A man in California chose to vlog his grocery shopping experience at a local supermarket alongside his 53-year-old father. The latter has dementia, and his son shared the brief visit in hopes of finding others who are going through a similar situation. It seems he was successful.
Oscar Montano (username: workwithmontano) shared the supermarket visit on TikTok. He is a contractor and trucker who often shares his day-to-day vlogs with his followers. The clip attached above, featuring his father, went viral. It garnered one million views, 175,000 likes, and more than 2,400 comments in less than a day. It became Oscar’s most popular video ever.
The California man began his clip by saying he wanted to show what it’s like to shop with a parent or loved one with dementia. As said above, his father, only 53, is the one who has the disability.
“I’m only sharing my struggle because there aren’t many support groups or resources for people trying to understand what it’s like caring for someone young with dementia,” Oscar wrote in the video’s description. “If sharing my experience can help someone else feel less alone or learn something along the way, then it’s worth posting.”
Shopping With Dad
Not knowing how things would turn out, Oscar went into the Cardenas supermarket, but not before his father got upset because he wanted to go to Cardenas. He said, “You have to take me to Cardenas,” and Oscar pointed out that they were already there.
For the most part, grocery shopping went great. Oscar’s father paced and took his time grabbing each item, but nothing major happened at Cardenas. Father and son did argue, though, about beer. Oscar’s father wanted a drink, but Oscar told him no, as he was on medication. The man ended up getting a piece of gum and was happy with it.
Meanwhile, the California son asked the internet how to deal with diet restrictions with people with dementia. He explained that his father can get really angry about it, and he didn’t want his children to see that side of him.
Reactions
Many viewers reacted to Oscar’s clip by sharing stories of their own, as well as advice. One said, “Try taking him earlier in the morning. This is just something I’ve heard.” Another one commented, “Look into non alcoholic beer.”
Others felt Oscar’s struggle and connected with him. One wrote, “You can see the pain in your eyes.” Another one added, “He is so young. Bless your heart for being patient.”
In the comments, Oscar detailed that his father’s condition might have stemmed from a crash involving a drunk driver. His father survived, but unfortunately, his mother didn’t. According to him, no one checked his father’s head following the accident.
