Member-only story
My Dad Has Dementia
How much longer can he live at home?”
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.