Weimaraners and Alzheimer patients

I have to admit, living with both a 5 year old weimaraner and an alzheimers person during the most inclement winter in years is not an easy life.

Spencer the weim is very much about himself. My Dad is too. We are merely people that do tasks around him. We get his coffee, his watered-down wine in the evenings, his supper, his needs. The weim is much the same. We are there to support him but he is about himself.

They both work in patterns. The clock is the focus and as it moves, they react to the changes in the day. Spencer wants at least 2 walks. My Dad wants to walk, wants to walk on the Main street of our town, wants to walk at the YMCA, wants to watch the woodstove, watch TV, do word puzzles... The routine is the same each day and neither dog nor my father care much about the days. Only the time in between and what to do during that chunk of time.

To associate my Dad with a dog seems awful but they are very similar. I should remember that as I go on with my own life.

Learning to adjust

My Dad's behavior becomes steadily a study to watch. He is awake all day. He can do only one task at a time now. The ability to comprehend is going away. I have to repeat myself very slowly each time I answer his repeated questions. I am now the adult which is a bizarre twist that I cannot readily digest in one chunk.

We watch him continually now. He sits downstairs by the woodstove and tries to watch TV because he thinks he must guard the stove from both of us. My mother waits until he goes for a short walk outside on the driveway and she brings the fire up and lets the flames burn good to clean out the chimmney. We act as conspiritors now in coping with my Dad. "You go upstairs and get his evening cocktail together (a watered down sherry) and I'll talk to him downstairs." We hide his jugs of cheap California sherry under the reading table's skirt by my Mom's bed. This is how we get through the day.

We are going to try Xanax if his doctor agrees that he should try it and see if it works better than his current med, a more common anti-anxiety drug.

My sister says her daughter's boyfriend might be able to help us. We can pay him under the table to help with some projects that need to get done this summer. Still need a guy to do chainsaw work. I have to learn how to use the tractor. My Dad's status is defined by his tractor and other male toys and he won't allow me on them. I'll have to tackle this in a few months.

Taking the Car Away

My Mom and I are not allowing Dad to take the car anymore. We have to drive him when he wants to go for a walk in town. He is restless after lunch and a quick nap. He thinks he wants to go on First Street for a walk or down to the YMCA for a few laps around the indoor track.

He hollers "Wheres the keys!?" from the garage. The neighbors can all hear him. He can't hear us respond because he is deaf.

We talk about him alot. My Mom tells me about the times when they were young. Even then she says he was strange. Different than the rest of the kids in their town.

Driving Mr. Slack

I have become my father's personal driver. He gets into the car on the driver's side and we have to talk him out and into the passenger's seat.

He drives by pointing the way for me to go. He tells me to turn left or right to get to town although we have both lived here for over 30 years.

I park and he walks and I knit. He isn't gone long. He seems to like to be seen by people and walks more upright and doesn't use his cane as much. He seems more his own self and not the forgetful person I have come to know.

I can run a quick errand by I'm never gone long. I feel safer by waiting close to where we have separated.

Spencer is also getting used to us going together and waits for us to return and stands in the driveway as we approach.

Obama is going to win and it'll be awesome to see an African-American as president. I think Americans have to learn to deal with themselves as we learn to adjust to changes in the world and how to still be a big player in the world economy. I see Barack as someone who can help us deal with ourselves, our history and point us to a good future.

Garden is almost gone now. I'm cleaning it each day and I feel good to be working in the garden soil again. I dug potatoes and cleaned up the gladiolas bulbs and brought in more turnips.

I have had a bonanza in white french turnips. I stuck the baby seedlings in where I had harvested the onions. They grew quickly and now they are full grown and ready to harvest. We tried to donate some to the food pantry but nobody knew what they were. I've been learning to like sauteed turnip, turnip and chard greens, turnips in rice vinegar, mashed turnips and potatoes. They are all very good but we can't eat them fast enough.

Dad is restless and walks around the house waiting for the good sunny weather to leave and the winter to come. I think he sees winter as how they were when he grew up in Montpelier in the 30's and winters were cold and snowy. Last year we had nothing but sleet and ice.

We are trying to figure out how to administer the stuff that will help him relax. Not sure how much to give him. I suggested we put Erika in charge of researching the problem because she is a nurse and knows quite a few medical doctors at her job as a cancer treatment center.

Sigh

Feeling sorry for myself at times today. Wish Dad could just sleep while we are gone. We picked Apples and got grape juice today at Watkins Glen. It was sunny and the foliage was beautiful. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the village and then drive up the hill to the orchard. We worked as a team picking the apples quickly, getting them weighed and out of there. Then we drove to the winery for the grape juice and drove home. We commented on the foliage.

Dad and Spencer were sitting on the porch waiting. Dad was made because we were gone for over 3 hours. Spencer is more forgiving.

Dad drank the watered down sherry we gave him and fell asleep on the deck.

Talking with my sister

My sister came for a walk today and we talked alot about Dad's condition. Spencer and her dog Alanzo went with us.

I told her about his behavior of late and a little about our trip.

The Pres Debate

Dad says he's going to watch it. He keeps asking who are the candidates.

Spencer has been dedicated to keeping the squirrel gang that attack the bird feeder every morning up in a tree.