Wow! Yesterday was super busy, started early, and ended late. Four people came to see Dad yesterday including the social worker (finally)!!

I was at once overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the results of the visits. On one hand, I was happy the speech therapist came out to make her assessment, and she had some interesting feedback, the little time I got to spend talking to her.

The social worker showed up at the same time, unannounced and unscheduled. (very unprofessional) So I had to visit with him in a different room because I didn’t want to interrupt the speech therapist who was working with Dad. Since it was a surprise visit, I was not ready, my questions were mostly forgotten, even though they were written down, I jumped around because he went pretty much straight to the finances and shot everything down as far as resources when he found out how much Dad makes a month from his SS payments and his pension.

I was really bummed out, but after calling my son’s girl, Becky, she assured me we will find more resources. The man basically summarized that if the VA does not cover the cost of assisted living, or maybe an in-home aid, we are on our own finding ways to pay for either option. She (Becky) was livid at his apparent apathy and lack of tact, professionalism, and knowledge of what resources are available. He did give me a number to call to inquire about necessary supplies, but I did and had to leave a message. I doubt they will call back, so I will call later. It’s not an emergency.

Today, thank goodness, we only have one person, Zach, coming to see Dad. He is the physical therapist, and he is proud of the progress Dad is making. He works him pretty hard, and Dad is already sore from all the visits yesterday, but I’m sure he will bounce back by 11am and do fine.

Yesterday, when everyone was gone and we were getting ready for dinner, Sean came to visit with Dad and he brought a few more things from the house, food items, and mail. Later on, Dad and I played WWF for a while, and while he is still sharp at making the words, he’s not digitally dexterous as he used to be due to his tremor, so our later rematch put us up until 11pm! Maybe we shouldn’t play as late when he is tired. He is sooooo competitive!

Well, as you can see from the above photo, Zach really put Dad to the test today, walking without the walker a pretty long distance, then through all of his usual exercises when he got back. No, I will not be trying that alone! If he were to stumble and fall, that would not be good. I will leave the therapy to the professionals thank you! Especially once Dad gets tired and sore, I would be scared to push his limits.

I am excited with his progress, and I can’t wait for the speech therapist to come back next week to see what tools she brings to help us communicate better. Head nods, shakes, and the occasional word on the white board aren’t cutting it, and she said there is other ways to work with the strengths he does have. Overall, Dad is improving a lot in a short time, it may be possible after all to return him home, with help. Only time will tell. Once the therapists do their assessments and the VA does theirs, we will have a clearer picture. I still feel assisted living will be best in the long run. Keep those prayers and positive vibes coming, I think it’s working! Thank you so much!