Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who said I should not try to 'protect' my husband's daughter (I'm her stepmum) and her visit to see her Dad. You were all right!! She was very stoical, calm and collected and, although she welled up a few times, she didn't openly cry although I expect she will in the privacy of her own home. Her kindness was all geared to my welfare as well as to her Dad's. She is very special. She said her Dad was 'still in there' and his apparent disregard (literally closing his eyes to it) for everything around him was probably due to his not knowing why he was there, not wanting to be there etc etc. She could be right! We discussed a lot about the future and where her Dad ought to live when he was discharged from hospital. We agreed I needed to talk with the doctor but I don't know where to start, what to expect or what to demand! Firstly my husband isn't greatly mobile because of his back problems and we now know he has severe osteoporosis. Apart from that, and the huge loss of weight and muscle strength, he is physically OK - according to MRI and CT scans, BP etc - not a thing wrong! Except of course the AD. He has short-term memory loss, visual/spatial difficulties, orientation difficulties and problem solving difficulties. His speech is intact as is his understanding of speech though I can't be so sure about his ability to reason. Is this level of AD able to be coped with at our home do you think or am I expecting too much? The responsibility would be huge I know. I also know I would need to have some pretty good support at home including nursing care and it will probably mean turning the house completely upside down so that he could have all he needs downstairs rather than upstairs. At the moment I work full-time but I am close to retirement so that wouldn't be the issue. From the TP I know how hard things can get caring for people at home but a very big part of me so much wants him to come home.
Love from Sammyb
Love from Sammyb