Lost at the drug store.

Tonight's adventure - I got a phone call from my parent's aide. Dad was at the ATM in the drug store and could not remember his PIN number. When he got back to the house he thought he lost his ATM card, and at least two other credit cards.

When my daughter and ex got to his house they found his ATM card and the credit cards he thought he had lost in his wallet, she knew his PIN and also found that there was another credit card that WAS missing.

It really feels like my dad is losing more of himself every day. Every time I talk to him or see him there is something else. As I said before, the stress of mom's stroke has accelerated his memory issues. Of course, the clinics and doctors in NY that specialize in Geriatrics and Alzheimer's have packed schedules and the first appointment I can get is the end of May. So now, instead of having until the summer to get paper work together I feel that I have to rush to the lawyer to take of the things that my parents didn't take care of. So tomorrow I call the lawyer and make an appointment for asap to deal with this.

On a good note

Mom's therapy seems to be helping a bit. Last Friday they had her in some sort of contraption that lifted her from a sitting position to a supported standing position and helped her move her legs to walk. Today they worked with her on standing. This is the first time since July that she has stood up! So even with the looooooong delay there is definitely improvement.

Last week she was frustrated with her OT. She was finding it difficult to carry out what she said should have been a simple task. They gave her two stacks of play money and asked her to match the numbers. She couldn't do it. I explained to her how her brain had to remake connections and that she was retraining her brain, regrowing dendrite connections.

So how am I doing?

Last night I found it hard to sleep. I had to file paper work to get my mom into a trust that will make her Medicaid eligible. I have had to take on more aspects of their lives. Now I have to sit with my Dad to pay his bills. I have to worry about whether he can go out and take care of himself. I have to call his doctors to make sure that I know what they talk about and if there are any problems. I have to make the appointments. My father is so focused on my mom that he loses sight of his own issues.

How am I? I teach full time. I spend time supporting my wife's trying to publicize her book. I try to be active in my union (I am a delegate to our local assembly) and other involved with other issues. So I come home and I am so mentally exhausted that all I can do phase out in front of the boob tube. I try to find my way through this maze of problems. I know that I am not the first, and I am lucky enough to have the support of my wife, my ex and my daughters, so I really don't want to be a whiner. I just keep going forward because if I stop I don't if I can get started agian.