Thats my Dan - hard working.... Right now he has rededicated himself to rehab... speech more than anything, but really enjoyed his PT visit... and we are putting in for more PT visits at the hospital with a aid so he can walk on the altra G .... thats what he needs most repetition .. The speech guy that comes to the house is excellent - young, hardworking and Dan literally lights up when he comes... we are appvd for 3 visits a week through March.... and Dan works and works on his iPad apps for speech... the best one is the one we had bought for weston last year -- its called 100 words and it is directed towards baby's... but it will show a pair of pants and the word and then it will say the word .. dan goes over it and over it....Dan has been communicating more and while it is still very, very difficult the simple fact his mood is better makes everyones life better....He will probably never get to the point of talking effective enough that he will feel comfortable in crowd settings , but just a few key words so we can communicate better has made life more "manageable" -- he still has his "shut down " days, where he will not talk , eat, drink, take meds but i can handle them one at a time as they come --- the time last year when he shut down for weeks was devastating....

And while he will most likely never be able to attend to his personal needs, he can notify me more of his personal needs.... and while he will never be able to walk with out someone holding on to him - or in ND winter case use the wheel chair for everything... i can handle that as well.... he does continue to be very unsteady and this years ice we don't risk any outdoor walking... i have even taken to having icemelt in the car to put out on the ground where we park so his pivot exit to/from car to wheelchair he doesent slip ... we have had MANY near misses.... and he would never have the endurance of walking a long distance nor do i believe it to be condusive to his hip.. the way he walks just grinds his hip... so once we get back to the altra G then he can walk with very little weight ( air walking) so he can get some cardio and correction to his gait... He continues to battle it out with weston ( 2yr grandson) and it is so hard to watch the" what-if's " of that relationship, but we get a glimpse now and then.... It is what it is -- but it is better than it was......

On a important but unrelated topic our neighbor ( 78 lady) went missing she went to her hail appt and disappeared, they have not found her van or anything... she was very dementia like since the loss of her husband last March ... she was the lady who brought us cookies and officially welcomed us when we moved here.. I am so saddened, seems this type of thing happens a lot to our elderly ... hopefully she is found... with our weather doubtful she is OK - but with dementia she could drive down south ( we live right next to interstate) . and perhaps she will be found ?? I just keep thinking about her family and how confused and sad they must be... I havent been here long enough to have met her family ( cold weather prevents much visiting in the winter) but what sadness...

Well just a update to our little life that is just "treking along"..........nancyl