Ever since our dad had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, our sister & I have been keeping an eye on him to supply Dad a break.
Once a week, our sister & I would take a day each, & watch dad for mom.
Last month was take your child to work day. My sister had already promised her child that she would take him to work with him, which left myself and others with dad. I don’t normally take dad to work with me, because she can be quite a handful. I work for an Heating, Ventilation & A/C dealer, & I am regularly fearful that she will walk away. I was kneeling in the office the evening before, talking to our boss. She knew our father well, since they were friends when laboring for the same Heating, Ventilation & A/C dealer. She was regularly inquiring about dad’s health & making offers to help if it was ever needed. I mentioned to him that I needed to bring dad to work with myself and others the next day. She told myself and others that I could leave him in the office with him if I needed to go out on a call. I couldn’t believe how much fun dad had that day. It seemed that being with her seasoned neighbor jostled her memory enough that they had an amazing time together. For the first time in a year, dad remembered being an Heating, Ventilation & A/C supplier & that I was her daughter. I only hoped her memory stuck around long enough for our Dad to prefer the seasoned dad. I wished I had worked with him when she was an Heating, Ventilation & A/C supplier. She particularly was genuinely fantastic at what she did.