There are sort of mini-cruises where you can rent canal boats in the UK and boat everywhere in the country that canals can reach. Which is apparently extensive—they were a big means of transportation there in the early industrial period, before the trains took over. Anyway, those seem fun. You take your living quarters with you, like a regular cruise. But it’s just you and your friends/family, stopping and going as the mood takes you.

Narrowboats are tiny, though. So you'd probably better be best friends sharing one. But I do love the notion of travel, for those who are able. Dana asked the important question: years from now would you rather have the money or the memory? (Also gifting: another thing? Or a wonderful memory?)

I wish I could see more things.

Fucks sake, my dad has been calling the cops saying that people are trying to break in. (They are not.) My dad's neighbor texted my brother and said Dad called the cops tonight, and the cops told neighbor that this is like the third time in 8 weeks that Dad's called the cops. (Neighbor just wasn't home for the 2 previous calls, or else he would have texted my brother sooner.)

I don't think I can get Dad to go to the psychiatric ER, even if I go with him. And I really really REALLY don't want to go with him.

I'm waiting for my brother to call me so we can sort out the next step.

I'm so sorry, Teppy. We had a family friend with that variety of delusions. Extraordinarily frustrating. I hope you and your brother can find a way to get him treated.

Oh jeez Tep.

Bro and I aren't doing anything until tomorrow. He was with a client at the hospital all day and he's (bro, that is) still recovering from food poisoning. It's late and I don't have the spoons to deal with it tonight.

I haven't had any emotional spoons left for Dad for quite a while now. I know he's not being crazy on purpose, and I know he's not being crazy *at* me. But I still have nothing left for him, emotionally. Not anymore. I guess what I really need is an extra helping of grace so that I can extend some grace to him and get through this to whatever might help him.

I’m so sorry, Tep

Shrift, barging in with the past 2.5 wk experience with stubborn ass independent parents & 2 weeks in icu for the executive functional one(dad) and a good week where it looked like he wouldn’t make it. Get someone (not spouse of parent) as joints on main accounts, if possible. This was recommended by my family lawyer. My parents were amenable & there’s no drama between me and my brother, so we both were added. Did some on telebanking with dad just coming down off hallucinatory steroid doses & making really innopportune jokes. That was fun. Some with statutory POA. Tax implications should be considered but it was a nonissue for us, for various reasons. My dad is so fucking organized, I was literally walking into the icu with all the docs & numbers when he was close to dying, on the phone with lawyer. I need to get that organized.

Also, and THIS IS FUCKING HARD: you can raise concerns with the hospital that will trigger home health evals covered by Medicare. I did this. Probably one of the hardest and rightest things I’ve done. SO MUCH FUN EFFECTIVELY QUESTIONING YOUR PARENTS COMPETENCE TO THEIR FACE. I sandbagged my dads’s discharge with this. The way his face fell. I’m still not wrong. I went and ran 2 miles around the desert in boots & I hate running, after. Bless the hospitalist dr who was just so fucking kind but no nonsense with us.

They can refuse the services. I don’t know if they can totally refuse the eval visits (prob) because my parents agreed. They sent out nursing, pt & ot evaluators to the house. OT not needed. PT once a week (my dad likes that, goal oriented.) Visiting nurse 2x week for 2 weeks, 1x for rest unless changes. He’s had 2 total 15 minute visits from nice Nurse Sara (I’m Evil Fake Nurse Sara, I I’ll totally own that) and already wants to go to once a week, damnit.

Covers 9 weeks before their supplemental bcbs or Ltc needs invoked.

It’s hard. I’ve been home 2 nights & I’m waking up confused as to where I am. But you can do this. Just one day more, each day.

Also, if you want a pulse/blood oximeter monitor, my brother researched & got my dad a ring one that buzzes/lights up at a set threshold and ties to a phone app for tracking: wellue O2Ring.