Dad was assessed.

Yesterday Dad was assessed by Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS). After reading other blogs of how Lewy often demises when other people are around, well, Dad was the best he had been in weeks. Charming, cooperative and chirpy. The woman who did the test wanted to see how Dad got in and out of bed, the shower, toilet and made suggestions of ways to improve things. The best tip I got was helping Dad out of bed. When he is laying on his back and to get him to a sitting position if I bend his head forward it enables him to bend the rest of his body. She used to be involved with neurology and showed me the difference it makes. Just a simple tilt of the head forward stops Dad from being a total dead weight. Also when helping dad walk to tell him big steps with some encouragement to propel forward and to repeat big steps.

Throughout the assessment the woman was saying how Dad was border line low/high...I'm thinking you should see Dad on a bad day/moment. I explain about the behaviour in respite and that Dad was like it when we visited the Geriatrician and that he thought Dad was now high care.
It wasn't until I mentioned that Dad some nights pulls down his PJ's and wees in bed. This was a criteria of being high care. It's difficult in the allotted time to recall the different things Dad does and can't do anymore plus because Dad is present it's awful to embarrass him.
Dad also did the MMSE and his score was 8...8. It was 17 in 2007. Lewy is stealing my Dad and I hate it. Dad is becoming miserable in his own body, if that makes sense. It's getting to the point where Dad can't deal with his body and his mind, a further decline.

Today Dad is having lots of trouble walking. It's borderline can/can't with my assistance. I need to hire a wheel chair, get a chair for the shower and a commode for his bedroom. I'm trying to keep Dad mobile for as long as I can but just a little more decline and it will be dangerous for Dad and for me. We will both end up falling over. It's going to be difficult to get him in and out of the shower. I'm going to have to phone our council and get some home care assistance.

The paper work from the assessment should be here next week. Then I can send off the forms and required papers to various homes. This is definitely the hardest thing I have ever had to do.
The only way I can get my head around it is that I'm blessed to have had 2 beautiful and healthy daughters. My heart goes out to all the people with ill children.

And last night Dad was screaming that much I gave him a Clonazepam and yes, today, Dad is having hallucinations. This is such a hard thing to bare. I get some sleep and so does Dad. I can get through the next long day but Dad suffers. Lewy really turns your conscience on its head.