Quick update

Dad came back Monday from three weeks in Florida. So far, so good. He shares that he feels lost in time and geography—he needs reminders that he lives with me, where his property is, where he stayed recently, and that we have been to the eastern shore to see his old seminary churches and his college in DC. 

He doesn't ask for help with bathroom needs - he has 3 disposable urinals in the basement, so he doesn't have to go upstairs all night to pee, but when he couldn't find one, he found some random gallon jug and used that to pee in. 

Including him in the morning walks with the dogs is helpful. It starts the day with activity, which helps him stay busy. He loves to say, " I like to stay busy and active." The only issue is that he said his legs felt numb twice yesterday. I'm thankful his leg ultrasound is soon to get that checked out. 

An invaluable tool recommended to me by a friend is helping me to feel less overwhelmed, which is great because I've been depressed for a few weeks. Rich's mom had a heart attack, and we went to see her. Coordinating my dad's stay, ensuring he had his medicine, and finding care for the pets, a hotel, and money to make the trip was a lot. Of course, on the trip, my windshield gets cracked, and when I pick up my dad from the airport, I get a safety citation from a police officer to get it fixed, or my registration will be revoked. Thankfully, I already had the windshield repair scheduled, but my dad was distraught in the car and getting beligerant. I told him that if he acted up, he would get me in more trouble, and I modeled being calm despite wanting to cry. 

I started an MSW program in May but am taking a leave of absence now because life feels too overwhelming. Oh, the tool my friend recommended is called Rosebud. I highly recommend it. I don't think Dad will travel alone anymore because he is anxious now. I will have to go on any further trips. Coordinating those will be a bit more difficult as my home responsibilities apart from caring for dad have become a bit more logistically complicated with the kids' school year starting and other activities they have going on.