We are currently looking after the husband's grandparents. Been at it for at least 8 months now. Atok (my native language for Grandpa) and Nenek (Grandma) are 95 and 80 years old, respectively. Their regular caregiver, an aunt who is very dear to me, was diagnosed with lymphoma and had to go through six sessions of chemotherapy. We desperately wanted her to get better, and we decided to take Atok and Nenek in, so that she could concentrate on getting better. Of course, at that time, we knew that anything could happen and Atok and Nenek could be with us for a long, long time.
For the most part, they are independent and mobile. But they both have their own quirks - I mean, if I lived up to that ripe age, I'm sure I'd have mine too. Nenek likes to nag. She nags the kids, our domestic helper, and complains about everything (weather, the noise, the phone ringing, you name it) and everyone. It's a good thing Atok is almost deaf. Atok is a quiet guy. Pretty much keeps things to himself, although he gets disoriented and starts hallucinating if he runs a temperature. That's when it gets fun.
The last two days he's been running a temperature which means he can't find the toilet and starts hallucinating. The husband and I have been giving Atok paracetamol and waking up at 3am to clean up after him because he could not find his way to the toilet.
This morning, he asked me to get his fishing net because he's going fishing. And our domestic helper said Atok was walking around the apartment this afternoon, trying to catch the fish that are swimming around. I thought that was morbidly funny. I related that story to a good friend at the office and we had a good chuckle.
We brought him to the doctor when we got home from the office this evening, and the doctor prescribed some antibiotics, so hopefully tonight we will all get a full night's rest.
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