Sorry for the delay

Hi Family,
Sorry for the delay in updating you about Dad. I just wondered if anyone ever checked this but found out from my Uncle that it was missed, so I will continue for now.

Dad has kind of adjusted to life at the Nursing Home. He doesn't really know where he is . . . part of the time he thinks he's in jail. Mom and I usually tell him he's in the hospital when he asks us "what is this place?" The biggest challenge for the nursing home staff is getting him to stay seated in his wheelchair. He doesn't remember that he can't stand up or walk, so he's continually (at times) trying to get out of the wheelchair. He's fallen a couple of times but thankfully hasn't been hurt. They have put him in a bed that's low to the floor with yoga-type mats on both sides of the bed, so if he tries to get up a night he won't fall out and get hurt. They are very caring and good to him there. They call me for every little thing, whether it's a slight change in medication or therapy, and I appreciate it. I don't always tell Mom what's going on, as she gets upset over everything. I try to be selective in what I tell her and not upset her if I don't think there's a real reason to. She and I have talked about this and I think she knows where I'm coming from. This is a really big change in her life, without having Dad at home. I'm proud of the way she has dealt with it. I didn't think she would get along so well by herself, but she has surprised me. With all the love she and Dad have had for each other for the past 59 years, the stress of the last couple of years living with someone that's progressing in this disease has been a struggle. So even though she may feel a little guilty, I suspect there's a little bit of a feeling of freedom there. I want you all to know how much your phone calls have meant to her, so PLEASE PLEASE continue to call and check on her and keep in touch!

So I try to go see Dad as much as I can, even if it's for a short visit. A lot of the time when I go there, he's asleep. There are times when he is more "at himself" or "with it" than others. I usually try to take him a cheeseburger from Wendy's, just because he loves them. Mom and I went on Tuesday and he was "out of it". They had just done a medicine change, and he was having trouble holding his head up and staying awake. We finally asked them to put him to bed, he was just miserable sitting in that chair. I had planned to go today, but when I called he was asleep.

This is an emotional roller-coaster that we're on. I know there's no hope of a cure. There are days that he seems almost like his old self, and then there are days when it seems like my Dad is no longer there. Just last week, we had an actual conversation, where he told me he was retired and used to work selling insurance and in the mines, and that he was in the Navy. The time before that, he babbled the whole visit. But when I told him goodbye and asked him if he knew who I was, he looked right at me and said, "You're Peggy . . . Peggy Ellen. . . my baby girl."
Of course, I cried all the way home.

Tomorrow is Sunday. We plan to visit him, and I'll let you know.

Love to all of you. Your prayers keep us strong.

Peggy