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DD, that's excellent news that your dad is improving without surgery or some other invasive medical work that requires a long recovery. You're also fortunate that your brother and sister-in-law are able to care for your folks at this time. As I've said several times, the 12 years I cared for my mom were the most stressful of my life.

Yesterday I had lunch with my banker who's currently caring for her aging father, stepmother, mother, father-in-law and mother-in-law. That's FIVE old folks she's caring for and arranging care for! They're either in the hospital, a nursing home, intensive post-surgical physical therapy, wheelchair-bound, or at home with caregivers. They suffer from a variety of old-age ailments like dementia, broken hips, knee surgery recovery, debilitating arthritis. And most of them sound like they're stubborn as mules.

My DF and I are working very hard right now to create a "forever home" (and of course we know we can't guarantee we'll be there forever) to minimize the potential dangers to our well-being like going up and down stairs. It's odd to me that so many of us can't imagine the need to prepare ourselves for being truly elderly and what that era will mean to our lives and our families.

It seems that we humans just aren't very well engineered to confront this last phase of life. But then most of us weren't sufficiently prepared for puberty, marriage, adulting, mid-life crises, menopause, or retirement either. Perhaps this whole thing called life needs to be redesigned. I just wish we could get a little wiser about a lot of things a little earlier.

I'm glad your Dad seems to be improving. Thank goodness for DB and wife. I hope a decision on how to keep they safe can be made so they can move back to their home though. Maybe start having someone come in to help while they are still there and then continuing that might work?

Thanks for asking about my Dad. You all are the best.

I just got done texting with my brother about my Dad. The possible heart valve problem is not significant enough to require treatment. They were concerned about the Mitral Valve in the ER, but the echo is showing it has good output. Brother says Dad is sleeping 14 hours a day. He is really worn out. He's continuing treatment for the GI tract infection. DB is sanitizing what he can in the house, because he believes it is some kind of food poisoning. Did I mention before my Dad wants to reuse paper plates? I don't believe in interfering in other people's choices, but when I get there, I do throw out all the used paper products and rewash the dishes. My Dad never says anything about the paper plates to me when I toss them, which makes me think he has some OCD thing about throwing them away himself, but understands what he is doing is not normal. This hoarding started the last few years, and I'm sure it's an expression of anxiety about my Mom dying and his own aging, and potential loss of control.

It's my Mom's birthday next Monday, so we'll drive out to see them Monday evening, and then the weekend of the 8th, I'll stay with my Mom so the men can go deer hunting. Hopefully my Dad can go along, as he really looks forward to it. For now, my brother and his wife are sleeping over each night.

Greetings all

There is a chill in the air. I was cold at scrabble. Perhaps that's why I lost two games including to the Shark. Bound to happen. It is a fun group as we analyze all the world's problems. After that I got my weekly cheeseburger. Ate half. Then I went to the gym and worked off 35 calories of said cheeseburger. There was a grunter. After that it was a stop at rite aid to get claritin. Geez that store is half empty. Sad place. I don't like ordering from Amazon but might have to in order to get my favorite coffee.

Hmmm, I am no longer an adrenaline seeker. Maybe during my skiing years but no more. I take my comfort in chocolate and red wine though I don't crave sweets that much any more. Maybe carbs. And yeah I take an SSRI and have since I was 40. My shrink at the time attempted to counsel me about overeating but I was in my "I am fat **** you" stage. Still sort of am. Or more like "I am fat, who cares?".

But I do care because it's hard to move around as much as I would like. Hence the treadmill. Yeah I am also on the osteopenia thing so weight bearing exercise is important. Interesting DD about the vitiamin issues. Gotta have D. I suspect more health problems than we know are nutrition related. I am still wishing for the health food store that has NO stuff that is bad for you. I am still highly confused about cooking oils and use only olive.

Yay Liz for including Justice on the Christmas plans. Sad about the high air fares. Guess it's to be expected. Nothing ever gets cheaper.

DD how is your dad doing? Ditto CC and Peps.

Made a big list today and I am through most of it. Down to the dregs: laundry and straightening desk which is covered with my wardrobe of bandages and papers. Perhaps if my washing machine dispensed m and m's when I fill it and start it. If only...

Diane S

Re the conversation on Osteoporosis. My Mom and my Grandmothers grew up on dairy farms, so they were not lacking calcium rich food. But what they didn't have: vitamin D fortification in their milk, because they were drinking raw, homegrown milk. And up at this latitude, you are not going to be able to get enough vitamin D naturally. My paternal Grandma also had a goiter when she was young, due to iodine deficiency. There is an identified area in the Great Lakes Region where the soil lacks any natural iodine, which is where she lived. Iodized salt has pretty much eliminated this condition now.