Mom’s update August 19th,2011I started the day with mom. Mom was out
cold when I got there. I opened the shades, put her glasses on and
hearing aids in. I called John and Ava and mom spoke to Ava. Mom asked
Ava how she was and she said great. Mom said you could have at least
said you miss me! Mom was taken for a shower and I left to go to Target
to get a few things. I saw a nurse outside the elevator that Anthony,
Con and I saw a year ago. We went to see this nurse to complain about a few
things and at that time the nurse tried to convince us to go to family therapy (all
of us – my whole family) because we were unrealistic. The nurse told us my
mother would never be off the vent and that she will never leave the facility.
When I saw the nurse today, I said, “Can I talk to you a minute?” The nurse said sure. I told the nurse that we (my brother and sister-in-law and I) had spoken to her a year ago and at that time she had told us we needed family therapy because we weren’t realistic
and that my mom would never be off the respirator. She said, “I never
said that, I don’t have a crystal ball and I can’t predict the future.”
I asked her if she remembered talking to us about therapy and she said
we were in distress so she suggested therapy. I said to her, “If people
are in distress then they need encouragement and not to be told that she will
never recover.” I also told her that she said we needed therapy because
we were unrealistic. She said, “Oh but your mom is doing great now isn’t
she? That’s great.” She kept avoiding the conversation. Basically, I
just wanted to tell her how I felt without getting emotional like I
usually am. God was with me because I usually cry when confronting. The
whole conversation was calm but I made my point. Even if all this nurse learns from
this is not to do that to another family then it was worth telling
her.
When I got back from Target the speech therapist came in. She wanted
to tell a family member about speech therapy. The therapist said that speech isn’t
discontinuing for mom after all. Mom has mastered the feeding goals so
the therapist is now working on speech and language goals (no really?!?!?!) She is
working on pictures that have an absurdity in them and mom has to tell
what is wrong with the picture. Mom has difficulty with this so we are
looking for an app that we can download for her. I purchased sequencing
cards (3 part) and a book with 4 part sequencing with matching text. I
am going to laminate the cards (Anthony Michael is going to color in the
pictures to make it more interesting). ~Claud
Dad and Anthony helped mom do some leg exercises. Mom did them all really well (lifted legs at knees—both sides, wiggling ankles…). Anthony also tried to get mom to stand up from the wheelchair. She actually held the arms of the chair and then lifted her butt up from the chair but mom told me later that she is afraid she will fall.
Mom is in the new wheelchair with the low back. As per dad, she did well in PT. She shuffled along a few steps (mom said it was with 4-5 people holding her up---but the PT didn’t tell dad that!!). Mom also did well in OT today. The OT said that they will work to get mom a commode in her room since mom can now slide from bed to chair using the board. Mom also had Speech today since the speech therapist felt that mom could now work on associations, sequencing, and what’s missing types of activities. Today, a new speech person worked with mom and had mom work on sequencing. Dad, who is becoming quite the therapist now, felt that the manner in which the activities were presented didn’t make sense. Dad felt that the language the therapist used didn’t make sense. The therapist said something like, “Which is first, second and third” after laying 3 pictures on the table. Dad felt the therapist should have introduced each picture first and then asked which order the events should go in. He made sense!! Mom needed scaffolding but did fairly well.
When I arrived this afternoon, I walked in mom’s room to find the TV on, dad sleeping in a chair soundly!!! And mom leaning forward in the wheelchair reaching for her glasses which had fallen on the floor!!! Thank God she didn’t fall on her head on the floor!!!! Close call. Dad couldn’t even be roused after a few minutes of trying---that’s how soundly he was sleeping. The facility or floor has new bed tables---they are not good for someone in a wheelchair because there is a bar that runs down the middle of the mount about 3 inches off the floor. A person in a wheelchair can easily get his/her feet caught in the bar. The bar also prevents the table from moving close to the wheelchair, which forces the person to lean unnaturally forward in a dangerous manner. We need to get the old table back if possible.
After dinner (mom ate it all—roast chicken and cole slaw and jello), mom’s old respiratory therapist and CNA came to visit her. The CNA’s baby came too! Mom loved the baby!! The respiratory therapist hadn’t seen mom in a few months so the therapist was amazed at mom and the progress she’s made!! Mom talked to them both and the baby as well. When the left, mom thanked the therapist for taking care of her. The therapist was shocked!!!
We worked on sequence cards for a while. Mom kept asking me what we were going to work on next whenever there was a lull in the activities. Mom did fairly well with the sequence cards. She was able to explain what was happening on each card and had pretty logical explanations for sequencing them in the way that she did. At one point, I told mom we would begin to work on teethbrushing tomorrow and I showed her 2 toothbrushes that had covers on the top. She asked how to open them and I began to show her in my “teacher manner” and she said, “Ohhh reeeally? Do you think I’m an idiot?” and laughed!! Then she showed ME how to open them!!! Hahahaha! I didn’t know how!! She joked with dad a lot. When I left, she said she felt sad because everyone was leaving (dad stayed to tuck her in). I told her I would stay but she said, “No, you’ve done enough already.” Too funny.
Dad stayed with mom until bedtime. Mom and dad love each other so much...their love for each other is a beautiful thing to watch. We all can't wait until mom is home with us again.
‘Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed’ ” (Luke 8:49–50 NLT).
No comments:
Post a Comment