Happy Father's Day

It's my first Father's day without you Dad.

It's a lot easier than I thought it would be and I'm not sure if I like that idea. I thought it would be tougher but I guess in some ways I had lost you long before you passed away.
Alzheimers is a very cruel disease.
I am just glad that you are no longer suffering. 

Happy Father's day in heaven Dad ♥♥♥

Poem: I Don't Need A Special Day

♥ Some days are easier than others but I will always miss my Mum and Dad ♥

Dad's Farewell

We said farewell to Dad last Wednesday and celebrated his life.
We shared some wonderful stories, looked at some photographs and spent time with lots of cousins, aunties and uncle plus three of my siblings.

I believe that Dad (and Mum) would have been pleased with how everything turned out.

Uncle Bob looks just like Dad. Only shorter ♥

Lee-Anne & Uncle Bob

Lee-Anne & Allie

Melody & Lee-Anne

Allan, Vicki, Mark Jr, Allie & myself

I miss you Dad but I am glad you and Mum are together again ♥♥

♫♪♫ I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane ♪♫♪

Things have been a bit hectic here over the past week or so. Well, ever since Dad passed away really.  To be honest I just want someone to tell me this was all a mistake and that I don't need to go.
Brodie and I head off to Adelaide tomorrow for Dad's funeral. Mark  & Angus are staying home.

This will be a real bittersweet trip. It will be nice to catch up with some family members that I haven't seen in years but it's for such a sad reason. But we are there to celebrate Dad's life.

Hopefully I will get some lovely photos of everyone while Brodie and I are there.

So Much For Families Sticking Together

I am having such a shit week. As I posted earlier my Dad passed away early Monday morning. We have finally found out when the funeral is. It's not for another couple of weeks but to when Dad's body can be released and the funeral home can collect him.

I asked one of my sisters if I was able to stay at her place. I got a resounding NO! My other sister, the one who actually lives an hour or so drive away from her, has been given her spare room. I asked if Brodie and I could sleep on the floor in her lounge room. I was also told NO to that request!! Hello .. I am travelling over 900 km to come to the funeral and this is what I have to face.

There are no other family members that I can stay with. I have been told that they don't have room either. So much for families sticking together. I am feeling so hurt by all of this.

Brodz and I have a flight over the day before the funeral and we have nowhere to stay. Our money is very tight at the moment due to my having to pay thousands of dollars to get my car repaired. All of this happened before Dad passed away. Had I known, but you never know when something like this would happen, I would have paid the mechanic off over a few weeks.

My sister in law lives on the other side of the country to us has offered to help us try and find someone to stay with. But honestly, who would want a couple of strangers stay with them for a few nights? I don't like my chances.
My Relief Society President is also trying to help. Friends and in-laws treat us better than family does.

I am going to talk with my Bishop from Church if I can get an appointment to see him & see what he may be able to help with.

For now I am hardly sleeping and I am up in the middle of the night unless I am totally exhausted and manage to sleep through. Can someone just wake me when May is over? .. if I manage to fall asleep that is..

RIP Dad

I haven't felt like doing any blog posts these past few days but I am feeling a bit more like myself today & I was trying to keep busy with other things. You see my Dad passed away early Monday morning at the amazing age of 90. Which is such a great innings!

I'm not sharing this because I want any sympathy, although I do appreciate your thoughts and kindness. This is more because I want you, if your Mum and Dad are still around, to make sure that you give them a hug and tell them as often as you can that you love them because you just never know when it will be the last time.

I am very grateful that I remember my last phone call with Dad and telling him that I loved him and he told me he loved me too. I would do almost anything to hear him tell the same stories just one more time. I know I never spoke to him on the phone as much as I would have liked. His dementia made that all change and it was very difficult to talk to him on the phone but I do have some wonderful memories to cherish.

Dad, Mum has been waiting almost 18 years for you to be together again. 

 ❤️ I will love and miss you both always ❤️

Happy 90th Birthday Dad!

This photo of Dad was taken last month. Looking good there Dad!

Standout Dad

Dear Dad, it’s your birthday,

And I want you to know

I appreciate you more

As the years come and go.

All your good qualities

Stand out and shine;

Fathers are priceless,

And I’m so glad you’re mine!

By Joanna Fuchs

I Love a Man in Uniform

I found some photos of my Dad and my brother, Mark, in their Army uniforms. 

