When I returned to my Dad’s house from the last trip I found him desperately trying to get his arm into the sleeve of his … Blanket. Didn’t even notice that I had entered the room and in his urgency, he pushed away my hug. We gave him something to calm him down and he went to bed. Not the return I had hoped for. Over the next 8 months I got to watch this disease slowly and relentlessly destroy my Dad. He had stopped looking for his wife under the bed, behind the mirror etc before I took off and now it was an occasional question followed buy shock & denial when we told him she was in Heaven and the he would usually forget in minutes. I got used to him asking his aide, Nana, a Ghannian, who I was. He never called me by name the last 3 years. Nana and I made quite the team as I learned how to use a Hoyer lift to do transfers, blew my elbow out helping Dad use the commode and didn’t take offense when the meal I had prepared was spit out. He was never in pain and was always happy to see ‘buddies’ (children frequently) who stopped to visit. Dad used to watch TV doing curls with a small dumbbell and hundreds of reps on hand grippers so he often amazed everyone with his arm strength. Dad’s birthday is July 14 and that was the day last year Mom passed. Technically even though it had been 365 days since his last bday and her anniversary, he didn’t make 93. But one must forgive someone with Alzheimer’s for forgetting it was a leap year! I say he died @ 93.
Eugene L. Blackwell, June 30, 2016
Dad was a Marine and had participated in the taking of Okinawa among other islands and so we were not surprised with the trumpeter and honor guard but very grateful. The Army soldier is Dad’s grandson Cody McVeigh his only descendent to join the military.
Sempre Fideles, Old G.
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