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This is the sight that greeted Dad when he got out of the ambulance car yesterday afternoon - his own front door decorated for Christmas.

Unfortunately he, Mum and I had a very broken night last night. We didn't get to bed until very late, and then Dad just couldn't get comfortable. He ended up getting out of bed and sleeping on the sofa with his feet up on a soft footrest and a blanket to keep him warm. But the drain bag leaked all over him, and he got very distressed about the mess despite assurances from Mum that it didn't matter and clothes and sheets could be washed. I guess it's a question of settling in and getting used to things. Dad kept falling asleep all day today, and was much less lively than he had been in hospital during the past week. At one point, he got very confused about where he was and said he wondered where all the nurses had got to. Mum and I gently reminded him that he was at home. I think it may take a while to de-institutionalise him from hospital life, and for him and Mum to become more confident at coping on their own - albeit with help from family and friends as much as possible.

I decided to stay an extra night to help Mum devise a failsafe system for giving Dad his medications and reassure her that she was doing it right. She is very anxious that she is up to the job of caring for him. It's so hard to see the people you love most in the world suffering like this. But it's early days, and I hope they can get into a new daily routine which should help them to feel less precarious and vulnerable.