Gosh they are handsome! 

Dad is the one on the left.

Dad on the left again.

Dad front left.

My brother, Mark, front left.

These photos make me wish I had some of Grandpop in his army uniform as well. I am sure he would have looked just as handsome.

Happy 89th Birthday Dad

Happy Birthday Dad!

My Dad turned 89 today.

He lives in a nursing home now in Adelaide (interstate).
I am sure that my sisters will be visiting him today.

Happy 88th Birthday Dad!

I phoned my Dad up a short time ago to wish him Happy Birthday.

He doesn't talk much on the phone these days but I a glad I got to talk with him.

I love this photo. It's a recent one, sent to me on Boxing Day last year by my niece (bubz Grandma). Dad is holding his Great-great-granddaughter Sienna-Grace, who is almost 1 month old in that photo.
5 generations were together that day ♥

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Dad!

We had a chat on the phone this morning, even though it was brief. He had one of his carers there helping him out and he wanted to go.

It's getting harder, and harder to talk with him on the phone. Dementia is really knocking him for six. At least he chats with us and remembers our names most of the time. So that's a bonus.

Dad's in Hospital

I missed a phone call from my sister Julie this morning. I was at Church and had my phone on silent. I phoned her back as soon as I saw the message that she had left for me. I also phoned Vicki once I got home.

It turns out my Dad is in hospital again. He's bleeding from the bowel. Since it is the weekend there isn't much they can do as far as testing is concerned. They need to wait until tomorrow before they can check everything out properly.

They have him on a liquid diet at the moment and he is NOT impressed. I don't blame him actually. I would be unimpressed too. It makes it harder that he has dementia and really isn't coping all that well with being in hospital and being confined to bed. He likes to get up and walk around at home and potter about, check the letter box, sit on the veranda out the front, go out into the back yard or into the garage. Being stuck in a bed, let alone a hospital bed, would drive any one a little crazy.

Dad is going to be reassessed while he is in hospital. Vicki is terribly concerned that they wont let him come home and will want to send him to a nursing home. Both of my sisters are concerned that if Dad was placed in a nursing home he will give up and his health will go down hill if he wasn't able to stay at home. I think Dad just remembers what it was like when Grandpop (his Dad) was in a nursing home in the 1970's. Grandpop hated it and grumbled quite a bit. I am sure that Dad thinks it will be exactly the same for himself. Both Julie and Vicki agree that it wont be good for Dad and I can see my sisters point of view. It would do him more harm that good, right now at least.

Vicki is quite happy to keep helping Dad out as much as possible so that he can remain at home. As long as she gets the help she needs then that's okay. She needs to ask about respite and see if she can receive any extra assistance that is available. There will be a social worker coming to talk with her and Dad tomorrow. I hope Vicki remembers to voice all of her concerns and remembers to ask all the questions that she needs to. I hate to say that she stresses out a lot and gets flustered easily. Maybe I should have reminded her to write everything down before she sees them.

Now I just wait and I'll phone Vicki late tomorrow to find out what happened with the social worker, the assessment and the tests they will run.

Happy 87th Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad!

87 years young ☺

I wish we were in Adelaide to celebrate with you today! 

We hope you have a wonderful day and that all the girls come and visit!

xoxo

Update on Dad

I spend quite a lot of time on the phone these past few days with my sisters in Adelaide. While there was a lot of bad news there was lots of good news too which is a relief.

Dad was discharged from hospital last night. Thankfully, he has the flu and not pneumonia. I am glad that the diagnosis of pneumonia was wrong. I get chills when I hear that word. Mum died from it and with her having Diabetes and emphysema didn't help.

Vicki and Julie were able to speak with a social worker and an occupational therapist (OT) at the hospital. From what they discussed they are all for Dad staying home on his own for at least the next six months. Just as long as he has as much assistance as he can possibly have. However that will all change if Dad has another fall. If that occurs then he will be placed in to a nursing home straight away.

For now my sisters have organised to take turns looking after him in his home. The aged care people will be reassessing the help that Dad needs at home. My sisters have organised to cook his meals between them ie: make extra when they cook and freeze some meals to take over to him. The Anglicare people wont need to come over and cook meals for him now. They will still be needed to help him out with cleaning and changing his bed. 

