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Dear Theresa
We hope that you are keeping well, as we are ourselves. Because we are going over to England for two weeks starting tomorrow, I thought I'd better bring you up to date on Fr Pat.
After you telephoned last time I asked the sister in the home to give Fr some pills for his gout and she said she would. Afterwards Fr said that he was getting them and that the pain in his foot was better. I also put a plug on the fan and arranged for him to have a haircut.
Generally Fr Pat is much more settled down in the home and is now accustomed to the routine, so that he is seldom distressed. However he has good days and bad days. Some days, (like today), he's even better than when you were here – quite mobile, not so stooped and talking sensibly all the time; other days (like just last Saturday evening) he is hardly able to move, very much inclined to lean right over and, apart from recognizing us, not making any sense at all …….. other times he can be sensible one minute and talking absolute rubbish next minute.
We continue to visit twice a week and the only other visitor that we've met there is Fr Johnny Foster though I believe Brother Tim and Eileen visit weekly. The last time I met Fr Foster (about a week ago on his return from a couple of weeks in America) he told me that they had been offered a single room in a "John of God" nursing home further out from Dublin on the same side as our Lady's Manor. I said that I would be totally against moving Fr Pat to a new home, as it would only disorientate him again. Also as it would be further away for us and indeed other visitors there did not seem to be any advantage – I think that he agreed with me – Anyway Fr Pat is still in the same double room and the intention is to put nobody else in with him until a single room becomes available.
Fr Pat seems to have stopped or cut down on eating sweets. He now drinks more orange juices and still likes an ice cream. On days when he is not tired he will come down to the coffee shop with us but does not seem inclined to want to go outside. When we come back from England we must try to get him on one of his good days to come out with us for a drive and lunch some place.
Looking forward to seeing you if you can manage to come to Ireland later in the year.
Bosco Keown
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