We've been doing so well. Well, I should say dad has been doing well. I'm another story; another blog even! When I visited dad last week, one of the aides got him out of his chair and into an arm chair. We flicked through the pages of an Architectural Digest momentarily before dad got bored and wanted to get walking. Well, if he didn't walk! Of course, there were two of us at his side, and his steps are very faulty... but he walked through the activity room and into the dining room. Go dad! Was reminded again of his determiness. We stopped for a pack of chips, and he gobbled them down. Was also reminded that the simple things we take for granted in life... what a pleasure that bag of chips was to him. After the chips, he struggled to get out of the chair. I got the what-for for not letting him walk! At that time, I had the thought... oh please, don't let him fall again. We've been going so well, and he's finally recovered from the fall last August, then the cold/flu thingy he had.
8am this morning, I was sent straight back to the days of taking care of dad on my own. Starting the day off with dad-drama. The care home called me to tell me that he had tried to get out of bed this morning and had a fall. Of course he did. My brother left on an overseas trip last week. Trust dad to have a fall when I am here on my own with him. Thankfully, he didn't hurt himself. Just some carpet burns on his elbows. I was there this afternoon when the doctor came to check him out; and determined he was alright. Just prior to that, I had been asking dad about the fall. In a moment of clarity he said, "I can feel myself about to go over." I got a little bossy and told him that he needed to ask someone to help him move, that he can't move on his own, what with the Parkinson's and all. I got the look that said, 'What do you know?" So I have my fingers, toes and nose crossed that he doesn't go down again!
I had a notification through Parkinson's Australia on my Twitter feed that there has been breakthrough research on Parkinson's and was to be featured on A Current Affair last night. The Michael J Fox foundation has granted money to a new worldwide study. Until now, Parkinson's was typically confirmed only in an autopsy on the brain. With advances in technology, they can scan the brain and determine the dopamine levels. Around the world, these studies are now taking place where they are tracking the progress of Parkinson's in patients brains. This information is then being shared with all the hospitals taking part. This is huge; to be able to share all the findings and track and compare all the information. The hope is with all this information, there will be a breakthrough into how and why Parkinson's occurs. They say that they have already noticed changes in spinal fluid... which would be interesting... as dad had that fall and broke three vertebrae back in 1996. (It was after that fall that he could no longer smell, another marker of Parkinson's disease which I will blog about next time. I think this is enough info for now!
I've included a couple of links here, though you may only be able to watch it in Australia due to licensing. Let me know how you go!
A Current Affair - Parkinson's Breakthrough
More info at Shake It Up Australia
