Road Trip to Texas – February 2026
/I made my monthly trip to Lewisville TX to visit with my dad near the end of the month. It was a more structured road trip than my usual. I stopped to meet my sister that had prepared his tax filing on my way down – since I am the one that must sign for him.
Once I got to the memory care facility, I had a meeting with a couple of staff members to work on some outstanding issues. He is starting his 5th month at the place, and I am a little frustrated that there are a few things that seem to not be as easily resolved (for example, they can’t seem to help him shave daily…and the stubble on his face is something he doesn’t like). On the plus side – they consistently cut is food so that it is easy for him to feed himself (something we had been unable to get done in his previous home).
I managed to visit with Dad too. We walked around the courtyard because the day was very pleasant – and then I accompanied him to the assisted living side of the place to visit with a friend and then do some PT in their gym.
Later in the day – about the time he went off to dinner, I joined a group of other families in a dementia support group. There were three other families…and a facilitator. It was a bit of a disappointment. My dad is about a decade older than the other residents that had family members at the meeting! I am realizing that, while he needs assistance for daily living, he is very easy to work with compared to some other situations.
The next morning, he seemed tired when I saw him after breakfast – maybe a result of the amount of activity from the previous afternoon. It was too cool to walk outside in the courtyard, but we did walk in the hallway. I noticed that there are a few St. Paterick’s Day decorations, but they are relatively subdued compared to the Thanksgiving – Christmas – Valentines decorations of the past few months.
I noticed some framed botanical prints in the hallway that I hadn’t noticed before. I wondered how many of these things he can appreciate with his eyesight declining so much in the past 6 months.
That thought continued when we got back to his room – does he know there is a pinwheel in his potted plant…that the tractor and beagle figure are on the dresser. There is a large screen television that we use to play a slideshow of outdoor places; he seems to notice that the picture is changing but can’t tell what the picture contains. The visual appeal of the environment is likely not as important to him now – but it does make it more pleasant for us when we visit!
