Last night, late, after work (about 9 p.m.), I went to see mom. Claudia had called to say that mom was crying and crying and couldn’t stop. I drove over to be with mom so that Claudia could get home, she’d been with mom all day. Mom grabbed my hand as I sat down beside her. She said she just felt very weepy and couldn’t explain why and she cried as she spoke. Mom was soooooooo normal, typical…so OK. I hadn’t seen her like this in so long. She was back fully and just like she always was. Mom kept crying and saying she didn’t know what was wrong with her and why she couldn’t stop crying. I explained that there was nothing wrong with her but that she is just getting better and as she does, she is realizing so much more. In between strong crying and sobbing, mom would wipe her nose and make some comment about how lovely my clothing was or my jewelry. She would just turn off her emotions momentarily and focus on me.
As mom cried, mom talked about wanting to come home so badly, about wanting to be with dad… At one point, mom cried and said, “I’m afraid to go home!! It’s going to be so overwhelming!!! What will I do? How will I cook and clean?? I don’t know if I can do everything.” She also said that she wanted things to go back to normal. I told her that things would go back to normal very soon. I also told her that, when she gets home, she wouldn’t need to cook or clean or do anything other than live life with us all. She said she couldn’t live at home and do absolutely nothing. I told her she could. I told her that we all love her for who she is and not for what she can do for us. She calmed down after that.
Mom asked how Aunt Carol was and that she missed Aunt Carol so much. Aunt Carol is mom’s oldest friend from childhood—they are friends for 72 years! I called Aunt Carol (she was up still). They had such a normal conversation. Totally normal. Mom was sooo present. She asked such relevant questions and maintained the topic and focus of the conversation. She did so well. After she spoke to Aunt Carol, she asked how Nancy (our cousin) is and we called her next.
Mom asked me again what happened to her…how she had the aneurysm and stroke. What happened to her the day that it all occurred. Then she asked me to tell her about the coma and the respirator. Mom cried again then and said, “Oh my poor daddy [meaning my dad]. This must have all been so hard on him. I feel so bad that this happened to him.”
Mom then asked me why people say that she is a miracle. She looked at me and said, “Kathy, why do people say I’m a miracle? I don’t understand.” I explained that she almost died and that, when we knew she would live, she was very, very sick and couldn’t walk or talk or even stay awake. I told her that she has come so far now that everyone sees her as one of God’s miracles. I told mom how the kids all took care of her while she was in a coma and also while she was recovering. I told her that, when all this first happened to her, Lenny one day said to me, “Mom, Nonny will be OK” I told him we couldn’t be sure of that and how Lenny replied, “Mom, you and Aunt Claudia are going to get Nonny better. You guys will make her come back and get healthy again.” I told mom that I told him he was crazy and that Aunt Claudia and I didn’t know the first thing about strokes or what to do with someone who had a stroke and how he said, “Sure you guys do. You’re special education teachers and God will show you what to do.” Mom smiled at this and said, “My Lenny had faith even then.” The weird thing is, Lenny was right back then. God did indeed show Claudia and I what to do for mom. God healed mom and taught us how to be a part of that process. Who knew?
Mom said she felt better then, so I anointed her with oil, and we prayed together. Mom has become quite the prayer warrior. I surrounded mom in bed by all the piggies we bought her over the last year and a half and gave her the remote control and left.
Claudia and I came to mom this morning. Mom had an early shower which is good because mom had an appointment with the urologist this morning. Mom was concerned that she was going to miss her shower today. We talked and laughed while mom ate breakfast. After breakfast, mom made some phone calls again and she was sooo excited that she remembered Aunt Carol and Florence’s phone numbers (we gave her the first number)!
Mom is now under the care of a new doctor at the facility. Dad asked for a different doctor because the doctor mom had been assigned to was not very efficient in our opinion (never caught the fluid on the brain, still insists mom has to have the feeding tube even though she has been eating normally since July, won’t stop the heprin injections mom had been given in the hospital, won’t prescribe medication for the severe eczema on mom’s face…). Hopefully, this doctor will be better.
Mom went to the urologist this morning. All went well. The urologist said that mom’s kidney function is great. The urologist explained that, back in early September, mom had a STENT put into the tube that runs from the kidney to the bladder. This stent can stay in for up to 6-8 months but then has to be removed. The urologist said that the stone in mom’s right kidney is approximately 8 mm in size which makes it rather large. Since the stone is so large, it is unlikely it will pass without having it ‘blasted’ through a sonogram. Mom needs to come back to see the urologist in 6 weeks and she needs to have an x-ray done of her kidney in 5 weeks. A decision on how to proceed will happen then. The catheter was taken out!! Yahoo!! I held mom’s hand and we prayed while it was removed. Mom was anxious about removing it.
