My granddad, affectionately known as Pop, has not been well. While his health isn't great, it sounds like his spirits are even worse. It's as if he has given up. I suspect that he never got over the passing of his wife several years ago, and perhaps time has made his grief and loneliness more intense instead of less. He is no longer the wise-cracking prankster you see above. Pop is far away in California. I wish I could be there, but I'm told that proximity doesn't help. There are a few relatives near him who are running out of ideas. One relative wrote:
It's hard to tell what's going on in Pop's head.
Whatever it is, he's in control.
I had long chats with his attending physician & nurse today.
Both are resigned to cutting Pop loose to decide for himself to get motivated about building his strength back or not.
He wants to watch TV and be waited on.
He asks for things that are in his reach, but won't reach for them.
He won't order his meals.
He won't get up without 3 people assisting, but doesn't help at all to lift himself.
He'll tell you that he wants to do physical therapy, but refuses when the therapist or nurse comes to get him up.
Nobody is going to make Pop do anything he doesn't want to do.
Why he doesn't want to help himself only he can answer. And he ain't sayin'.
Anyone willing to poke him with a motivational stick, PLEASE DO IT!!
We are out of tactics.
How do you deal with such hopelessness? My dad calls Pop daily and usually manages to get a laugh out of him, but Pop still isn't walking, still isn't helping himself. Any suggestions for a proven "motivational stick" would be appreciated.
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