Mom Update, July 1, 2011, Friday

Mom’s update July 1, 2011

I started the day with mom and she was wide-awake. I walked in the room and said, “Hi mom! Good morning, morning Glory!” She said, “What time is it?” She said it loud and clear. I could hear her talk. I told her the time and said I would fix her in the bed since she was leaning to one side. I asked a CNA to help me and she came over and started to move mom. I told her wait I have a routine and a process for fixing her. I first take all the pillows away, then I lift her upper body so it is straight on the bed. I then lower the bed all the way and grab hold of the bed pad to with someone on the other side to pull her up to the top of the bed. If we don’t do this, when we raise the bed she doesn’t bend at the waist. The CNA said boy you are good at this, so I said I have been doing it for a year and mom said, “A year?” I said yes mom and then when the CNA left and mom was comfy in the bed sitting up I talked to mom. One of the things we learned at the conference is that most of recovery depends on the patients frame of mind and the will to want to recover. So I went for it and told her the whole story. I told her she had a stroke. She was shocked! She said, “Me? I had a stroke?” I then told her that it is up to her if she wants to work to get better. She said, “I don’t want to work!” quite emphatically. I told her than it is her choice, but that she CAN GET BETTER if she works with us. She then said OK sheepishly. I asked her if she knew where she was and she said, “A nursing home.” I said yes but that it also was a place where they do rehab. For people to get OT, PT and speech to get better. She then said, “Did you put me here?” I was taken off guard and shocked. I said, “No, no, not me or anyone in the family, the doctors at the hospital put you here and the fact that you use to have a machine that helped you breathe.” She said, “I never heard of a doctor putting people in nursing homes.” Then she said, “I don’t have a machine.” I told her not anymore, but you did and there aren’t a lot of places that take people with machines. I told her if she wants to get better and get out of here she has to do some work. She said OK again. I also told her about the conference and how we will begin to start to use her left hand, the one that doesn’t work well. She then took her shirt with both hands and started to try to button her shirt! She couldn’t do it but I was amazed! I said great mom. I also told her that I would spend any amount of money on materials for her to work on dressing skills but that I won’t buy them unless you use them and she said, “I don’t blame you!” (not the response I was looking for!) So I said, “What do ya say? Do you want me to buy a dressing board to practice buttoning and zippering?” She should her head yes and said, “OK.” I told her I would make her a deal and when I come we can work for half the time and then talk and visit. She agreed.

I sat and told her about my day yesterday and what was going to happen later that day. I asked her who woke her up yesterday and she said no one. I told her Ava did and she said, “Oh yeah.” I then asked if Donna came yesterday and she said, “No.” I said, “Yes and she brought Aunt…” Mom said, “Peggy.” Is seems as if she needs a jump start and then she can remember things. I then took out the wipe off board and wrote a scrambled sentence. Carmine told us to try this with her months ago but she wasn’t ready then. I wrote “see I foot the” and mom looked at it and then said, “I see the foot.” I told her great job and then wrote, “at Look bird the” and she said, “the bird.” I said good and then put it on the end of the board. I told her that it was the end of the sentence. I said what comes at the beginning of the sentence? She couldn’t get it and was getting frustrated, so I wrote it on the board, “Look at the bird.” The head of respiratory came in and said she looked great and mom said, “what?” so he repeated it. She said, “thank you.” He said if she continues in this direction there will be talk of decannulation (Removing the trach tube totally! – I am almost afraid to hope). He talked to mom and she answered him. I had already written on the board, “You I Love.” I said, “Mom put the words in order,” she did and did it in front of the respiratory therapist! She was “on fire.”

He left and I started to do social questions like the questions we do with our children who have autism. I asked her what her name was and had to give the first sound. She then said Dorothy (and her last name too). I asked her what her last name was and gave her the sound and she said it. I then asked what state she lived in and she said New York! I asked what town she lived in and had to give her the first sound. She said West Babylon! Woo Hoo! I then asked what street does she live on and she got that right too. I then gave her two choices of buttons or pegs and she said buttons. I dropped the buttons into her lap and she started to pick them up with her right hand. I said, “Mom, do you remember how I said we are going to work on your left hand? Well we are going to put the canister in the right today and try to use your left to pick up the buttons.” So I placed the canister in her right hand and she was able to pick up three buttons with her left hand. At one point she took her middle finger and her ring finger and pressed it on the far side of the button to pop it up and then slide her thumb under to pick it up. I thought this was pretty efficient! I then had to leave to go pack up my office.

Anthony, Sam and Anthony Michael came next. She was in her chair sleeping but then woke up. Anth said she talked a lot. She answered questions. Anth said I love you and she said I love you too. They were watching TV and mom said, “Mrs. B....,” (mom said the whole name correctly) and Anth said Claudia? And she said no so Anth said Con and John’s mom and she said yes. She kept on saying ouch when Anth worked on her legs. She also told him that she was uncomfortable in the wheel chair and she put both hands on the arm of the chair to boost herself up. Anthony offered to help her but she said no.

Dad and Aunt Sophie came next. Dad said she she was smiling when they walked in. He said that she talked a lot and out loud. Aunt Sophie was so surprised to see her talking! Mom was trying to take out the nasal oxygen clip and dad told her she needed to not touch it and she said, "Why don't you leave me alone!" Dad said that they understood most of what she said and mom answered him when he asked her questions. They sat and watched TV and talked. Dad put mom to bed and left for the night.

Matthew 7:7-8
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Peace and be well,

~ Claudia