(laughing to myself)
I'm not sure what to talk about first today. Should it be the itchy rash that my Dad has acquired, or the fact that when I went into his room today he was walking around in just a t-shirt (nothing else), or the fact that they may have found the source of the urine smell in his room (yay)? Hmmm.
I will start with the rash. Megan took Dad to the doctor two days ago and was told that Dad has Scabies (pronounced like Rabies). That has got to be the ugliest sounding word in the English language. Scabies is a skin mite that causes itchiness and red bumps and is very contagious. I kind of compare it to head lice, but for the body. Everything had to be washed and cleaned and Dad had to sleep overnight in a special skin cream. Poor Megan had to deal with it and felt itchy all day even though it was mostly in her head. She jumped right in the shower when she got home. Turns out now, he didn't have Scabies. We still don't know what it is. I feel bad for him though because he is itching a lot.
When I get to his room today, I get mooned by my Dad. He is standing there with only a t-shirt on and I am praying that he doesn't turn around. He's not afraid of standing naked in front of anyone... he could care less. But, guess what Dad? I care. Put some pants on please. Actually, why don't we start with underwear. Even that would be better. I figured out that he had been putting "lotion" on his legs, arms, and hands. I know he is itchy, so I can't blame him for trying to do something to relieve the itch. When I looked at the bottle though, I realize that he had been putting a 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner on his body instead. By this time, he had his pants back on, so we didn't wash off his legs, but when we washed his hands there were so many bubbles coming off of him. They're going to have a fun time helping him shower tonight!
The good news today is that we think we found the source of the urine smell in his room. They tore his room apart trying to figure it out and found that the bottom of the cabinets in the bathroom next to the toilet were soaked... probably with urine. As I said before, Dad's roommate has issues going to the bathroom and it's possible that my Dad could also be "missing the target" when peeing as well. A new cabinet has been ordered and should be here by the end of the week. I have to thank Whittier Place for really trying to solve this problem! I hope it works.
Dad is still having a difficult time remembering which bed and closet is his. He goes over and sits on Chuck's bed or takes clothes out of Chuck's closet. Today, I labeled his closet and bed. I doubt it will help, but it's worth a try. I attached a picture of Dad's room and labeled closet. He was in a great mood today. Flirting with the ladies and walking through the garden with me. Hope he's this happy next time.
Side note: We're still really worried about Dad's financial situation. He is losing money monthly right now... mostly due to the fact that he still hasn't sold his mobile home. Two rent checks per month takes a toll. It just seems that he is finally settling in and it would be awful to move him to a cheaper place right now, but I guess it does come down to the money. We are still trying to look into every resource possible before having to move him. Cross your fingers!
