Hospice is coming

Hospice will be coming on Friday to meet my dad and talk with me. We'll see what they have to offer to make this easier, if that is at all possible. I ended up calling Hospice of the Valley myself. Two days and 3 phone calls later, I still haven't gotten a call back from the doctor's office about this. Kind of disappointed in their follow up...

My dad is getting quieter and quieter. He talks more in his sleep than he does when he is awake. He still perks up when I ramble on about something, but never comments about anything. He's needing more and more help...getting up from a chair, walking, bathroom, dressing. Except for maybe a total of 3 hours during the day, he is sleeping. He is letting his caregiver help him in the bathroom, and even with showers. Tom is able to do things for him and he is always willing to accept that help. With me, especially in the bathroom, he is a bit more hesitant about accepting that help. Usually, he yells at me. But I get past that and do whatever it is I need to do anyway. ( The other day I thanked him for letting me boss him around. He grunted. Then I told him "paybacks are hell, huh?" He laughed.) He's not getting as much nutrition, either because he is sleeping more, doesn't eat as much, or throws it up. I don't know what that is all about. I'm going to change the way he gets his medicine, maybe not all at the same time. Perhaps that will help him with the gagging and vomiting.

Poor guy. I just feel so bad for him having to go through all this stuff. He would be miserable if he knew. Perhaps that's the one good thing about Alzheimer's? Or is it? We just don't know.