I ache to start learning how to cook. The only problem is that my apartment has a gas stove. I've only used electric stoves all my life; I have no idea how to use this thing. Everytime I imagine turning it on, every fire ball explosion I've seen in the movies jumps to the forefront of my mind ( Read more... )

So many of my entries have been very somber lately. I suppose I should write about this lighter topic while it’s in my mind. I listen to a particular radio drama regularly (I wish there were more radio dramas out there - I never understood the phrase “radio is the theatre of the mind” until recently). Anyways, one of the programs I heard ( Read more... )

I started back to work on December 10th. Yeah, I was at my wits’ end at that moment and for some time after. Sister, Brother, and I exhausted our resolve in arguing with Dad. We didn’t try to force a sitter on him, instead relying on each of us calling him every day and having his friend, Paul, and neighbor check in on him regularly. Thankfully ( Read more... )

This is my last week on leave. If I don’t go back to work on Monday, I lose my job. Dad has made progress since I’ve been here, but his vision impairment is still his main problem. He no longer requires someone around 24/7, but the therapist has explicitly stated that he needs someone to check in on him during the day stay with him during the ( Read more... )

Yesterday had one of those wretched moments when the universe’s Rube Goldberg machine lines up everything to screw you over for doing the right thing ( Read more... )

I won't have to quit my job, thankfully. I can take a 30 day personal leave of absence combined with two weeks paid leave. After that, EarthLink considers me resigined. Hopefully, Dad will be well enough to stay at home alone without being a danger to himself. Of course, if he needs more time, I will make whatever adjustments are needed.

Dad’s not doing well in assisted living. According to Sister, he’s pitiful; he’s obsessed about when she’ll come back. He can’t stand being alone. He doesn’t understand why he can’t go home. He’s so much younger than everyone else there. Furthermore, the place won’t likely meet his nutritional needs for his physical rehabilitation (all they ( Read more... )

First off, I made a mistake in my last entry. Dad was discharged from rehab today, not last Friday. I meant to update before now, but nothing monumental happened (at least, nothing big enough to make me sit down and type an entry while time was so scarce). Dad’s short term memory has started to come back. He became able to remember certain ( Read more... )

No significant update on Dad. His short term memory and judgment are still impaired with no real improvement. He developed a urinary tract infection, which was a mixed blessing. It prolonged his stay in rehab a few more days (he was supposed to be discharged last Tuesday, now he will be released this Friday). It was a minor infection, and he ( Read more... )

It’s been a week with some improvement. From Saturday to Monday, Dad was pretty much out of it. He slept all the time, and he would feintly respond if you interacted with him. Monday night, he had somewhat of an awakening in which he became much more alert. However, that has been the only real improvement in his mind. His long term memory is ( Read more... )