TweakHound

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How The Mind Works (Off Topic)

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I had this cassette tape a long time ago. Several years ago I was thinking, “What tapes did I have that I don’t have on CD?” I replaced many of them but a few escaped me. There was the one, a country band, ‘desert something’? I hadn’t laid eyes on it in probably 25 plus years. I couldn’t even remember a song. Googled searched, it wasn’t Desert Rose Band. Damn. ‘Arizona’ came to mind. Nothing…
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My Dad Has Alzheimer’s

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***Last updated on 25 November, 2019 with Page 11 at the bottom of this article.

Please excuse this self-serving off topic post. I’m not sure why but I felt the need to share this today…
Today is Father’s Day. I wish my Dad (Aaron) could appreciate it. He has been diagnosed with “mixed Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.”
The problems seemed to start several years ago. At first I thought he was just getting old. In 2017 it became apparent it was more than that.
I took him to his first Neurologist. While the young doctor seemed competent he lacked anything resembling compassion or “bedside manor”. He scared the hell out of my Dad. We left that appointment with some pills and half-assed advice.
A year later instead of keeping the follow-up appointment, I took him to another doctor. This one was had a much better bedside manor.
My Dad lives with us. He has an “in-law suite” in the basement with a large bedroom, bathroom, and TV room. The situation has become progressively… difficult.
*below added/edited, 25 November, 2019
He is now unable to dress himself and groom himself. My wife and I have to tend to all of his other needs. He is often paranoid and prone to lies and delusions. Usually I am the bad guy and that has been the case for some time.
He pees himself nightly and has defecated himself on a few occasions. He does not wipe properly (if at all).
He cannot be left alone.
While we are home there is no respite from having to deal with him. And, it is only getting worse.
He does daycare some but he… he is a PITA there. There is an older woman that has sat with him several times, sometimes he is OK, sometimes he doesn’t like it one bit. As for the other options such as professional daycare, that is money I don’t have.
The Alzheimer’s Association has been no help. All they did was send me a bunch of links to stuff I already Googled.
The Veterans’s Administration was worse than no help.
I keep a running journal of sorts via Google calendar. I’ll share some entries with you (warning, it’s kinda long):

Page 1 – Introduction
Page 2 – 18 February, 2019 – 15 June, 2019
Page 3 – Response to your replies
Page 4 – 20 JUNE – 14 July, 2019
Page 5 – 18 July, 2019 – 21 July, 2019
Page 6 – Finding Help
Page 7 – 22 July, 2019 – 19 August, 2019
Page 8 – 21 August, 2019 – 17 September, 2019
Page 9 – 18 September, 2019 – October 13
Page 10 – October 16 – November 17
Page 11 – November 20 –

***Special section: My Dad Has Alzheimer’s – Gadgets, Gizmos, Etc.
My Dad gets into everything. These are the things I’ve used to keep him and our house safe.

Good Vibrations

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I’ve nothing of consequence to report today.
I hope you have a great weekend. Sending you some Good Vibrations.

Though they were popular way before my time, The Beach Boys are still one of my favorite bands. Sometime in my late grade school to middle school era, a TV station out of Detroit (WKBD,channel 50) had “Beach Movie” marathons quite often. I don’t know why but my friends and I latched on to them and 60’s surfing music.
Around that time (1979 according to wiki), Sunkist launched it’s “Good Vibrations” ad campaign. A local AM radio station got in on the act and I was caller # whatever and won a “Good Vibrations” package consisting of a Sunkist t-shirt and The Beach Boys Endless Summer album (still have it). Ironically this album did not have the song Good Vibrations on it. I wore that t-shirt until it didn’t fit anymore and then cut the bottom off and wore it under my football shoulder pads.
One of my Uncles took me to my first Beach Boys concert at Pine Knob in 1979 (pretty sure it was 79, could’ve been 78 though).
Anyway, I’ve seen them many times since then. Here is one of their many great songs…

The Sunkist Good Vibrations t-shirt. I wouldn’t mind wearing it again…