Mom had to stand again to transfer from the wheelchair to the examining chair/table. This time, we were smart and brought the walker!! Mom stood up almost fully, and on command. She became very anxious about standing and that prevented her from hearing any of our other commands…but she then swiveled her body and sat down on the table/chair. She was then able to push her body back further on the table/chair as well. When we practice having mom stand, we put the walker (from home from Grammy years ago) in front of her. Then we tell her to put her feet flat on the floor (this is challenging for her to do). Then we tell her to spread her feet apart a bit (if she can’t, then we do it for her) and then we brace our one foot (holding our foot sideways) across the tips of both her feet to prevent slipping and sliding. Then we tell her to look at my face and listen to my command. I then say, “One, two, three, STAND” and she does! She appears to have no control over her legs and feet from the knee down.
As I filled out the paperwork in the urologist’s office when we first arrived, I asked mom all the questions like: “What’s your birth date?” “What’s your address?” “What is your phone number?” “What is your social security number?” Mom knew ALL the answers!!! The only piece of information she forgot was her zip code!!
When we got back to the facility, mom copied some information about the new facility doctor into her note pad. This is a new activity for her. I straightened her room while she did this. Then mom and I did a simple maze. She read the directions and then she set about completing the maze---she got ¾ of the way through both times, then she couldn’t follow the maze path any more and cheated to the end by going over the line. An interesting observation was that both these mazes began to the right and then down and then right again and then down again, BUT when the maze shifted to the left, that’s where she couldn’t continue in the path. Following this activity, we did a word search. The word was DRIP and mom said, “OK so I need to find a D-R” This is so great! She found the word (it was written upsidedown) and she drew a line alongside the right side of the word from bottom to top—then stopped. What she had to draw was now going to the left again. Peculiar. Interesting.
Lunch came next and mom ate all of it—grilled cheese sandwich, applecrisp, peas and carrots, and a biscuit…how well rounded!! Hahaha! She drank a glass of milk and one of cranberry juice and then I gave her a FIBER ONE bar along with some FIBER ONE cereal in a cup.
Mom and I completed a worksheet next. The worksheet had a calendar on it with events already written in. The calendar was called, “Mark’s Calendar.” Looking at the calendar, you had to find the answers to questions like: “What day of the week is Jeff’s birthday?” Mom did GREAT with this activity. She not only knew how to find the answers, she also knew how to write them. When mom began the 2nd worksheet, there was a place that said name and date. Mom looked at the calendar hanging on her bookcase and figured out the date and wrote it on the sheet!!! She was “cooking with gas on the fire!!” One question was, “What is Rob doing on the 4th?” In the box for the 4th, there was written, “Watch sunset.” Mom wrote on the answer line, “He will be watching the sunset.”
I left to go home in the middle of the afternoon and dad stayed with mom through the afternoon until it was time for bed. Dad said he and mom watched the movie, “Pearl Harbor” and they played a game too. He said she told him she was very happy with her performance in physical therapy today too. They had dinner and continued to watch TV and talk and then dad left when it was bedtime.
“We do, however, speak a message of wisdom…but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.” 1 Corinthians 2:6¬-7
Friday, September 30, 2011
Mom Update, September 29, 2011, Thursday
Mom’s update Thursday, September 29, 2011
SORRY this didn't go out last night, I was so tired and forgot.
I started my day with mom. When I entered her room she had a CNA and a nurse in her room and I asked if everything was OK. Her nurse told me she was very emotional today. Mom was sitting up in bed crying with tissues in her hand. I asked her what was the matter and she said that she wanted to come home and she didn’t think it was ever going to happen. I told her about how great she is doing and the fact that yesterday she stood 6 times and 3 of those times were without help. I told her about where she started, on a respirator and in a coma and how people told us we were unrealistic about her recovery. I told her about that nursing supervisor who told Anthony, Con and I we should see a psychiatrist because we were unrealistic thinking mom would get better or get off the respirator. I told her we were right! She did get better and continues to get better everyday. I also made a few jokes to make her laugh. She stopped crying and we ate breakfast. Mom ate all of her breakfast and would occasionally stop and cry.
Dad called and I told him mom was upset and crying about wanting to come home and mom chimed in, “Oh, don’t be so dramatic!” She spoke to dad and while she spoke she broke down again and cried. After she spoke to dad, I made a joke. I am always kidding dad that he likes to make piles (piles of papers, piles of books, etc.) so I told mom she has to get better and get home to clean off the piles on the dining room table! She laughed so hard. At one point mom said, “I feel like I am having an awakening today.” I told her she seemed very “clear” today and she agreed.
The nurse came in and told me that her doctor ordered an ointment for her face and it would take a little while for it to come from the pharmacy.
