Sustaining Elder Care – July 2026

It has become easier to keep my father in puzzles because they are worked more slowly now. He can’t see as well, so we have started lining up edge pieces for him snap together. He enjoys the tradition of working on the puzzle even if he is no longer able to do it the way he did in the past. He has such a smile on his face when he runs his hands over the surface of a finished puzzle!

My sisters and I have continued to guide his PT exercises, and his mobility is improving very slowly. It is enough that his doctor has scheduled another round of PT for him. Sometimes when he won’t do the PT exercises themselves, we walk around the big room of the residence several times; we’ve started guiding his walker since sometimes he does not see objects in his path.

His favorite food is still ice cream – as it has been for many years. It is one of the few things that has not changed for him – and that he is vocal about. He does like root beer floats for a change of pace.

Sometimes he is more talkative although he sometimes can’t remember the word he needs…other times he seems to not want to talk at all. He often shares that he ‘will be leaving soon.’ I wonder if it is the equivalent of my grandmother asking us in the last year of her life, ‘why am I still here?’

At 94 he is probably the oldest person in the assisted living residence. All the other residents are usually dressed in lounge wear…but my dad has stayed with jeans and button front shirts like he has for the decades since he retired! My sister bought him some sweatpants during the winter – but he didn’t like them at all.

My sisters and I realize that he is declining, and we strive to find ways to preserve activities that he seems to enjoy…to focus on doing things with him that will sustain his quality of life even though our success is usually only partial.