So sorry for the loss of your aunt HImom. I am sorry for your dad. It is hard when you care so much and others don’t seem to.
zeebamom- What a whirlwind! It sounds like maybe too many narcotics? While she’s in rehab, does someone need to be there most of the time?
So sorry for your loss, Himom. You did the best you could given the circumstances. Now, the best you can do is to support your father at this difficult time.
Hugs to you, zeebamom, as you try to sort out wha’ts going on with your mother.
HImom, condolences for your family, especially your Dad.
Zeebamom, YIKES. People cannot live at red alert for very long so take some breaks for yourself. You HAVE to.
Himom, sending hugs. So glad that your dad was able to see and be with his sister.
Thanks, everyone. Dad will be ok, but is sad that his sis received so little support from her kids and grandkids.
Condolences to your dad and the rest of your family, HIMom.
Sorry for your loss HImom. It sounds as if your dad should not be surprised by your cousins’ behavior but that doesn’t make it easier or okay.
I thought this was a nice article in the local paper about caring for seniors and a geriatrician’s observations:
My condolences, HImom. Families can be puzzling.
@zeebamom – I hope you take some time and take care of yourself.
surfcity,thanks for the link. How lovely.
Yes, it is a lovely article and great idea to collect love stories. There is a lot of love in many decades-old marriages.
Hi mom, how lucky your aunt had you in her life. condolences
HImom, my condolences.
HImom, I’m sorry to hear of your Aunt’s passing, and especially sad to hear of how her immediate family treated her. That must have been so hard for your family and your Dad. I hope the day comes soon when your father will remember her with a smile instead of just sadness.
I cannot get the link to work, but I read a wonderful article in the Washington Post today by Laura Sessions Stepp about her experiences with her father and Alzheimer’s. The key point was how her fathers unrelenting positive attitude made everything bearable - and I thought how much this would apply to ALL of our elderly parents. He expressed pleasure in small things - a bowl of ice cream was one example. I wish the elderly parents in my life would read this article and embrace it.
Here’s a good booklet on end of life options by a nonprofit in our state that deals with these issues http://www.kokuamau.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Advance-Directive-Info-Kokua-Mau.pdf. There are also videos and a lot of other good resources on the website, www.kokuamau.org. There is info about CPR and tubefeeding and much more.
.Hugs to zeebamom and HImom.
H’s dad (95) is now slipping into dementia land. It helped a lot to have the experience with my mother(93), as it really does seem so far easier to understand and take steps.
rmh- sorry to hear about your f-I-l. Good that your prior experiences are helping this time around. These hard won expertises are not ones you want to need, yet, at times, they make all the difference. Hang in there.
Travel- at least we have an idea what we are doing. Somehow that is comforting. But, the first go around I had enormous help from this thread. THANK YOU!
It is tough having to put that learning into play again with another family member, in part because you know where it is going, @rockymtnhigh