Stroke Affects the Whole Family September 8,  2016  7:27am EST

My dad is 80 and had a stroke on July 6, 2016.  He has liver and kidney issues which limits the meds he can take.  He has had a rough time with delirium and lack of sleep. I moved him from WA to WI and his care is so much better but finding the right med to bring back his friendly personality has been daunting. My mother has dementia (she does not think so)  and will be joining my family in WI this week.  Being a caregiver, a mother, an educator and a wife is very challenging right now.  Watching my dad struggle to be "normal" and not realizing his deficits from the stroke has been emotionally challenging.  His personality has changed so dramatically, and it is rare to see his old humorous, fun-loving, sweet, greatest man on earth personality.  This is especially difficult to handle.  He is 2 months out from the stroke and making some physical gains not many mental gains. It will become more challenging as my mom enters the picture and will not understand his personality changes.  He will not have patience for her circle of same questions. She will not hasve patience for his impatience.  My hope is each day that we move away from the actual stroke is another day of healing and closer to a "new normal."