A couple of days ago I had the thought that much of what I report is simply a description of what Kate or my dad are doing to give a picture of their present state. I should also be clear about how I feel about things and also how both Kate and my dad are feeling.
My general impression is that my own feelings move up and down depending on specific things and events surrounding Kate and Dad. For example, last Monday when Kate told me that she had gotten lost when she tried to walk to our neighbor’s house, I felt sad for her. It gives me pain to see her hurting, and she hurts when she sees how AD is affecting her. Similarly, we went to a local heater Saturday night. She didn’t applaud once during the entire performance and by the expressions on her face, I could tell she was not enjoying herself. I, on the other hand, felt the performances of the actors was terrific. They danced well, sang well, etc. I can’t say that I loved the musical itself but did enjoy the evening. While we were there I was feeling that she was letting her own judgment of the musical influence here judgment of the performers; so she wouldn’t applaud. When we left, I asked her about that. She told me that she was unable to follow it. I am sure that part of that related to not being able to understand much of the words. That may have related to the fact that the band was directly in front of us. I also think they simply played too loud and overrode the singers. At any rate, the moment she said she was unable to follow it, my feelings changed. Then I felt sad for her. It also makes me sad because I know that there will be many other occasions like this in the future.
As for my feelings about Dad, I have been discouraged about his progress since his fall a little over 2 weeks ago. I was particularly low one day last week when I entered the dining room to see him with his head and arms down on the table sound asleep. Besides that he has been more confused and much more like the other dementia patients at Mountain Valley. He still has moments of clarity, and I am hopeful that he will rally as his birthday approaches.
