For me that someday has arrived and its painful to watch. Dad stayed with me over the weekend and it pains me to see how old looking, haggard and lost he is. I have written in an older post about losing dad to dementia.

When I sat across the table from him during breakfast, my tears suddenly welled up in my eyes as I thought about a younger more vibrant him. How quickly that time has passed. Now he is but a shadow of his old self.

My daddy, always talkative, clean, outgoing, independant sitting there looking so old and lost. He was always feared by all the relatives and kids because he was a detective police, a man of authority. When I walked away, he left the table without eating because he had forgotten. I had to bring him back to the table to eat so he could take his medication.

For some reason, he does not want to bathe. He just sits there at the table wiping his face and neck with a tissue. I go and get a warm cloth for him so he would feel more comfortable. Dad who’s always concerned about cleanliness and personal hygiene has become an opposite of his old self. I remember he used to scold us telling us that if not for him, our house would grow maggots. He was frustrated with the way we kept house after mum died.

Dad who’s always talkative, chatty and friendly now only talks back or answers when you talk to him. He seldom makes an effort to start a conversation now. His mind is slow and he tells us that when he gets up in the morning, he doesn’t know what to do next. He also doesn’t know how to get ready when we are going out. 

Someday our parents will grow old so we must really, really cherish and appreciate them when they are still with us, don’t you think?

 

 


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