My Grandpa

Sunday night, Memorial Day weekend, as we were heading home, we received a call from my sister that my grandpa (95 years old) had suffered a stroke that morning and he was at the Reed City Hospital. This was hard on so many levels - my grandma has always been the frail one, she has Alzheimers and my grandpa cares for her.  My grandpa was always in excellent health - in fact, they were camping with the rest of my extended family that weekend, and my grandpa had driven their camper up the Thursday before.

It was too late at night to go up Sunday, but we found out that he had suffered a second stroke that affected him even more.  However, my cousin and her family were able to visit and said that he was doing better and knew who he was and seemed to recognize her family.

We went Monday up to the hospital to visit him.  He looked very tired, but it seemed as if he recognized us, and was able to point to things on the menu for dinner and even feed himself.  His carotid artery (both, actually)  is almost completely blocked, but surgery is not an option, which is hard, but Reed City Hospital hoped that with therapy he could regain speech and mobility, and hoped that with medicine they could get the blockage to dissolve.

Reed City moved him to Mary Free Bed last week Tuesday, but when they did their own evaluations, they think he is way lower functioning than what Reed City said/evaluated. MFB is not sure there is anything they can do.  Reed City thought that with therapy he would be OK - not 100%, but good. MFB disagrees, and thinks that the two strokes have really affected his brain and don't know if he has much brain function. It is hard to know for sure since he can't really speak at this point.

My grandma is with my aunt for now, but my uncle just had knee replacement, so they really can't keep her long. There is a new Alzheimer unit opening, so she will be moving tomorrow into the nursing home in their home town. Obviously my grandpa can't take care of her any more :( MFB evaluated my grandpa again today, and said that he is not high functioning enough for them to keep him, so he will be moved on Thursday to the same nursing home as my grandma.

Kind of hard "losing" my grandpa so suddenly when he was in seemly excellent health before. But I am still praying that he can get at least some functioning back - mainly praying for his brain function!! It really would be nice to say goodbye, you know?!? I just don't know how long we have with him, with his arteries that bad.

It really is amazing that at 95 my grandparents were still at home. My understanding is that this is only the second time my grandpa has even been to the hospital in his entire life, so you can't ask for a healthier life than that!! Still, it is very hard...they are the only grandparents I have left :(

2007 - camping Memorial Day weekend.  Always the first to the campsite and he helps cut wood for the campfire.

 2009 - camping Memorial Day weekend.  Playing baseball!

 2011 - Memorial Day weekend, helping cut wood for our camp fire.

 Last fall - Peter and Ida Wallinga celebrating 70 years of marriage!

Fall 2011 - with their children and their children's spouses

 This was last fall - most of the Peter and Ida Wallinga family all together for my grandparent's anniversary (70 years!!)

 

December 2011 at my sister's Michigan wedding reception