Sustaining Elder Care – September 2025
/My September trip to Texas to see my dad was at the time of year that the sun rises about the time I make my first rest stop. There were enough clouds to make it worth photographing.
At the Texas welcome center about 4 hours later, the beautyberry and turk’s cap were looking good.
The temperature was about 90 degrees by the time I got to my dad’s assisted living residence in Dallas. We went outside to water plants (the sunflowers are looking good) but we opted to go back indoors to do his physical therapy exercises. He is managing them relatively well, but they seem to wear him out more quickly than just a few months ago. My sisters and I are staying focused on the exercises with him so that he can maintain is mobility as long as possible.
The next morning, I was there before breakfast, and the temperature was pleasant outside. We did the physical therapy exercises on the patio and talked about the plants that we had brought from his house and the tomatoes that aren’t doing so well this year. Sometimes he seems to remember…sometimes he just shrugs. But he still seems to enjoy the time outside listening to planes coming and going to Addison Airport.
We didn’t work on a puzzle. The last few times we’ve tried, he complained that he couldn’t see. His eyesight is problematic so it could be the new reality.
My strategy is to simply accept him the way he is, encourage him to do the things he can (maybe stretching a bit beyond on some of the physical therapy exercises), and enjoy our time together.
