Hi Ilene,  So sorry to hear of your Mom's passing.  I lost my Mom in 1998
and Dad had some dementia type problems before that.  He had already
stopped driving, THANK GOODNESS!!!!!  I didn't have that battle to do.  Dad
lived here in this huge house  alone for four years with help from my
brother and his wife.  Early in 2002 SIL died quickly and unexpectedly
which changed the whole picture.  Dad nearly burned the house down with a
fire in a stove with an unsafe chimney, etc.  Brother and I decided that
Dad could no longer live alone so my family and I moved in here, my
ancestral home, in summer of 2002.  It was a good move, Dad now has proper
meals and care and all is going quite smoothly.  The house is large enough
so we have the upstairs, which was made into an apt when my grandmother was
still living, and Dad is downstairs but we all have meals together, etc.
Dad is still able to come and go as he wishes and he does, just not by
automobile, he walks miles everyday.  At 86 he is very healthy and will
most likely live for many more years.  Ruth


At 8:06 AM -0500 11/14/04, Ilene R. Tyler wrote:
>Hi, Ruth,
>
>We lost my mom in July.  Dad had been her primary caregiver until the last
>two weeks of hospice, which my sister-in-law and I did together at home.
>He appreciated the support, and could not have done that final stint
>alone.  Meanwhile, he ignored his own signs of fatigue and discomfort, and
>after only a month we learned that his cancer had returned.  Since then it
>has meant his being in-and-out of the hospital to diagnose the lymphoma
>precisely and undergo aggressive chemotherapy treatments.  Inbetween
>treatments, he recovers at home, hence my taking a turn with him now.  His
>mind is good, and he is a good patient, and we have lots of reminiscent
>talks about family.  Yesterday's highlight was watching Michigan beat
>Northwestern, followed by watching Michigan State beat Wisconsin.  That
>means Michigan might go to the Rose Bow, a big deal for us Wolverine fans.
>Dad is a wonderful companion, and has a strong mind and heart.
>
>I've brought some work up here and stay connected with my fancy wireless
>connection to broadband internet, which my brother hooked up for us to be
>able to feel less of a sacrifice.  Dad uses Web TV and loves getting
>email, so often we're both checking for messages.
>
>It's a beautiful day, here in Michigan, cold enough to see a dusty white
>frost on the ground early, but sunny enough to know it will melt away
>soon.  We'll go for a ride later, and I'll make a tasty spinach omlet for
>breakfast.
>
>Love to you all,
>
>Ilene
>
>--
>To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
>uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
><http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>

--
Ruth Barton
[log in to unmask]
Dummerston, VT

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>