Dad can be very soft-spoken. This often makes it difficult to hear what he is saying. Dad is aware of this. Don’t hesitate to ask him to repeat his words or raise his voice a little. Dad often has difficulty Continue reading Communicating With Dad, Part 10 – Speech and Cognitive Issues
As per Dad’s wishes, any family member or close friend is welcome to visit or contact him at any reasonable time. While I have personally chosen to engage with certain family members less often, neither Greg nor I have attempted Continue reading Communicating With Dad, Part 9 – Who May Contact Dad
At Regis, some times of the day are busier than others. These mainly include (but are not limited to) mornings, lunchtime, and dinner and bedtime. During these times, staff have little time to help Dad with minor tasks such as Continue reading Communicating With Dad, Part 8 – Best Times to Contact Dad
I have bought everything I need to set up a VoIP landline, including a local phone number that can be used to call him from any regular phone. The setup works on my Wi-Fi. But for some reason, it hasn’t Continue reading Communicating With Dad, Part 7 – VoIP Landline Trial
Regis can not provide a direct landline to Dad’s room, but you can call Reception and ask to put the call through to Dad. Typically, a staff member will take a wireless landline phone to Dad. Reception is usually open Continue reading Communicating With Dad, Part 6 – Landline via Reception
Dad is unable to set up or operate a video conference himself. However, I can occasionally help arrange and set up one for him. Furthermore, Regis’s internet connection can be slow at times. If the video conference includes more than Continue reading Communicating With Dad, Part 5 – Video Conferences
You can send Dad items in the post. The item will be delivered to reception, where sometimes it will checked for safety reasons. Some items, such as clothing, will also be labelled in case they are misplaced or mixed with Continue reading Communicating With Dad, Part 4 – Postal Mail
Calls to his mobile phone are an increasingly unreliable means of contact/communication. This is due to a combination of factors, some of which we have little control over. Factors include (but are not limited to) Dad’s inevitable decline, his aging Continue reading Communicating With Dad, Part 3 – Mobile Phone Calls
Do NOT attempt to communicate via email or text messages. Dad is too tech-illiterate, forgetful and poorly coordinated to use these effectively. As such, neither Dad nor I monitor them.
Family and friends should contact Dad directly where possible. This reduces the time, financial and mental health burden on me. To that end, this and the next several posts outline the various ways to contact Dad and some challenges you Continue reading Communicating with Dad, Part 1 – Face to Face Visitations
The main challenge to Dad’s independence is his poor mobility. This includes poor balance, poor dexterity, low core body strength, rigidity (mostly in the arms and legs), poor hand-mouth coordination, and sometimes poor depth perception. Hallucinations and dementia can lead Continue reading General Update on Dad’s Independance
It has been a long time since Dad has fallen. However, over the last few years, Dad has had quite a few falls. All of them were a result of Dad trying to walk by himself when no one else Continue reading General Update Regarding Dad’s Falls
Several months ago, Dad’s mattress was swapped with a pressure care air mattress. A pressure care air mattress is a mattress that provides more comfort and support to people who are bedridden. The mattress has a system of pressure sensors Continue reading General Update Regarding Dad’s Bedding
First, I want to address some people’s concerns about whether Dad has enough money. Greg knows more about this than me, but I do know that having sold his house, Dad has over $1.5M. This is more than enough for Continue reading General Update Regarding Dad’s Finances
Given his thinning/aging skin, it doesn’t take much for Dad to get friction skin tears. This is why you may sometimes see him with bandages/dressings on his legs or arms. Most of the time, the dressings are large/thick to ensure Continue reading Skin Tears are Common to Aging Skin
Dad’s glasses needed adjusting, but given he was entitled to a free pair of glasses we got him a new pair.
The birthday card/gift that Robyn sent has been received. Dad says thanks.