Happy Birthday, Billy!

We celebrated Billy's 55th birthday on Friday evening, and he loved it. He smiled all evening as we had lots of friends and family (about 40) in our home for cake and ice cream! Thank you to everyone for coming to wish him a great birthday. In light of the daily behaviors we see with Billy, I'm amazed at how well he does when we have a large group of family and friends surrounding us. He really enjoys the company of so many that he knows. He doesn't always know names and relationships, but he knows faces and realizes that these are special people to him. Many of Shelley's friends came to wish Billy a Happy Birthday, and after most everyone else left, they stayed a while. We had Billy sit down to open all of his cards, and he entertained the group with his funny comments. He was in such a great mood, and even though we often didn't know what joke he was making, Billy kept us laughing. That is the Billy I've known for 35 years - the one who can make the crowd crack up with his wit. The wit is not as sharp, and I become a bit apprehensive when he starts to speak, but the laughter follows, and that is delightful.

I am working on getting Billy into an adult daycare program closer to home. I have several reasons for trying to make the change. First of all, the location is bout 5 miles from our house as opposed to the 25 miles between the Cottage and our house. The program is in an assisted living facility that is specifically designed for Memory and Alzheimer's Care, and it is secure. The staff is trained to deal with the quirks of the disease. Finally, the program is less expensive than the Cottage. In addition to a less expensive daily rate, every Wednesday is free at this one. The glitch is that Wednesdays are currently full, and they don't have room for him that day, so he's on a waiting list. All of these are good reasons to change, but if Billy doesn't do well there, I'm not in favor of it. Change is really difficult for him, and I don't know how he will react. If his days are uneasy, that carries over to home, and the struggle gets worse. Please pray for a peaceful transition if that is best for Billy.

I must go now and see if I can get Billy to bed. He fell asleep on the couch for about an hour, and now, he thinks it's morning. :)