Bill Zeckhausen Bill Zeckhausen

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On February 27, Bill was moved into Ledgeview, a nursing facility associated with the Taylor Community in Laconia. Thankfully it is close to our new house on Cinnamon Lane.   This was a terribly difficult decision but it was made with all of our best interests at heart.  There were several incidents which suggested that I could not take care of him safely; he fell a few times and I could not get him up.  One time recently I was eating breakfast, thinking he was watching TV in the other room, and he simply walked  out of the house and down the hill.  We were so fortunate that none of these incidents resulted in disaster, but it was becoming clear that I could not provide the care for him at this stage of the disease.   Meeting with Taylor's staff and administrators, we agreed it was time to move Bill into the nursing  unit at Ledgeview where he could be observed and cared for safely.  

Unfortunately the rules suggest that I not see him for the first couple of weeks to help him adjust to his new routine.  While I understand the rationale, this has probably been the hardest couple of weeks of both of our lives. Being separated has been very tough for both of us.   For Bill, the adjustment has been particularly challenging given all of the new people and routines. He has been missing me since I’ve been by his side for over 60 years.

For me it’s been very hard to know he’s struggling and to not be able to help. It was actually suggested that I leave town for a week so I booked a trip to Florida to visit friends and family. It’s been incredible to be able to relax in the sunshine with friends and family. My daily conversations with Bill helped a bit, and David and Dina checked in with him daily. Our Laconia friends have been incredibly helpful, taking him to exercise class, playing ping pong with him and bringing dogs for visits.

I returned to Laconia on Tuesday March 10.