This week I called the manager of the group home and got directions on how to watch the interior of the home on cameras placed throughout the house. It was like watching the weather radar online, only slower. I was, however, hooked instantly. It took at least two hours of watching before the star made an appearance (they cannot be placed in the bedrooms.) He rolled his wheelchair across the living room floor on his own volition and parked it in the dining area. He was sitting up straight and talking to the manager. I could tell immediately that he was over the UTI just by the fact that he was aware of his surroundings. There was no sound. I called my pal in the cubicle behind me to watch with me. His wife is expecting a baby next week and I told him he might want to get cameras, too, so he can watch the baby when he's at work. I have one of those jobs where something like this isn't really a deterrent.
So today I went to visit him and took a cherry pie. I assumed this would put him in a better mood. He was at the table so I broke out the pie and he and I and the sociable male roommate had a piece. I'm now feeding Dad as he cannot get the hang of utensils anymore. The Parkinson's has always created a problem in this area, and now that he's so groggy, he can only eat with his hands. Well, pie is pie. I'd rather feed him. To get him in the mood to eat the pie I set a good example and ate a piece right along with him. He finally said he didn't want anymore after eating about 3/4 of it and told me he didn't want me eating anymore either, taking my plate away. Okey dokey.
As we waited for lunch (the cool part about being this old is, you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want) we went out in the back yard to take a video of him. I weighed the ethics of this. (1) Somebody might think it's funny and put it on YouTube. (2) Not too many people would want to be seen in this condition if they knew what was going on. But I finally decided that given his health and age, we might not get chances to take many more pictures or movies of him. He is how he is, and people don't become less worthy of being remembered as they are in the present just because they become old and sick. If anybody puts this on YouTube I'll just have to deal with it then. This video is the best of three attempts. I want the readers to see that he's doing much better. A picture is worth a thousand words.
One of the caregivers had a call from one tenant's son saying he was coming to take his mother to lunch. Because of her Alzheimer's she couldn't contend with him not being there instantly. She cried for fifteen minutes, "Where's my son?? GET MY SON!! Where is he? What if he doesn't come? HE'S NOT COMING!! Wahhhhhhhh!" We all tried to calm her down while she waited for her son to arrive. I had heard that on prior occassions he said to the caregivers not to tell his mother he was coming because she gets completely worked up until he actually shows up, but this time I don't think they got that message. Finally he came. She calmed down instantly.
So I sat next to Dad and fed him. He still has his eyes shut most of the time and seems to be sleepeating through lunch. He would eat some, but much of it he would chew, spit out, and later pick it up with his fingers to eat it. I think he ate a lot of it. However, he didn't want a second piece of pie, even with my setting a good example and eating another piece next to him.
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