My Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 5 months after we lost Mum to COPD ( another truly awful condition ) that was 4 and a half years ago. Up until January he was at home, with night time carers because he wandered at night. Many a time he would knock on my door at 2am!!! He had a fall in January and was admitted to hospital for 9 days. The deterioration was rapid, and we ( my 2 brothers and I) decided a care home was the best way forward! The staff are lovely, I cannot fault them, it doesn't alleviate the guilt though. The last two weeks have seen his decline, he seems to sleep all the time, whereas before if he had 3 hours sleep it was a miracle. Today his GP phoned me and told me it was the beginning of the last phase of this awful disease, his swallowing was not good, and he is being fed with puréed food. He is so very frail, he can't walk unaided, he's incontinent. All I've been able to do today is cry! Fat lot of good I am. I sat with him this afternoon, he was mostly sleeping, he awoke briefly, but he didn't know me, I dont think he was even aware I was there. Im scared of not doing enough for him, of having to watch the deterioration and mostly of failing him
