Well, it’s been about 1.5 months since father was diagnosed with T.I.A. and Atrial Fibrilations, and since then he’s had a few attacks at least. He’s now on blood thinners as a precaution to avoid a large stroke attack. As time goes by, I notice that my dad’s brain and ability is slowing down. Conversations started by him with a few words soon lag into silence, putting on clothes or shoes can take a long time. Learning to be patient and letting him gather his thoughts or try on his own in his own time have been the new challenge, and also needing to explain it to those who may visit him. It’s hard to watch and not wan tto help immediately, but realizing that letting him try and do it is good for him, until he asks or responds to my offer of help, or that he actually gives up on trying.
Last week he went through a couple of days of semi clarity where the delusional dementia kicked in; I received quite a few calls from him with random requests that made no sense. His thoughts are less and less linear when it comes to the dementia part. That fades off through phases, where it’s less prominent, and he’s back to having the Alzheimers being more prominent. He is more like a child now where he doesn’t know when to stop with eating something he enjoys in the moment, or logically figure something out, such as putting his shoes on, and using a shoe horn for his beloved dress shoes.
Personally, I’ve been going through a self development period with wanting to shift my career, so this calmer period is a blessing in disguise. It’s afforded me some much needed mental and emotional breathing space to process the last year of chaos and emotional upheaval.
Remember, if you are going through this, find youself the support and love in friends/family, as well as within yourself… to take good care of yourself mentally and emotionally. So important.