Gm#1 and I went to see gd#1 at the nursing home today. Gd#1 was in a much better frame of mind than yesterday. He was laying on top of his bed, half asleep when we rolled into the room. Rather, I rolled Gm#1 into the room in her wheelchair. The first question out of his mouth was, "are you going to take me home now?" I told him no, that he still had alot of work to do. After that, we get the 'hey-how-are-yous' and 'let-me-hug-yous'. Today, he was fascinated with my hair. He kept asking to put his hand on my hair (which is a dull red now). He asked what color his hair was. I told him that he didn't have any hair, he had asked to have it shaved off. He didn't have that much to start with though. He seemed surprised that he didn't have hair anymore. He kept his head mostly laying on the pillow, every once and again he would raise it slightly when asking for another hug. Gd#1 said that I was his favorite. His favorite 'what', I don't know. Today, he thought that I was my gm#1's sister. He kept asking who 'our' mama was. I finally explained to him that I had my 'own' mama who was "G----". Gd#1 said that he really liked G, that she was the best thing that ever happened. No, not a whole lot of it made sense but it hasn't since he got so sick this last time. My gm#1 wanted to argue with him alot, to correct him after he became this bad. It took so time in explaining over and over again as well as showing her by example, that it just didn't help anything to argue or correct. I told her just to 'go with the flow'. If he says the sky is purple with pigs flying across it, then say, "wow, that's a nice show". No good comes of explaining that the sky is not purple with pigs and it's not the end of the world to agree. In five minutes or less, he usually has forgotten the whole thing anyway.
Well, now, I've gone off on a tangent and slightly askew of the subject.
While sitting there, I thought to get my dad's dirty clothes so that I could get them washed this evening. Before I stepped out, I remembered to sign in on his notepad saying that we had come to visit him. It's a sheet left in his room, just for him, that lets the nurses/CNAs look at the sheet and tell him that we had, indeed, been by to visit. He gets caught up in his world so much that he can't remember if anyone had been by to see him and thinks that he is all alone and abandoned.
I finished the signing and went down the hall to find my dad sitting in his room by himself watching tv. I decided to take him down to gd#1's room for a short visit. His parents were happy to see him. He was content no matter who was in the room. I scratched his back a little and then we arm wrestled and thumb wrestled. No, he doesn't really have any idea what he is doing but the muscles in his arm and hands will still automatically try to work. Strangely enough, it gives me an idea of his strength and his basic coordination, up until he cheats and uses his other hand. LOL
Shortly after a little conversation (mostly on my part), I took him back to his room, gathered his dirty laundry and went back to get gm#1. She and gd#1 were already quite tired. I had geared myself up for an episode like yesterday. Today he just said ok when I told him we were leaving and would be back tomorrow. I was so relieved. Yesterday, when we told him that we had to leave, he screamed, "NOOOOOO" and threw his arms around gm#1. I was trying to disentangle the two of them because it was putting my gm#1 in a great deal of pain (her back is very bad). The more I would try to separate them, the more he would cry and holler, "DON'T LEAVE ME L-----!!".Fortunately, a CNA helped me separate them and redirect gd#1. The CNA took him back to his room.
Now you see why yesterday really sucked.
