Member-only story

My Dad Has Dementia

How much longer can he live at home?”

Lisa Alexander
Thirty over Fifty
4 min readJul 18, 2022

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Photo by Frame Harirak on Unsplash

My mom and I left my dad at home the other day while we ran a couple errands.

“I’m leaving. Don’t leave the house!”

“Okay.”

When we returned, my dad and their dog were nowhere to be found.

I went outside and looked down the street. I saw my dad sitting in the grass four houses down, with Lola, their dog, on his lap. His walker was in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Hey dad! Did you fall, or are you just taking a rest?”

“Oh, I’m just resting.”

I sat with him and after a couple minutes my mom found us.

“I told you not to go anywhere while I was gone!”

“I was claustrophobic and needed a change of scenery.”

We sat there a while longer, and then my mom convinced him to go home.

No harm done. Yet.

My 83 year old dad’s memory has been declining steadily for years, but recently it has gotten much worse.

It doesn’t help that he can’t hear well and won’t wear his hearing aids. Also, a month ago he broke his back while doing a running long jump in the Senior Olympics.

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Thirty over Fifty
Thirty over Fifty

Published in Thirty over Fifty

Forum for writers aged 45 years and over, to add their voices. No political stories/articles accepted, please read the Submission Guidelines. Readers & Followers of all ages are welcome to read.

Lisa Alexander
Lisa Alexander

Written by Lisa Alexander

Former English professor, full-time yoga teacher, failed Greek Orthodox. Searching for wisdom, clarity, and a fresh bag of circus peanuts.

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