"Dad cannot think in any structured way. He can't really understand what's going on around him and he can't follow verbal instructions. He's too big and strong to wrestle in and out of clothes, the way you would with a small child, but he has to be wrestled in and out of clothes fairly often because he also doesn't really understand when he needs to go to the toilet."
"He likes to go out for a walk every morning and many afternoons, but he can't go by himself because he has no idea where he is and how to get home. My mum can't go with him due to her multiple sclerosis, which also means she gets very tired and needs a lot of rest which, when you live with a six-foot-tall toddler who really wants to go outside, is impossible. The situation is clearly not sustainable."
My dad, an 84-year-old man with Alzheimer's, lives with my mum, who has multiple sclerosis, in a two-bedroom apartment in Canberra. Dad cannot think in any structured way, cannot follow verbal instructions, and often needs physical assistance with dressing and toileting despite being large and strong. He likes frequent walks but cannot navigate home. Mum's MS causes fatigue and limits her ability to accompany him, making daily care unsustainable. Morning support arrives for feeding, showering, and dressing, but most of the day falls to Mum. Family geography and responsibilities limited available help, so the decision was made to seek aged care placement, which proved difficult and emotionally fraught.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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