
Remember the special one this week. He remembers all of you, it may not be all the time, but he does still remember.
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