11-24-2005, 11:36 PM
well, thanksgiving marks the anniversary of my dad's stroke. it's been two years now. he's made some significant improvement very recently actually. his comprehension is much better and he responds very appropriately more and more. i think unattentive people might completely miss his aphasia. he spends most of his time watching tv - sports mostly - golf, tennis, football - he can't really use the remote so my mom calls the shots. he has some responsibilities like feeding the dog and doing dishes. today (thanksgiving) i was replacing a chalkboard that i had to take down to repaint an area around the replaced sliding glass door. i repainted it last weekend. my dad made some dead on comments about it. my mom tells me he has recently specified 'no sauce' on a sandwich at arby's, which is a major leap, really. he's able to participate, and seems to know his boundaries. he keeps a careful eye on my mom when we go out to eat, so as not to get lost or wander astray.
my mom, a retired dietician if you'll recall, monitors his diet with scrutiny since his meds, blood pressure and borderline diabetes are a factor. she's shouldered the role of primary caretaker with amazing grace, a fact i constantly have to remind myself of when she pushes some ancient button of mine, as parents often do. their old house is falling apart. my dad, being a nuclear engineer, used to repair everything in this bizarre rube goldberg fashion. now my mom is repairing it properly - new sliding glass door, new garage door, new heater, etc. there was a bad leak in the upstairs toilet and the downstairs ceiling is all ripped out now, drying, and awaiting repair. homeowner problems are constant and i'm down every weekend doing what i can (between maintaining our own home, of course).
i'm catagorized as the 'sandwich generation' now - caught between supporting parents and children. i imagine this position has always existed, but some say it is increasing due to improvements in modern medicine giving greater longevity. it's a strange midlife place, unexpected and stressful, and i don't wish it on any of you. i'm glad that my parents did plan ahead well financially and are very secure. at this point, we're nowhere near that kind of retirement. just trying to make ends meet. still bouncing checks occasionally. not sure where this goes next, but no news is good news...
my mom, a retired dietician if you'll recall, monitors his diet with scrutiny since his meds, blood pressure and borderline diabetes are a factor. she's shouldered the role of primary caretaker with amazing grace, a fact i constantly have to remind myself of when she pushes some ancient button of mine, as parents often do. their old house is falling apart. my dad, being a nuclear engineer, used to repair everything in this bizarre rube goldberg fashion. now my mom is repairing it properly - new sliding glass door, new garage door, new heater, etc. there was a bad leak in the upstairs toilet and the downstairs ceiling is all ripped out now, drying, and awaiting repair. homeowner problems are constant and i'm down every weekend doing what i can (between maintaining our own home, of course).
i'm catagorized as the 'sandwich generation' now - caught between supporting parents and children. i imagine this position has always existed, but some say it is increasing due to improvements in modern medicine giving greater longevity. it's a strange midlife place, unexpected and stressful, and i don't wish it on any of you. i'm glad that my parents did plan ahead well financially and are very secure. at this point, we're nowhere near that kind of retirement. just trying to make ends meet. still bouncing checks occasionally. not sure where this goes next, but no news is good news...
Shadow boxing the apocalypse