Parents and Growing Old

For the last 2 1/2 weeks I have spent most of my time with my parents.  You see, they are getting on in life and things happen.  My father feel on April 23 (Tuesday) and wouldn't let us take him to a doctor until Saturday morning, the 29th.  He had a painful evening and night on Friday and so he finally consented to us taking him to the hospital.  When we got there, they found out that he had broken his hip and that he needed a total left hip replacement.  They did the surgery on Sunday morning and he was in the hospital until Wednesday when we moved him into a rehab facility.  The rehab facility was Crestwood in Ogden.  We hated it.  So we then moved him on Thursday to Thatcher Brook Rehab in Clearfield.  It has been a blessing to us.  They have been so kind to him there.  He is now up and walking (with a walker) and he is starting to go up and down stairs.  He is starting to be able to do some things for himself that we weren't sure he could do.  We are so grateful!

While he has been going through this, my mother has been struggling.  You see my dad is her memory.  She is suffering from the onset of Alzheimer's disease.  She has had a rough time without him there to keep her straight.  But we are working on that.  We have an appointment with a Neurologist to see if they can help her.  She can't get in until May 14th, but we will do what we can.

It is hard to see your parents grow old.  They still try and be strong for us, but it is now our turn to take care of them.  They have been strong for so long.  I have wonderful parents.  We haven't always seen eye to eye, but they have always had my best interest at heart.  I love them dearly and it is hard to see them suffer.

What a blessing Families are, to be there for one another.  This is a new stage of my life as well as theirs.  I am looking forward to helping them and hopefully I will be a blessing to them as they have been to me.