SMACK!! <-- Barb whollops Mark upside his wee head).
IF you dad says "I can't," even tho you'd prefer not to believe him ("knowing
his personality") have you ever considered that maybe... MAYBE he just plain
CAN'T do what it is YOU think... hope... he should be able to do?
"Victim" CAN be an completely acceptable title if the individual is living
with a chronic, degenerative neurological disease! It very well be your
father WOULD have more of a "fight back" attitude rather than just giving in
to what's happening if he didn't have to struggle with declining mental
facilities, as well as a body that no longer responds as it should.
Your father IS a "victim" of the disease... Please don't make him a "victim"
of his son's lack of understanding of what it's REALLY like to LIVE with that
disease!
That said, I MAY have misunderstood what you intended to say. IF that's so, I
ask your understanding and forgiveness in advance. I'm responding to what I
THINK I've read.
Barb Mallut
[log in to unmask]
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From: Parkinson's Information Exchange on behalf of Mark Klapper
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 1998 5:59 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN
Subject: An Update
It has been a week since we moved my father into assisted living. I
wish that I could be upbeat, but he has actually gone downhill. He is
far more confused than he was in the hospital and somewhat delusional.
I think anxiety and the unfamiliarity of a new routine may be a part of
it. I'm calling the doc this A.M. to discuss meds. (He's on Sinemet
25/250, 1 tab AM and bedtime, 1/2 tabs 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm, and
Clozaril 25 mg)
He has also become extremely needy -- knowing his personality, I believe
that he has allowed himself to become a victim rather than trying to do
his best to adjust. He reacts to the freezing and hesitation by saying
"I can't" and calls for help. He is now claiming that he can't walk at
all because of swelling in his ankles that he has had for several weeks.
The facility may not have been the best choice, as they seem too quick
to call my sister rather than relying on their own skills. They are
already 'suggesting' that we might want to think about intermediate
level NH, which the people who worked with my dad in the hospital had
thought was unnecessary. I had seen in earlier posts that an assisted
living facility that handles dementia may be better suited for PD
patients.
Any suggestions?
Mark Klapper
