This is my step father of thirty years. He was a wealth of knowledge in every conversation and now doesn't know how to use a call button for the nurse. He was a Paul Bunyan of sorts knowing how to build or do anything with his hands and now only has one hand to use. He was a social butterfly who never met a stranger and now he fights to remember his words. He loved his Dutch oven and campfire cooking but now can hardly feed himself and uses a sippy cup to drink. He could drive a tractor, truck or RV but now uses a wheelchair for transportation.
He suffered with diabetes for years before we noticed his "shuffling" of his feet. He always said it was the shoes. We went camping nearly a year ago in GA and that was when it all changed. He asked us directions to get out of the park. He was so lost. At some point he was having mini strokes. We soon had him at the Dr and received a diagnosis of Lewy bodies dementia and Parkinson's disease. Following all of this, Jim got shingles on his head and in his eye and had a bigger stroke. We were brave and thought we could bring him home if we had all the right people to help. Not so much.
After two weeks, we made it back to the rehab facility and there he has settled. He spends his days sitting quietly wondering how we will be able to get a flight out to get back to our homes.
To be continued......
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