After breakfast I started to do work with mom and she rolled her eyes and then laughed. I asked her if she wanted to do work and she said sure. (She loves to tease me) I started out with a calendar worksheet. At the top of the page was a calendar and then questions to go with the calendar. The first question was, “What day does Mark have a doctor’s appointment?” Mom had to look at the calendar and find the date. She then had to write the date on the line. She was able to do this although her processing is sometimes slow. One question was, “What is Mark doing 10 days after the doctor’s appointment?” Mom found the doctor’s appointment and then counted 10 days to a box that said, “Sleepover.” Mom repeated the word over and over like it made no sense and then finally it clicked. She started to write and wrote an “H”. I was wondering where she was going with this. She then wrote “ell”. She said, “That’s not right.” I asked her what she was trying to write and she said, “He’ll”. So I told her she needed an apostrophe and she put it right in the correct place. I watched as she wrote, “He’ll be at a friends house for a sleepover.” Holy cow! I was stunned. Can you imagine if I stopped her at the “H” or the “Hell” thinking she was wrong!? Next we did a math worksheet where you were given 6 two digit numbers and you had to put them in order from smallest to largest. I took two pieces of yellow paper and placed one above the line we were working on and one below the line we were working on. I asked her which was the smallest number and she was correct. I then prompted her to cross off the number she used. Now I asked her which was the next smallest. She looked at the numbers and was able to write the next number. I then prompted her to cross out the number she used. We continued until the entire row was in order from smallest to largest. As we were working on the worksheet she told me she liked this activity. We also did a patterning and money worksheet. She had a difficult time drawing the shapes for the patterning worksheet. I had a worksheet that I thought was probably going to be too difficult but I tried it anyway. It was following directions with regard to ordinal numbers. She read a sentence that would state, “Draw a hat on the third person.” She was able to do the entire worksheet. Her only problem was that she realized that the items she was drawing didn’t look like they were supposed to look. Big deal!
Anthony, Anthony Michael and Sam came to see mom. Anthony showed me how mom stands all by herself. He puts the walker in front of her and places his foot in front of hers to make sure she doesn’t move forward with her feet. Mom puts her own hands on the walker and stands up! She did this many times. At one point Anthony Michael and I tried to help mom stand straighter so we pushed on her bottom and she said, “Stop it” and stood up straight!
She was tired so we switched activities. I showed them how great she did with the worksheets. I also showed them how to use the deck of cards to have her work on memory skills. Next, we took out the box of shapes a colleague gave us and I placed four shapes on the table and we named each one. I then took one away and asked her which one was missing.
When I came back mom was with dad. Mom said, “I did beautifully in PT today,” I told her that was great news. She said, “I was very happy with what I did in PT.” I asked her what she did and she said she walked with the walker. Dad spoke to the PT and he said she is “right there” on the edge of being able to walk with fewer people helping.
I brought Bananagrams with me. It is a banana shaped zippered pouch with letter tiles in it. I gave dad, mom and myself 16 tiles each. I told her we were going to make our own crossword. Mom made a word and dad and I helped her make more that attached. She had a hard time with the concept that they had to touch. She also would spell and read words backwards. It was weird. We played for a while helping each other make words. Dad left to get us pizza and mom sat with the tiles making single words and then she asked for a pen and paper. I gave them to her and she would make a word and then write it down. She made a few funny words and laughed to herself.
Dad came back with pizza and we all ate together. He also brought back dominos (the game). After dinner mom and I played dominos. Mom needed prompting but kept saying I used to love this game. I told her she would remember and it would come back to her. I also asked if she wanted to keep playing and she said yes.
Mom was put into bed and as soon as I turned off the light mom started to cry. She had a tough time. She was very upset and kept apologizing for crying. I told it was OK and that she needed to get it out. It was getting late so I called Kathy to see if she could come stay with her because I had been gone all day. Kathy came and I left. She cried with Kathy for a little while and Kathy was able to get to the heart of the matter. Mom is afraid to go home because she won’t be able to do anything around the house. She feels that she won’t be able to take care of dad and cook and clean. Kathy told her that dad has become a good cook and he even straightens up the house and cleans. Mom eventually stopped crying and Kathy put her to sleep, said a prayer and left.
SORRY this didn't go out last night, I was so tired and forgot.
I started my day with mom. When I entered her room she had a CNA and a nurse in her room and I asked if everything was OK. Her nurse told me she was very emotional today. Mom was sitting up in bed crying with tissues in her hand. I asked her what was the matter and she said that she wanted to come home and she didn’t think it was ever going to happen. I told her about how great she is doing and the fact that yesterday she stood 6 times and 3 of those times were without help. I told her about where she started, on a respirator and in a coma and how people told us we were unrealistic about her recovery. I told her about that nursing supervisor who told Anthony, Con and I we should see a psychiatrist because we were unrealistic thinking mom would get better or get off the respirator. I told her we were right! She did get better and continues to get better everyday. I also made a few jokes to make her laugh. She stopped crying and we ate breakfast. Mom ate all of her breakfast and would occasionally stop and cry.
