It's been awhile since I've updated. Luckily there is not a whole lot that has changed. I met with the nursing home staff today for our quarterly assessment and he is still upbeat, easy going and active. There is some new staff, so I'm adjusting to that, trying to sense how well they know him and understand his issues.
The new head nurse read from the report the last nurse took before they left. It was more detailed and thorough than I was used to hearing. Maybe it was just her approach. And she didn't have a lot to offer since it wasn't her report and she doesn't know him well yet. But she mentioned that he is "still" on a bathroom schedule since he has had some incontinence and bowel incontinence issues. That certainly got my attention. Reading about FTD, the 2 biggest signs of an impending decline, and maybe a sign of the later stages of the disease, are incontinence and refusal to eat. Luckily his appetite is still great. But I was a little surprised and upset to hear this. She spoke as if getting him on this schedule to remind him more frequently to go might help him improve. I wanted to say that I knew what this was a sign of with the disease, and he wasn't going to "improve". But I kept my mouth shut.
The activities coordinator is also new. A male this time around, which actually may be better for him. He seems like he may have been a vet himself, and that he does things that seem more "normal" to me. He said my dad participates in activities daily. I pictured the toddler-style music classes we witnessed in the past. But when I asked what they do, he said he participates in the trivia and conversations. He takes him outside every day - sometimes for walks, sometimes in the court yard just to sit. He even said he considered taking him out to shoot pool and wondered if he'd like that. I said he would love it! When I was out with my dad later I even saw him outside pushing one of the other vets around for a walk. So that was a good sign. Maybe he can relate better to the vets and be more on their level.
They also said they had him on a watch period for a week in May to see if there were any issues: showering, behaviors, diet, incontinence, staying completely dressed, etc, etc. And they said there were no issues and he passed everything. He still gets annoyed with some of the other residents' behaviors, but he handles it well. When I asked if he still spends a lot of time on his puzzle books, they all agreed that he spends a lot more time out of his room doing other things and socializing than he used to. So he doesn't appear to work on them as much. Looks like he has found a new routine for now.
After the meeting I took him out to shoot pool and ordered some sandwiches for lunch. As usual, he kicked my butt. He does repeat his routine a lot more than he used to. I don't know if it's a forgetful/short-term memory thing or an OCD/comfort thing. And he told me he was going to use the restroom about 30 times before he actually went. That's going to make me nervous now that I know about the incontinence thing. I hope we have more time before that gets worse. He also seemed to keep forgetting that my husband was at work and my sister wasn't able to come. He kept wondering when they were going to get there and I had to keep reminding them that they couldn't make it today. It's sad, but the visits are still uplifting because he enjoys them and is generally just happy to be out. So, as always after a visit, I'm exhausted but so happy I went.
