It's pretty obvious when you meet my dad's older brother Don that he has physical and mental limitations. He has lived with his parents for his entire sixty years of life and I believe they have covered up a lot of his shortcomings. Whether it be by helping him bathe and get dressed, or making excuses and denying his lack of ability. For the most part, everyone in my family just ignored it and didn't say or question anything about it. Don did attend a special education school growing up, but other than that I've only recently heard my family talk about him having an "issue". It sounds shallow, but for my whole life I've avoided conversations with him. He's really difficult to understand and I find two-way communication with him to be hard. Since I've been spending more time with grandma, which means more time with Don, I've observed him like I never have before. I don't know that things with him have always been this bad, but I'm definitely aware of it more now.
Three months ago Uncle Don's dad (my grandpa ace) passed away and a short time before that Don got laid-off of work because he could no longer perform the functions of the job. He lost his health benefits when he lost his job and due to recent developments, he needs health insurance NOW. The traumatic events of him losing his job and father have taken an unquestionable toll on his already questionable health. Especially, mentally. Grandma is even starting to speak up about it. Don believes he sees his dad and tells grandma on a regular basis what his dad said last night. Grandma has tried to explain death to him and that he's just dreaming, but he doesn't fully understand that grandpa ace isn't here on this Earth anymore. It's heartbreaking and it's extremely hard on my grandma. Over the past three months, Don's speech has become even harder to understand, his anger has increased, his intellectual understanding is more limited, and he is often confused. Lately, I don't think he knows what's real and what's not. He has started moving his lips without any words coming out while moving his hands in sharp motions before touching his face oddly during dinner while everyone else is in conversation.
Sixty years have passed and no one can answer the question: What is wrong with him? Thankfully, my family is more aware of the situation now, but they still need to be pushed to get him insurance so that we can get him in for a mental health assessment. The sucky part is that my Uncle Mike, Don's brother and my dad's twin, got power of attorney to handle Don's affairs after grandpa died, but he's moving like a slug to figure it out. My mom has been really getting on Mike's ass and has supplied him with information on steps to take, but so far he hasn't gotten anywhere. I think we need to get a diagnoses in hopes to be able to take better care of him. I honestly don't know if he already lost it, or if he has just recently started losing it. At any rate, he needs help and my family needs to not let this slide like they've done in the past. Let's get this Don situation diagnosed. And for the love of God someone needs to take away his car keys. For years, I've wondered how they could let him drive. But, I'm just a kid in their eyes, so what do I know.
It's crazy how as a kid you think the adults in your life have everything figured out, have the answers for everything, and always do the right thing. I'm disappointed every time I learn the adults in my life aren't as smart as I thought they were. Am I really surrounded by idiots? It's worse, I'm related to them, which means idiocy runs in my blood. Lord, help me.
P.S. I think Don has some kind of mental retardation among other issues.
