Dad and Voting

I took Dad to vote on Tuesday.  When he had registered, the clerk asked him if he wanted a mail-in ballot.  "No," he said, "I want to go to the polling site."  And we did.

Dad is a staunch Republican and remains so in the midst of his dementia.  He can still talk politics and very much aware of what is happening on the news.  He was disappointed when John McCain and Sarah Palin didn't win last time.  He can identify certain news commentators as ones that he has listened to.  He can also identify the issues of the day and what each candidate stands for.  And he is very open about not liking Obama.  Dad actually knows more about politics than many people who don't have dementia do.

So we went.  Dad was given the same ballot sheet and a black marker-- he declined to use the fancy machine-- and I was allowed to help him.  His fine motor is bad enough that even with the marker, he was unable to fill in the squares.  After the first one, he allowed me to do it for him.  He was able to tell me which candidates he wanted to vote for.

After Dad voted, I encouraged him to sit at a table so we could have the free cup of coffee being offered to voters.  A nice lady came over and gave us our choice of donuts from the box.  The donuts were not free, but for us they were.  

Dad's dementia is difficult for me at times.  I get worn out and frazzled.  Yet the little kindnesses of people in his community keep me going.

I am proud of my Dad for voting.  He is the only one in his adult assisted living home to even express an interest in the election and in voting.

My Dad, a true American patriot to the end!

sapphoq on life