A Rant perhaps? Or just a Lamenting.

  My parents live very close which is a plus, and a curse. On one hand, it’s nice when Mom or Dad ride the golf cart over to see the kids. On the other hand, it sometimes gets distressing to be a part of all they have going on. With Mom at 63, and Dad at 68, they certainly aren’t ancient yet, but they are getting on in age. They are both at the point that they have some health issues, and I am starting to have concerns for both of them.

 Mom is diabetic, and blind in one eye, other than that, she is mostly healthy. She does keep up with her sugar better than she did, but doesn’t check it like she should, and eats rather oddly,meaning whenever, and whatever she wants. Her blindness seems to causing her more problems, with depth perception, balance, not deing able to see anything in low light, and driving. I wonder if her sugar getting off is not also a factor with her vision and balance. She still drives, but not after dark if possible, and no one will ride with her if they can help it. She has mentioned several times about getting a carseat so she can take Mary with her to the store and such. I don’t want to be mean, but we keep skirting that issue hoping it will go away, I don’t want Mary in the car with her. She has had several minor fender benders already, including hitting two of those big yellow poles designed to keep you from hitting the front of stores. Now her white car has two yellow stripes the length of the drivers side.

  Dad has some arthritis in his legs and feet, an artificial knee, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and several other not-to-serious maladies. Oh, and he cant hear, and wont put in his hearing aides. He is also recovering from a very serious infection due to an ulcer on his foot that required several surgeries and hospitalizations. He wont stay off his foot, and listen to the doctors, so it keeps busting open, and wont heal. Even with all I went through, he cant be made to listen, and does what he wants, sometimes with rather ill effects. He has started using a cane, as his balance is off, he blames it on his foot, but I think it is more serious.  I have noticed he has no strength, or stamina, often unable to open a twist-off soda cap, or to walk very far at all. If he comes out to the shop, he is unable to do very much, before having to rest. Likewise with the lawnmower, he will ride only about half of the yard, before going inside to nap.

  A very good friend, who is a Dr. comes over often, he has questions as to whether Dad is showing signs of Parkinsons, but he isn’t his Dr,  and Dad won’t discuss it with his physician, or see a neurologist. He stumbles, stops in mid sentence, and his hands shake, more so  when he is tired. It is very distressing at times.

Mom seems wrapped up in her own problems, and does not have very much patience with him anymore. I have noticed it more and more lately, and Cat got frustrated with her last weekend on the mountains. Several times Mom pointed out that he was falling behind and needed to hurry up, as we were all waiting. Cat told her twice that she needed to give him a break, he was doing the best he could, and hung back, walking with dad the rest of the day. I wonder if it’s a defense mechanism, and she just doesn’t want to accept the inevitable?

I don’t know, and the sad part is, it will all fall on Recie and I, as I am an only child, so no siblings to share the load.