Watching my husband and his family deal with having to put his 90 year old Dad in a nursing home has been heart wrenching.
I know this is a daily occurrence for lots of folks, and I know it always puts a strain on things. I had to do this years ago for my father when he and my mother were fighting all the time and his health was failing at light speed. I was raising 3 children at the time and had to make a living so taking Daddy home with me was not an option. All the reasons in the world did not make the reality any easier to deal with.
It is still not easy. The worst part is that his Dad hates the place. The first few days were awful. Each time we went to see him he looked more miserable. The food looked awful and we did not see that he was getting any attention. He was still safer there than in his home….
Today we found him sitting up for the first time since he arrived. He had just had a milkshake in addition to eating all his lunch. He had three family members visiting in addition to us. His mood was much brighter.
While we were there, the activity director paid him a visit. The entire picture has changed for the better.
It is still not easy to know he has to stay there, but at least knowing there are things he can do while he tries to get stronger makes the reality a bit more digestible. Like so many other situations in this life… This is a matter of attitude and what we make of it. ~~ Jeanne~~
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