One thing Julie told me is that considering Dads age and the fact that he has dementia he is still in pretty good health. Julie mentioned that Dad only eats sweet things most of the time such as fruit cake and biscuits. The OT said not to worry about it too much since most dementia patients don't always remember that they have eaten any way and to let him enjoy eating what he wants especially since he doesn't have diabetes or other major health issues to worry about.

So for now Dad will be home. The girls are happy to help him as much as they can. The boys and I will be visiting Dad next month. We've arranged the dates and I have told my sisters when we will be there. I think it will be nice to give them a break from looking after Dad for a week. I am sure Vicki will need the break by then. Mark will need to be a bachelor for a week. I am sure he wont mind. 

My Dad is in Hospital

Dad when he was almost 82. He is now 86

Early yesterday afternoon I got a phone call from my sister Julie to let me know that Dad has had a fall and Vicki found him on just before lunch lying on the floor in his bedroom. Vicki had phoned for an ambulance and was waiting for them to arrive.

I phoned Vicki to see how she was. She gets very stressed, very easily and I knew that she would need to hear some calm reassuring words. She was waiting for the ambulance and was worried that they hadn't arrived yet. Vicki had phoned for the 20 minutes earlier. I let Vicki go so that she could wait for the ambos and check on Dad. His Anglicare worker who comes over to cook Dads lunch was there talking to him while Vicki was on the phone with me.

I phoned my niece, Kylie, (Vicki's daughter) and she had just arrived at Dads place a few minutes earlier. She told me that the ambos thought Poppa (my Dad) was okay and that they didn't want to take him to the hospital because he would only be sitting there for hours waiting.

I phoned Vicki again about 20 minutes later to check on everything. She said she was going to give Dad something to eat and would be taking him to his GP just to be on the safe side. I also spoke with Dad who didn't make all that much sense. I guess it rattled him a bit and he just kept changing the subject and spoke about other things. It was almost like he was behaving like it hadn't happened. He didn't seem able to answer simple questions about himself. He just said that he had the sniffles and asked about Mark & the boys.

Late last night Julie sent me a text saying the GP send Dad and Vicki to the hospital because he didn't like Dad's irregular heartbeat. Dad had been admitted to hospital. He was dehydrated but that was all she knew at the moment.

I phoned Vicki this morning mainly to check on how she was. She told me that Dad had x-rays yesterday and he has pneumonia in his right lung. They put him on antibiotics. The doctor who assessed Dad has said that he doesn't want Dad to live on his own. Vicki is really distressed over this at the moment. She thinks that she wont cope if Dad had to come and live with her. I asked her if she had spoken with a social worker yet. I told her that when she does she is to tell them exactly how she feels. I made Vicki promise to look after herself. There is no use in her getting sick on top of all of this.

Vicki was waiting for Julie to arrive so that they could go to the hospital together. She said she'd send me a text to let me know when to phone her to find out what's going on because she didn't have much credit left on her mobile.

After I had spoken with Vicki I phoned the hospital to have a chat with Dad. The poor dear. He has no idea what is going on. He thought that Vicki and Julie were picking him up today to take him to lunch in Gawler and that he needed to meet them out the front of the hospital. I explained that they would be there later and that they would come to him. Dad thinks that he will be released from hospital today and he will be going home. I doubt very much that he will be discharged today at all.

Now I just wait by the phone to hear some news.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad!

He's 86 years young today!

I'm Worried About My Dad

Today should seriously be called forgetful Friday! My mind has been elsewhere lately mainly because I have been thinking about my Dad a lot lately. Ever since I spoke with my sister, Julie, on Tuesday afternoon Dad has been on my mind a lot. Julie told me all sorts of things that have me very concerned about his well being.

Dad will be 85 next month and he's been living on his own since Mum passed away in twelve years ago. He volunteered at his local hospital for 10 years and then gave it away. Since he stopped volunteering around 12 months ago he's been steadily going down hill. It was the little things I noticed like his repeating conversations every time we've spoken on the phone. How he couldn't hear properly while on the phone. He would often say things that had absolutely nothing to do with what we had been talking about. 

When we were visiting him a few years back his driving scared the heck out of me by driving down the middle of the white line on a dual lane as we headed for a roundabout. I was relieved when he phoned me a couple of weeks ago to let me know that his license wont be getting renewed. He told me that the doctor said his eye sight wasn't up to scratch so he was no longer able to drive. What he didn't tell me was he had been pulled over by the police a week or two before that. He had absolutely no idea why he had been pulled over but he did remember that they were very nice young men. Scary right?!?!

