Dad On January 11, 2017

I went in to see Dad yesterday at Parkridge before work. It's my daily ritual. I'm not sure if he knows I come every day or if he remembers I was there after I'm gone. I will go later this morning prior to work.

I had a talk with his nurses yesterday with Dad present. He is still not eating. He has lost a total of 37 lbs since his first day in the hospital on December 1. He was not eating much at the hospital and he is eating even less at the long term care facility. It's not that the food is bad. I have eaten it and it is good. I also know you can gain weight there because I have a second cousin living there who says she has gained 60 lbs since she got there. She likes the food too.

I believe his loss of appetite is a function of his Alzheimer's. They have tried giving him a protein drink, but he won't drink that either and when they try to feed him, he gets mean. My thought is that if he doesn't want to eat, he doesn't have to. His long term prognosis is not good anyway and his self willed nature, which seems unaffected by the dementia, causes him to dig in his heels. It's not worth the fight with him.

The nurses asked me about a feeding tube. I said absolutely not. Mom and Dad both set up living wills when they were my age. Extreme measures like feeding tubes were in the mix of things forbidden for use in such a time as this. I guess I just never thought I would be the one to enforce the terms. Dad would most likely fight the tube or pull it out anyway.

So no feeding tube for Dennis...

One thing that has not changed is his appreciation of women. I am told by the female staff that he regularly will give them a smack on the butt. I have not seen him in flirtation mode since well before Mom died. Now, with his filters gone, it will be interesting to see where this goes.

I guess maybe that's the last thing to go.

We humans are an odd bunch. I hope I'm not grabbin the male staff when my time comes. Then again, it might be fun and being old is the perfect excuse for that sort of thing. (;^)))))

Later