MOM ATE ½ CUP of APPLESAUCE TODAY!!!!! Yippeeee!!!! So far, so good!! She appears to be swallowing it down! Dad and Anthony were with her when she did it.
Claudia began the day with mom and, again, she was out like a light!!! Claudia did mom’s full range of motion exercises and mom still was limp and sound asleep. At one point, mom’s vent alarm rang over and over while Claudia was with her. The nurse came in to check and found that mom was fine---she asked if Claudia thought mom was fine too and Claudia said yes, but mom wouldn’t wake up, so Claudia asked for a respiratory therapist. The therapist arrived and checked mom out and found a small leak in the trach and said that they may have to change the trach today (I don’t know if they did or didn’t change it). The respiratory therapist and the nurse both said that mom was fine and just sound asleep, deeply. Sleep heals.
Dad and Anthony came to see mom late in the morning and they did mom’s physical therapy/range of motion exercises again. Mom eventually fell asleep. The Recreation therapist took mom to the large recreation room to watch others play Bowling on Nintendo Wii (she could have played too, but didn't want to).
Mom smiled when Lenny and I first arrived. She smiled bigger and more at Lenny- she seemed pleased to see him. We began to work on the book of simple commands that my friend from work made for mom. On the first page of the book (each page is made of an index card), it said, “touch nose” and mom mouthed the words as she read them when I asked her what it said. But, she didn’t touch her nose or mine. We read it again and then I asked her to do it again, but she only looked confused or annoyed. I took her hand in mine and said, “touch nose” as I moved her hand to her nose. Then I told her to touch my nose---but no reply or action, so again, I did hand over hand prompting. I repeated this cycle for 2 other commands, “Shake your head ‘no’” and “clap your hands” – all with the same result…mom could not follow these commands independently. I asked mom if she loved me and I told her I loved her, then I asked her if she loved me again and she mouthed, “I said it already.” Lenny read an article in his “Game Pro” magazine about how certain video games on the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii helped rewire the brains of soldiers with Traumatic Brain Injuries (who fought in Iraq). He went out with me and we bought one of the recommended games called, “Brain Age.” Though it was difficult for mom to maneuver the Nintendo DS, Lenny helped her move the stylus and play a matching game. The whole time they played, mom watched the screen with interest. Lenny kept repeating, “Good. Same Nonny” over and over each time he and mom made a match. He played with the IPAD with mom next. Mom wore her headphones while she played the IPAD game, “Super Why” with Lenny. This is a game of letters and words—you have to find the missing letter or word. Mom really pays attention to the IPAD games. Lenny held mom’s hand in his and made her stick out her pointer finger to point to letters and words on the IPAD screen. Unlike last night, mom is not very talkative tonight at all. She is watching us and the IPAD a lot but not really talking. She is very wide-eyed at times too. Lenny tried to do the “Vegetables” on the IPAD (a picture of a vegetable is shown and the name of the vegetable is said). Several times during this activity, mom would point to the vegetable on the screen then slowly move her hand to her mouth. Lenny did the oral motor exercises on the IPAD next and mom actually modeled the “close mouth tightly” type of action!! The other actions, “pucker your lips” and “open your mouth,” mom did by having Lenny move her mouth with his hands. Overall, mom seemed dazed and maybe tired tonight. Lenny and I left for the night and we turned on the TV but left her hearing aids in and glasses on since it was earlier than usual. We prayed with mom and left.
“But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.” John 14:17
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