We all went out to see him, with the plan of having a picnic lunch brought in so we could try and eat outside. He's very much into a routine when we visit, so it would be interesting to see if he'd let us change things up on him. As it was getting pretty close to noon and we didn't want the staff to have Dad already seated for lunch, I decided to give them a quick call to let them know we were close by and should be there in just a few minutes. We're not sure if he really knew if it was Father's Day or not, but the nurse said that he will be so thrilled and that he'd been checking the calendar and the pacing the lobby waiting for us. When we got to his unit to be buzzed in, there was another lady waiting outside as well. She was there to visit her dad and we got to talking with her. Sure enough, there was Dad on the other side of the glass, and since he can't let us in without the aid of a staff member, he cupped his hands to his mouth to shout through the window that he'll go get someone to let us in. It's so bittersweet.
The lady waiting with us asked if that guy worked there. We said, "no, that's our dad." She was shocked and couldn't believe how young he was. He gets that a lot. People often think he's a staff member and not a resident, especially in the lock-down wing where he's easily 20 years younger than most.
We signed Dad out to go shoot pool with him, which is a big part of his routine with us. He always gives a little smile and a laugh when he sees us, and that's something we cherish while we still can. You just never know how long that will last with FTD. Once we leave the wing, it's the usual routine of pointing out artwork and photos on the walls as we walk. He'll tell us step-by-step how we will get to the member's lounge to shoot pool, even though we can all probably get there with our eyes closed now. We let him talk and do his thing. He always thanks us for bringing him things to eat and drink and really enjoys getting to shoot pool.
While the guys played pool, I enjoyed the outdoors with my sister and niece and nephew and we called for lunch to be delivered. We were afraid that Dad would be stuck in his routine and want to get lunch at the dining hall, but it only took a little bit of coaxing to have him sit outside on a beautiful day with us. After we ate, he seemed anxious to check out the museum - another usual stop on his itinerary when we visit. But we wanted to give him our gifts first.
We pulled together a nice gift to compliment his crossword puzzle hobby - a magnifying light, a desk light to work from, some more puzzle books, and his favorite cereal bars that he likes to snack on. We also decided to make him a new Army scrapbook. He had a book that my mom made years ago with all the photos and memorabilia that he'd send home from Vietnam. Over the years, the book started falling apart and many of the photos came loose, so we thought this would be a fitting gift, especially now that he's in the VA home, where there really is a sense of pride and respect for those who served for our country.
I think it came out pretty nice.
We never know what he's thinking or if we'll trigger certain thoughts that might be difficult for him. When we gave him his gifts, he went through them all pretty quickly but he did seem to like the book and took the time to go through it. It's amazing how his short-term memory can be so off while his long-term is completely intact. He pointed to some of the guys, remembering their names like it was just yesterday. Overall, we didn't get a huge reaction out of him, but we weren't expecting that, either, because with FTD, emotions are usually pretty flat. I hope he continues to look through this book and shows other family when they visit. 
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