Yesterday I awoke to a series of text messages telling me that my father had fallen and he was in the ER getting checked out. Fortunately, he was ok. But then he fell again this morning. We have been extraordinarily lucky that he hasn’t broken any bones in his falls. But he has been collecting …
Category Archives: My Father
Shana Tovah U'metuka
Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year) 5774 starts this evening at sundown. The title of this post, “shana tovah u’metukah” is a traditional Rosh Hashanah greeting that wishes someone a good and sweet New Year. It is traditional to eat apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah to symbolize starting off the new year on …
Where Would I Be Without Friends?
It should not come as a surprise that I have been reading a lot about factors that correlate with dementia. Two of the strongest protective factors seem to be education and a strong social network (aka friends). My father is certainly well educated. In addition to a graduate degree and work towards a second, he …
My Father's Apron Strings
At long last, I am on the plane heading home. After an incredibly busy 2 weeks, I once again forgot to give myself adequate recovery time upon my return. At least I am used to hitting the ground running. For the first time in a long time, I am eager to call my parents when …
All Aides are Not Created Equal
In the past year my father has had a parade of aides coming in and out of his life. At one time or another, most have shown up late or not at all. Their training is minimal and it shows. They haven’t been particularly attentive, nor have they been overtly neglectful. Most of them …
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Leaving my parents’ house was bittersweet. On the one hand, I am really looking forward to getting a full nights’ sleep tonight. It will be nice to see David after a week. It will be even nicer to get to see my nieces (David’s brother’s daughters) after a year. On the other hand, I really …
The Up (and Down) Side of Things
Caretaking isn’t all bad. In fact, I enjoyed hanging out with my father both Wednesday and Thursday. Although he slept most of Wednesday, he did have his old spark most of the time he was awake. He was a little more confused about some things on Thursday, but that didn’t stop him from dishing out …
The Night I Had
Last night I got my first taste of being a 24-hour caretaker. Usually my mother is the primary caretaker. I am giving her a break and have taken over for 3 days and 2 nights. My father is incredibly prone to falling. He is also increasingly frail. Even a relatively minor fall could be completely …
Grizabella, the Glamour Cat
Yesterday, we went to go see Broadway Rose‘s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats. Broadway Rose does a great job scaling large, Broadway productions for their smaller stage. I saw their production of Les Miserables, and I was very impressed and enjoyed myself immensely. Their version of Cats was also quite good. Not flawless, but …