First off, we are sorry it took so long to give an update. After Mom's service, everyone has been working on getting things settled for Dad and there just wasn't too much time to sit and type it all up. Thank you for all of the kind words and wishes you have been posting! Without further ado...

Dad has been moved to Azura Memory Care in Monroe. While we were confident in the care he was receiving at St. Joe's, it wasn't meeting his memory care needs. We discovered that in Illinois, facilities often do not carry the specific licenses to care for patients with Alzheimer's throughout the different stages in care. In Wisconsin, facilities do not need separate licenses so we are able to get care without having to move Dad when his Alzheimer's continues to progress.  At Azura, Bob has his own room and then the rest of the "house" looks like a person's home - living room with comfy furniture, a kitchen and dining area. He shared the "house" with about 8 other residents and each person has their own room.

Kevin had a window visit with him on Saturday and he looked good! He was all smiles and carried on a 15 minute conversation with Kevin. For the first part of the conversation, he thought Kevin was one of Dad's brothers but Kevin was able to talk to him about how his days have been going and he even said that he likes it at his new home. The residents are able to have visits from their pets so there was a dog checking everyone out and making the residents smile there on Saturday as well.

The staff member Kevin talked to said that Bob is following the daily routine and participating in all of the activities. He gets himself up and showers himself every couple days and he is even giving himself a shave every so often.  This was good to hear because these were self-care skills that he had stopped doing last summer at home. She did mentioned that he's a little hard to get up in the mornings. We suppose that after so many years getting up early for work, he's earned the right to sleep in a bit. We are taking this as a good sign that he is sleeping well, too.

He stills shows no sign of understanding or remembering what happened with Mom. On the couple occasions he has mentioned her, he says that she has "gone in to town and will be back soon". We don't press the issue as he seems content with this reason that she is not nearby and he seems content with the fact that he is at "home". When he shares a conversation with people, he is able to speak to the way is life was 30-40 years ago or just yesterday. He's not able to share specific events but he does remember meals and other parts of his day.

If anyone is interested in visiting him, calling on the phone or doing a window visit are the easiest ways. You can call 608-329-6336 and ask Bob Lincicum in the "Bottom House". They will get someone to get him to the phone. He is usually able to carry on a 5-10 minute conversation. If you are interested in having a window visit, call that same number and let them know what day and time you would like to come. They are only able to host one window visit at a time so you may need to adjust the time you are stopping if they are already busy. When you call to schedule the visit, they will give you directions for the actual visit.

Saturday was a good day. He had the color in his cheeks and warmth in his smile. We know, with Alzhiemer's, we expect good days and not so good days. It was a blessing to have a good few minutes with him.