This photo is of my dad in the Army in Germany in the 60's. This is how I know he always wants to be remembered. He always talks about his Army days. He proudly served in the military.

We first started noticing something was wrong with dad when he got in a car accident. He had been living on his own for quite some time, after my parents divorce, so it wasn't obvious something was going on. He also hadn't been keeping up with cleaning his house. In his late 60's and he'd been healthy his entire life, we knew something was going on. 

Mom took him into several doctors and they diagnosed him with Alzheimer's. He lived in a nursing home for a few years but then he wanted to come home. Mom decided it was ok and moved in to help him. After 2 years of caring for him and him going downhill, he was back to the nursing home because mom could no longer take care of him. We know it's better for him to be with skilled nursing care, as he is getting worse and we want him to have the best care possible.

 

Are you curious how to tell if your loved one can no longer live on their own? Take a look at this video, it will help. 

Plus go to the CareConversations.org web site for more info. It really is a great resource.