Before Erik was affected by dementia, he carried on conversations, made plans, took care of himself, and lived a full life. Through many situations he was unshakeable, unafraid, and enjoyed people everywhere he went. Observing him today caused me to think about all he used to do because twice today he spoke, with expressions we used to hear from him all the time.
notes from today: mid morning, June 26, '12
When I entered his room he was dressed in shorts, shirt, cowboy cap and old tennies. I told him we were going to pick up his new shoes. "You kidding," he replied. He seemed more responsive and happy, smiling. One of the care-givers came in to clean him up before we left. In car Erik was happy but promptly fell asleep and slept all the way to shoe store. While there, Erik shook the hands of the other customers and petted the large stuffed animal dog on the way out. I don't think he could tell it wasn't a real dog.
I decided to we'd go drop in on Dad since we were so close to his home. Erik responded to dad's "How ya been doing?" with "I doin' fine!" (music to my ears) Lexie, their dog, covered Erik's face and skin with kisses. It's so sweet to see Erik "love on" a dog. I was happy he got some time with her since the dog he normally loves on at Elmcroft has had to leave. Dogs just love Erik.
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| Love-fest |
We could only stay a short while and, again, Erik slept all the way back home. We went into his room, sat and sang together and he proceeded to tease me. He really seemed more happy and content today.
My main concern was his sleepiness. I suspect he's not getting good rest at night. So I ended up getting him a wedge pillow so his head is elevated. I think it's helping. And those new shoes? SO much better than what he had. Yay Erik!!
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