bless you my heart goes out to you  my dad died in december  he pulled a cracker half an hour before he died he had the rattle a couple of days before he died but i was in complete denial even though i heard about itthe best thing i did was told him all the things i loved about him l all the good things he had achieved in his life this has given me peace since hes gone i also videoed him talkng which im so glad of.  enjoy the time  you have my prayers and hugs go out to you xxx

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I'm sorry to hear about your dad, but I'm pleased you got to tell him all the good things you loved and about his achievements. I will try the same. Thank you so much xxc

Hi there ...

So sorry your going through this heartbraking time... and when I used to work in care homes years ago, you could never be sure how long someone had .. I remember going off shift and popping in to a lady, when was only managing sips of water .. and just slept and looked so frail .. so I held her hand, and thought I'd not see her by my next shift a few days later .. when I went in that day, she was sitting up eating and drinking, and looked so much better .. while at the same time, another resident who looked well, had gone ...

All I would say, is if your dad liked music from his era ... try and get a c d to play for him .. the one thing everyone seems to react to is music .. my sister's in late stage dementure and I always play .. Bill Hayley and those rock and roll songs .. and she doesn't know who I am, but she can sing the words .. and her feet tap along ... they say hearing is the last thing to go ... just a thought ...

Chrissie x

Thank you. My dad ordered a CD, which arrived just before he went into hospital, he never got the chance to listen to it, so I'll take it to him and play it.

I'm sorry your sister has dementia. I work in a dementia unit as a cleaner and kitchen assistant, so although i dont really spend much time with the patients or really understand dementia, I do understand how hard this cruel disease is, and a lot of our patients do respond well to music

Thanks again x

I’m very sorry to hear you’re going through this. I lost my father last August so understand perfectly what you’re going through. I hope that you can take comfort in the fact that it sounds like your Dad is as comfortable as is possible. As heartbreaking as it is it’s the most important thing right now. 

Like you I was looking for all the signs ... to be honest with you ... the last year of my father’s life ... I felt like that it could happen at any time... in retrospect he was nowhere near....It was a horrible time. My Dad did incredibly well until the last week of his life, at which point he was on a syringe driver. Hand on heart I can honestly say that the actual passing was peaceful. It may sound strange but there was some relief... relief there was no more struggling for him. My Dad was/is my world and I suppose my grieving started when he was told there was nothing more they could do. I know it seems like you’ll never be able to manage without him right now but I promise..... time is a healer. I miss my Dad every day but somehow you just manage. Sit by his side, hold his hand...do whatever you think he will take comfort from. In my Dad’s final hours we talked to him about holidays taken together, happy/ funny stories.

Sending you and your Dad the biggest hugs x