Dear all- I wanted to let you know my dad died 3 days ago, in hospital after a short spell of sepsis probably brought on by aspirating food into his lungs. It's been quite a roller coaster, from seeing him on the 23rd where he was his usual self (albeit with Alzheimers) to receiving that phone call, going to the hospital, coming and going between there and home before realising he wouldn't survive. I'm in a kind of truce stage now, death certificate has not been released (I've been warned I'll probably have to chase it) so can't really do anything.
So far, this feels very different from my mum's death, she was so much younger (54) and hadn't been ill, I was devastated. I am sad, but mostly sad that his last 5 years were spent being diminished and tormented by dementia. He was a bright, sociable, adventurous guy (lived in 15 different countries in his lifetime) before it took its hold on him.
Thanks to everyone on this board for your support especially needmoresleep, mirabelle tree in her previous incarnation, CMOT, Sandwich and many more. In due time i think I'll put up a "10 things which were useful in helping me cope and manage with my Dad's dementia" type of post.
All my thoughts to everyone on the difficult journey of being there for our parent with dementia.