Lay me Grace and Bake me Pie I'm Starvin' for me Gravy....."
Dearest and I went to visit my Dad today. Back in hospital he is and not really very well. We arrived and eventually found him fast asleep. So, what do you do? Slope off or wake him? We decided to wake him and I have to say he was not 100%. He talked vague bollocks for a good 5 minutes. Mind you, I've accused him of talking vague bollocks for the past 15 years or so.He doesn't read, watch TV or listen to the radio/walkman any more. He struggles to remember words, family names, days of the week.........
Eventually I started quizzing him about Germany. I spent one afternoon in the place when we all went to the World Cup from Amsterdam. I was that impressed I booked a weekend there for Dearest and I.
"You've been to Germany haven't you Dad" I quizzed.
"No not me. Never been".
"Yes you have - Dearest and I gave you a trip down the Rhine as a pressie for your Golden Wedding Anniversary".
"Oh aye. Yes...that fat bloke Manfred who owned the hotel.............................................. ......................................" End of conversation.
I just hope he has fabulous dreams because it seems he sleeps 15 - 20 hours a day.
Life....go easy on me. Love, don't pass me by.
Does it really "come to us all?"
5 comments:
Sadly mate, yes. The longer the NHS keep our bodies moving, albeit so you would hardly notice in many cases, whilst not having any drugs or cure for dementia, it seems we are all going to have to spend our final months, weeks, days and hours in the sort of condition your poor old da is in. Not a cheery thought... those who aren't being cared for are caring for someone else.
Prepare your kids now...
Steve - this is just how my old mother is at her old folks home in Beverley. She struggles to get in a wheelchair and repeats herself a lot. She doesn't read or do crosswords - two activities that were always happening throughout the rest of her adult life. She's there in death's ante-room. I sometimes think of Adrian Henri's lines:-
"Let me die a young man's death
Not a clean and in-between the sheets death..."
Having experienced this, I don't think it will come to us all. Depends on lifestyle, luck, attitude. You'll be fine. Concentrate on living and enjoying yourself.
Be strong, I hope your old man passes on quickly if he goes downhill much more. Please don't take that the wrong way, I wish he could be well, and you could have him the way he was, but it makes me so angry that if he were at cat or dog we could have them put down, but us humans must suffer so much.
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