The Dad saga continues

My dad saw his doctor today. I had set up the appointment for him because he was unable to communicate with a dentist last week, and I suddenly realized that we have a problem NOW (I knew it was coming, I just didn't realize how far advanced it was).

The doctor called me after the appointment and said that my dad is not competent. He took away several bottles of pain meds that my dad had, because he didn't need so many different types of meds. The doctor said he hadn't thrown them away, he'd save them if we wanted them. (For what? For when I visit my dad and need to relax a bit???)

The doctor recommended a nursing home for a month to get his meds straightened out (because he has been self-medicating, probably taking too much of some and not enough of others). The doctor's thought is that after a month in a nursing home, if Dad's mental state has improved from the supervision of his meds, we could look for an assisted living situation. My dad said he would not do this.

The doctor said that if my dad won't agree, my next step would be to hire a family attorney and have a mental competency evaluation ordered for my dad. Hiring an attorney sounded very expensive -- I wondered if it might be worth a try to have my dad talk with a few men he respects???

I e-mailed a few people, updating them on my dad's appointment and asking for prayer. I was sitting here worrying about what to do next when my phone rang. It was my dad's cell phone. Anxious thoughts jumped into my mind; why was he calling from his cell phone? Was he running away from home? (This is not as far-fetched as it sounds. He checked himself out of his post-surgery nursing home against his doctor's wishes.) I picked up the phone reluctantly.

My dad wanted to know if I was comfortable with him going to a nursing home for a month. !!!!
He ate lunch with my husband's aunt, and her wise words made an impression on him.

Now, I don't know if he knows that after a month he may not be coming home, but moving to an assisted living situation.....but one thing at a time.