Salt Lake

I arrived in Salt Lake last night after having traveled here from Wisconsin by way of Denver.  I stayed at Desi and Mike's for a few days and really enjoyed having time to relax and enjoy their little family.  We went to the rec center and played in the pool, went to Costco and Wal Mart, played with play dough, went to the Mall and looked for makeup and the kids made a bear for Ruby, ate at Red Robin, enjoyed church - especially Mike's lesson, and I even had the opportunity of being with Emily and Mordecai so that Desi and Mike could have a night out together.  It is always so much fun to visit but sadly I had to get on my way....

My trip to Salt Lake went without incident and rather quickly.  I only had yucky weather and roads between Cheyenne and Laramie - but that pass always seems to give me trouble.  I love serius radio - was able to listen to talk radio the entire trip!  The weather was cold - but my heater worked and I also had good cell reception most of the way so that I could talk to Rich and others too. 

Just as I neared Park City I received a call from Mike (my brother) wanting to know if I was on my way...LOL  He told me that he would tell Dad I was about a half hour out and as I drove in Dad was standing outside in the cold, waiting for me.  It was pretty tender.

I wanted to get to Costco for a few things and so I invited Dad to join me and surprisingly he decided to join me.  It was in this venue that I could see the continued onslaught of the Alzheimer's.  In my research of the disease I have learned that visio-spatial capacities are the first signs of the disease and it was in full evidence as Dad tried with all diligence to navigate the cart down the aisles - but he really had difficulty keeping it in the aisle and not hitting the shelves.  He also had great difficulty in opening the freezer doors - most often he was standing in front of them and then tried to open them - he seemed confused about how to move his body so that it would allow him to fully open the door to get to the food.  His gait is perhaps only about 6" - more of a shuffle than a walk - this makes the time it takes to walk an aisle very long and going from one end of the store to another very arduous on him and others around him.  I am not sure what has caused the unusual gait pattern - almost walking on his heels - but I think it may have some bearing in his balance issues.

When we got home he was able to stay engaged in our conversations and seemed to really enjoy the sociality.  However, as the night wore on you could tell that the trip had taken its toll and he was tired.  He fell asleep in his chair and at one point he woke up, stood in the middle of the family room holding a conversation with someone...after a time he turned and saw me and looked kind of sheepish and said, "I must have been talking to that chair."  I don't know if it was confusion, hallucination, or visual difficulties that were at the heart of the matter.

Today I woke early and headed to Mike and Shauna's so that I could go with them to their rec center to work out.  I really enjoyed my time there and it felt so good to be back in the gym.  Afterward I had breakfast with them and then headed home.  I stopped at Derk's to see how he was doing as Dad had told me he had been very ill - but he was on his way for a scope of his stomach.  So I came home but Dad was in his room with the door closed and I thought he might be napping so I went to check in on Lexie.  I had the opportunity to get caught up on their family and to talk politics for a while before I headed back to Dad's. 

I had some lunch and then Dad asked if I would take him to the Credit Union and to the store - so off we went.  We ended up at Wal Mart and Dad decided that he wanted to go in to look for his Orange Crush.  He did pretty well although all the people, aisles, and products seemed a little overwhelming for him.

We came home and watched a little tv and relaxed.  There was one incident that caused me a little concern as Dad wanted to get something that was on the piano in the living room.  We were sitting in the family room.  He stood up, shuffled a few feet and then seemed genuinely confused.  I asked him if he needed anything and he told me that he wanted to go to the piano but he continued to just stand there.  I asked him if he wanted me to get it and he said that he could do it but that he just didn't know where he was.  I tried to clarify so I asked him if he wanted to go to the piano.  He said yes but that he just didn't know where he was so that he could get there.  I pointed to the living room and that seemed to give him some direction and he shuffled on.

In the early eveningI tried to get a hold of Derk - to no avail - so I drove over but no one was home.  I then drove back to Brad and Lexie's and got phone numbers and talked to Julia - the scope revealed a very inflamed stomach and they will do a colonoscopy tomorrow.  I came back to Dad's and Laurie and Brian had supper ready and we enjoyed spending some time just chatting.  I am tired tonight and I know that Rich is too as we both had a late night last night (he was tutoring me on how to send docs back to Felicia - he said it was very painful! LOL).  Hopefully everyone we love has had a great day and will sleep well tonight.