Visiting Dad

Many people have made the trek to visit dad in Rose Bay... and we would like to thank everyone for their efforts.  While dad may not be able to to communicate very well, he enjoys the company.  One day when a few of us were there and about to leave, he didn't want us to go and wanted to take us out for Chinese food.  So cute!  He has had a hankering for Chinese food since he moved in there!  We are waiting on his taxi vouchers for a reduced fare, and then we can explore a bit more.

With regards to communicating with dad; even I am having a hard time understanding what he is trying to say, let alone anyone who is not familiar with his speech.  For me I have found it helpful to take something with me to do, such as knitting or reading.   Dad has Parkinson's with dementia, not Alzheimer's. Generally he remembers who people are. It is his short term memory he struggles with... such as remembering what the conversation on hand is, or who visited him that day. His long term memory is pretty good... and he can recall quite a few things.  (My brother was stunned to find out that dad remembered the street address of a house he built in Sydney back in the early 70s.  L did a Google street view search and found the house... pretty much the same as dad built it, with a simple change to some railings and the front door!)

Having said that, on our visit to the neurologist, he prescribed an Exelon patch for dad to wear.  Exelon is used to treat Alzheimer's patients with mild to moderate dementia, and is also used to treat Parkinson's patients with dementia.  The patch is worn for 24 hours and releases medication to help with cognition: memory, understanding, reasoning and communication.  We had originally spoken about the patch with the elder health doctor in Canada, but since the patch needed to be applied daily at the same time each day, with everything else going on, it was too much too coordinate at that time.  The patch looks just like one of those little round, beige bandages.  Amazing to think that it releases medication into the body to aid with brain function.  We have a six week follow up with the neurologist and he will do more testing to see how dad is responding to the medication.

The seasons are shifting to autumn here.  The sun is definitely lower in the sky, but we've been having some gorgeous weather.  Making up for the wettest summer in 50 years!!  We have been able to sit out in the back garden with dad and soak up the beautiful sunshine.