Dad wants to remain independent and stay in his house. The trouble is he isn't able to look after it properly. Or himself for that matter. Apparently he lives on sweet biscuits (cookies) and cake. He no longer cooks himself meals. If he does cook anything he uses the microwave but that is very rare. He turns the power off on everything that he considers non-essential ie: toaster, kettle, stove, microwave [not really a bad thing in my book] He wont use the air-conditioner on stinking hot days. It gets too cold.

Dad no longer walks properly. He shuffles. He has trouble getting in and out of the car and needs to hold on to things while he does it. All he does is sit in his chair in the lounge room and sleep all day. His attention span is very short. Dad is unable to stay away to watch a whole tv show unless it's a short 30 minute one. His short term memory is pretty and his long term memory is a bit iffy at times. Julie asked Dad how old our Uncle Bob is. He said he was 37. Then Julie explained to him that his grand-daughter is 40. Oh was his reply.

Dad has it in his head that Julie and Vicki (my other sister) want to stick him into a nursing home. From what I have been told that isn't necessarily a bad idea. He of course will not had a bar of it. It would be admitting that he is old and needs help because he can no longer manage on his own. He's such a stubborn man. It's his generation really. You don't talk about certain things and you definitely do not admit that you need help! 

I have decided that I am going to go over to Adelaide and visit him next month. Julie said that I will be surprised to see what Dad is like now. He's certainly not the same person he was last time I visited but she said he's still Dad. 

Now the question is do I drove over (it's a 11-12 hour drive) or do I fly. The boys want to come and flying would be expensive. Although Julie did offer to help pay for the tickets. Mark will be staying home to look after our pets as we have no one else to do that. I really don't wish to drive on my own. I have done that before so it's not like I am unable to do that. I just don't want to go without Mark. I have a feeling I may need him. 

Finished Objects - PlacematsI

I took some photos the other day of the finished place-mats I made for my Dad. The only thing was I took them with the phone in my camera in bad lighting. I finally managed to take new photos with my other camera.

I used the flower pattern I used for the coasters.

At least now you can clearly see what the colours are. Of course Dad's favourite football team is Hawthorn :P They are not my favourite but I must admit I did like them a little back in the 1980's when I was a teen and didn't know any better (that's my story and I am sticking to it)

Dad liked the Hawks (that's the teams nickname/mascot) that he painted the outside of our house mission brown and yellow *rolls eyes* You wont see him painting the house in those colours now though. Someone else paints the house for him. Personally I think if Mum had thought about the colours she may have clicked to what Dad was really up to. She may have made him paint the house in her team colours although I don't think red & black would have looked very good. I may have to dig out some of the old photos & scan them so I can share them.

WIP

It's meant to be dark brown & yellow

With Father's Day coming up I thought I would make Dad a few things in his football team colours.

It's a shame the photo doesn't show the colours properly. The yellow is really much nicer. I need to finish this off asap so I can get them in the post so Dad gets them before next weekend.

Summer Heat & My Dad

I spoke to my Dad on the phone yesterday. I was talking with him about the weather in Adelaide and how hot it has been and that I hope he was staying cool during the 42C (that's 104F in the old scale) heat.

Here is how our conversation began...

me: Hi Dad. How are you?
Dad: Hi, Jo-anne. I'm good.
me: How are you coping with the heat?
Dad: I have the ceiling fan on.
me: What about the air-conditioner?
Dad: I had it on earlier but I turned it off because I went outside for a while.
me: Umm Dad you don't need to turn it off when you go outside. You should leave it on so that when you come indoors it will be lovely and cool.
Dad: Oh no I can't do that. I'm not inside.
me: *Shakes head in disbelief*

We continued talking about other things after that.

Oh man do I worry about him. I don't know whether he is being Uncle Scrooge and doesn't want a big electricity bill or not. He is 83 years old and living on his own. He should be enjoying the luxuries of air-conditioning during the heat of Summer and not turning it off. Sometimes I swear the older generation have some pretty strange ideas. I wonder if it has anything to do with Dad growing up during the Depression, having his teen years during WWII and experiencing rationing for decades. Who knows.