Hi everyone,
Happy Easter,

Like in the photos
as we all get older ,
a year seems to just go by so quick now , but when you are old quite a lot of things can change in that past year.

Dad is going to be 90 this November , everything going well.

A year ago we were regularly having little adventures together, and building a good relationship, we went on trips like to Blackies yacht , or places like the long jetty at Port Welshpool .

Things have changed pretty dramatically now and dads age has now caught up with him .
He has diabetes that has effected his blood circulation as a result of his condition.
Last year he had to have a toe amputated due to having a few diabetic ulcers on his feet and they just wont heal due to the poor blood circulation.

So over the past six months they , the ulcers , have now redeveloped and one on his toe is right down to the bone.
So with that bone exposure the bone has developed an infection inside it that now requires surgical intervention and another amputation, as well as a vascular operation to try and get more blood supply to his feet.

Dad has to carry a pump in a bag a bit like a morphine driver , pumping antibiotics into his system 24/7 and he is awaiting a future surgery date to be confirmed.

I said as s joke to dad that when they swap the antibiotics in the pump for morphine then you are buggered .
He still has a sense of humour as he agreed and replied to me but at least ill be smiling 

So dads really aged a whole lot in a relatively short period of time  since my last update.
I still struggle inside to watch the man that has been my mentor slowly shrivel up and age in front of my eyes .
I cringe at the sight of his body that was once not so long ago so strong and now to nearly having no muscle structure and rapidly becoming just skin and bone.

Mentally the changes in dad are also quite noticeable , as he is no where near as sharp as he once was, and he is now quite often quite confused.

I have to give full credit to mum for the job she is doing looking after dad to this point but I feel its now actually becoming too much .
Mum really looks foward to respite when dad occasionally goes to stay at Rose Lodge, for a well earned rest .
I think he is booked in there in May and hopefully the operation isnt going to be in mums respite time.

So in a nutshell, dad has one foot minus a toe in the door of
Rose Lodge,
its all up to Mum , and I guess that it would be a hard decision in the end to put your life partner into full time care.

Its all inevitable eventually,  but
It still tears me up inside to see my fathers life slowly coming to an end in front of me.
I guess  back before I started working in the aged sector with my gardening with Ruth /mother and son and Max’s story and dad with father and son I was so much less prepared than I am now .

So with these thoughts I think that we have to make the most of what we have and our personal relationships and give a bit of love especially to your family , as you dont know just how long things will last.

Cheers xxx
Curlyg