Another Crossroad
It’s clear we had reached another crossroad. Dad could never be left alone to live by himself. After a night spent falling out of bed, Dad was exhausted and disoriented. As I sat with him in the Rehab Center, he was looking for cans under the bed and asking me if I’d...
A Fresh Start
After dad's time rehabilitating in the nursing home was over, we spent several weeks with me caring for him at the house. Truly an adjustment for both of us, I figured out the best way to help him bathe, when to have him use his walker, and when to wheel him around in...
Dad’s Moment in the Sun
Just as I was beginning to despair that our new adventure may not be working out, I received an email from our neighbor Brenda about her visit to Dogwood Haven. She included an attachment entitled, “Jack in the Newspaper”. There was my dad with the biggest smile on...
Spinning your wheels
When I called my dad and asked how his day went, he told me "Really bad." He had been robbed. I asked what was stolen and he said, "All my money." "But Dad," I said, "you didn't have any money." "Ha! Ha!" he replied, "Then the bastard didn't get anything!" He was very...
Options for the Elderly
While I could have suggested assisted living several years ago, my dad would have never accepted it. At that time he was too preoccupied with proving he could get along by himself. A live-in caregiver would not have worked well for him either. I was the only one he...
The Less Favored but Inevitable Option
As Dad’s condition worsened, one day I got a call from the Rose Manor nurse who was very concerned because his coloring looked yellow. The nurse said she was sending him to the hospital. His gall bladder had become extremely infected, and he would receive laproscopic...
Getting to know my dad–Young Jack
Now that I’ve told you about my old pops, it only seems fair that I share some of the younger chapters of his life. In recounting some recent incidents about Dad to my daughter Ericka, I mentioned how unbelievably strong-willed, feisty, and stubborn he was. As my...
Strategies
My Dad would have qualified for acceptance into West Point Military Academy except for his eyesight. He didn’t pass the eye exam. The optometrist who examined him suggested he consider a career in optometry. Dad followed up on that suggestion and went into the...
Haven in the Woods
Dad and Mom retired in 1978 and began the search for their “Golden Pond”. They found a number of acres in Northern Alabama--a beautiful tract of land with a 25-acre lake set back from the main road in isolated woods. They fulfilled their dream by building what their...
Loneliness Takes Its Toll
Ken and I visited several times. Dad was hanging in there. He enjoyed his independence and privacy. He studied investing, and lined his book shelves with numerous books on healthcare, money management, and other practical skills. For years Dad collected coins. Coins...