Wednesday Update

Yesterday Dad had a pretty good day. He was able to get up and walk a little with the physical therapist, Jill. I also talked with the speech therapist Trina, and she is going to "up" his diet (whatever that means...). When we got there last night, he was pretty tired but was able to talk with us. He is very concerned about the hallucinations he is having - and, after hearing what he is seeing I would be too!! He also got his haircut yesterday - yeah!!
Anyways, I know some of you were wondering about how Dad is doing physically. So, here's a quick update:
The first Sunday he was at the nursing home, he pulled out his feeding tube. We decided not to put it back in (because he had pulled it out about 10 times total - and it is very painful to get put back in). So, we talked to Trina, the speech therapist, and decided to continue trying to feed him as best as possible. Well, the first few weeks were bad - he wouldn't eat hardly anything. They would only give him "liquified" food (pureed), so you can imagine how bad it probably tasted. Well, we talked with Trina about our concerns and told her that if Dad wanted something to eat, let him have it! We want him to be happy with what he was eating. Well, he has been doing a lot better since. He still has lost a lot of weight, but he is eating better now.
Well, the same goes for his walking. When we brought him there from the hospital, he couldn't stand on his own and wouldn't really get out of bed. But, now he is doing better. He can walk a little (with help) and he is able to push himself around in his wheelchair. Last week, he did get another UTI which slowed him down a bit, but now that it's cleared up he seems to be doing better. He is still very confused, but seems to remember things better. But, he still isn't himself. He is so sad all the time. I know he loves his grandchildren, but sometimes they seem to upset him a bit when they are too loud. Dad ALWAYS loved having them around - no matter what. So, we know that he is not there emotionally...
Lately, he has been getting better at remembering people. Sometimes he struggles with names, but usually can figure out who they are. He's really good about remembering his family - so, that's good! On a bad day, he struggles a bit more at remembering things.
His days usually consist of meals, physical therapy, and games. They play a lot of games like bingo, etc. He doesn't act like he enjoys it, but he goes anyways! We also brought him a TV so he can watch some sports, so I think that helps as well. He also likes having a notepad so he can write things down. I think that helps take his mind off things.
Anyways, I hope that update helps. I will try to get better at updating all aspects of his progress. We are hoping to move him this week (Friday or Saturday) down by us - hooray!!
Also, on a personal note, the past 6 weeks I have been very concerned about my parents' house and yard - I keep asking one of the band boys that is in their ward if everything is okay and he keeps telling me yes. Well, I know that their lawn has been kept up by the Rich family, and I just want to thank them! It has certainly taken a lot of pressure off my mom (and me) to have that done - so THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
Anyways, have a great day. More tomorrow...

(I don't think Dad likes me taking so many pictures, but he sure is a good sport about it!)