Hello everyone,
I have caught up with Max a few times over the past few weeks , with quite different outcomes.,
On the  first week it was kind of boring as Max had , had a really bad nights disturbed sleep, and he was asleep in the chair when I got there and he was still fast asleep when I left three hours later.
So sitting with him just watching the tv saved me.

Yesterday it was a completely different story and when I arrived at Max’s place he was laying back in the lounge room in  a new electric chair ,
We said hello ,
and then chatted about the new chair, and how good it was.
But something I have noticed over time that it seems with all  personal assistance products that they seem to be really quite expensive.
This particular recliner chair was purchased at a retail cost of 8.5 K
To me that seems so excessive for what it is.

Soon Max tipped up the chair got out and went off to the toilet.
The chair was tilted up to the maximum angle and the bottom frame was exposed.
So I got onto the floor to have a closer look at the construction and workings of the chair.

Like I thought its no big deal and in the frame it has two electrical actuators, or rams , connected to the frame to operate it.
I cant see 8.5 K in it at all.
And going along with the trend of seemingly high and exorbitant retail prices in Australia of lots of personal aid equipment, 
I thought no wonder the aged care system is in a financial crisis.

So Max and I chatted as usual , about the farm, the stock the rainfall total and the record hay prices.
And of course the form of his beloved Hawks .
He at one stage of the conversation he held up his hand in the air , to show me the mass of twisted up fingers that are closed tight nearly permanently into a fist .

He said to me ,
Im over this .
I thought to myself so would I be if mate if I were in your shoes.
His wife said that the doctors were going to have a look at his hand soon .

So then we just casually chatted , and if you could actually hear some of our general conversations, that we have with the lewy body dementia in play , not all of it would make any sense to you. But then out of the blue
just  before I was leaving Max asked me seriously ,Curly
when do I get my licence back?

Hmm
He is just like my dad .
I thought that honestly is the best policy here and I told him straight out that its never.
I told him that because of his current medical and physical condition , unfortunately if assessed they would deem him completely unfit to drive a motor vehicle.

So now Its time to go and on the way out the door , I tell Max that Id be back to see him next Tuesday , and I told him that his Hawthorn , have a bye this week.

I think that through no effort of our own ,
that we have built a great relationship,
we enjoy each other’s company and we both look forward to to catching up.

Last week the Hawks played on Thursday night, and when I turned on the game at home,
I had a strong urge to jump in the car and drive over to  Max’s house and watch the game with him .
But I guess thats not really allowed or encouraged in the industry as it would be classed as being unprofessional.

It’s something that you would never know .

Cheers xxx