bluefirebird

So, my Aunt has been at the care home for two weeks now, not that she remembers any of it consciously, although unconciously she does seem to be settling in.
She keeps asking/worrying if she can afford to live there, but having worked hard and saved all her life it is not an issue (mind you, if she had spent it all enjoying life she wouldn't have to worry either - not a good advert for prudence!)
When we went to visit yesterday, the other residents suggested that we go up to her room to visit in private (and not disturb those who wanted to watch the communal telly, or doze!). When we left she wasn't sure whether to go back to the common room or to remain where she was until supper time. Finally she decided that we could take her back to the common room and introduce her to everyone...

Then we went on to the hospital to find Dad. He was sitting somewhat irritably in the chair next to the bed. He has no recollection of collapsing (and fortunately he doesn't seem to do any major damage when he goes down like a stack of spuds) or of being carted off in the ambulance although he was aware that he'd spent the night there. He managed to phone Mum earlier in the day to ask her where she was and she gathered then that he thought he was on holiday.

He ususally spends the day at home reading the newspaper and dozing - in between ordering Mum around - until he turns the TV on. But he doesn't even have that to do at the hospital. Mum talked to someone who told her that he will need to stay in the hospital for 2 or 3 days while they run tests on him, and while we spoke to him he alternated between asking "can we go now?" and being settled to staying put.

His memory-loss and disorientation doesn't seem to be as bad as my Aunt's, especially as it seems more patchy than hers, but it does seem to have ratcheted up a notch since I saw him last week. Mum said that during the day, before he keeled over, he was far less responsive than usual and less interested in his dinner - not that he eats a lot these days anyway.

The geriatric hospital mentioned the possibility of TIAs - transient ischemic attacks, or mini-strokes - as a factor in my Aunt's memory loss but (and without doing any online research today) I wonder if that might have been a factor with Dad.

His place in Mum's bed has already been usurped by their elderly cat!
Actually one thing that worries me is that we will lose Dad and the cat quite close to each other, and although I know that she loves her husband of 58 years, I think she will be more devasted when the cat dies.