Dad called and I told him mom was upset and crying about wanting to come home and mom chimed in, “Oh, don’t be so dramatic!” She spoke to dad and while she spoke she broke down again and cried. After she spoke to dad, I made a joke. I am always kidding dad that he likes to make piles (piles of papers, piles of books, etc.) so I told mom she has to get better and get home to clean off the piles on the dining room table! She laughed so hard. At one point mom said, “I feel like I am having an awakening today.” I told her she seemed very “clear” today and she agreed.
The nurse came in and told me that her doctor ordered an ointment for her face and it would take a little while for it to come from the pharmacy.
After breakfast I started to do work with mom and she rolled her eyes and then laughed. I asked her if she wanted to do work and she said sure. (She loves to tease me) I started out with a calendar worksheet. At the top of the page was a calendar and then questions to go with the calendar. The first question was, “What day does Mark have a doctor’s appointment?” Mom had to look at the calendar and find the date. She then had to write the date on the line. She was able to do this although her processing is sometimes slow. One question was, “What is Mark doing 10 days after the doctor’s appointment?” Mom found the doctor’s appointment and then counted 10 days to a box that said, “Sleepover.” Mom repeated the word over and over like it made no sense and then finally it clicked. She started to write and wrote an “H”. I was wondering where she was going with this. She then wrote “ell”. She said, “That’s not right.” I asked her what she was trying to write and she said, “He’ll”. So I told her she needed an apostrophe and she put it right in the correct place. I watched as she wrote, “He’ll be at a friends house for a sleepover.” Holy cow! I was stunned. Can you imagine if I stopped her at the “H” or the “Hell” thinking she was wrong!? Next we did a math worksheet where you were given 6 two digit numbers and you had to put them in order from smallest to largest. I took two pieces of yellow paper and placed one above the line we were working on and one below the line we were working on. I asked her which was the smallest number and she was correct. I then prompted her to cross off the number she used. Now I asked her which was the next smallest. She looked at the numbers and was able to write the next number. I then prompted her to cross out the number she used. We continued until the entire row was in order from smallest to largest. As we were working on the worksheet she told me she liked this activity. We also did a patterning and money worksheet. She had a difficult time drawing the shapes for the patterning worksheet. I had a worksheet that I thought was probably going to be too difficult but I tried it anyway. It was following directions with regard to ordinal numbers. She read a sentence that would state, “Draw a hat on the third person.” She was able to do the entire worksheet. Her only problem was that she realized that the items she was drawing didn’t look like they were supposed to look. Big deal!
Anthony, Anthony Michael and Sam came to see mom. Anthony showed me how mom stands all by herself. He puts the walker in front of her and places his foot in front of hers to make sure she doesn’t move forward with her feet. Mom puts her own hands on the walker and stands up! She did this many times. At one point Anthony Michael and I tried to help mom stand straighter so we pushed on her bottom and she said, “Stop it” and stood up straight!
She was tired so we switched activities. I showed them how great she did with the worksheets. I also showed them how to use the deck of cards to have her work on memory skills. Next, we took out the box of shapes a colleague gave us and I placed four shapes on the table and we named each one. I then took one away and asked her which one was missing.
When I came back mom was with dad. Mom said, “I did beautifully in PT today,” I told her that was great news. She said, “I was very happy with what I did in PT.” I asked her what she did and she said she walked with the walker. Dad spoke to the PT and he said she is “right there” on the edge of being able to walk with fewer people helping.
I brought Bananagrams with me. It is a banana shaped zippered pouch with letter tiles in it. I gave dad, mom and myself 16 tiles each. I told her we were going to make our own crossword. Mom made a word and dad and I helped her make more that attached. She had a hard time with the concept that they had to touch. She also would spell and read words backwards. It was weird. We played for a while helping each other make words. Dad left to get us pizza and mom sat with the tiles making single words and then she asked for a pen and paper. I gave them to her and she would make a word and then write it down. She made a few funny words and laughed to herself.
Dad came back with pizza and we all ate together. He also brought back dominos (the game). After dinner mom and I played dominos. Mom needed prompting but kept saying I used to love this game. I told her she would remember and it would come back to her. I also asked if she wanted to keep playing and she said yes.
Mom was put into bed and as soon as I turned off the light mom started to cry. She had a tough time. She was very upset and kept apologizing for crying. I told it was OK and that she needed to get it out. It was getting late so I called Kathy to see if she could come stay with her because I had been gone all day. Kathy came and I left. She cried with Kathy for a little while and Kathy was able to get to the heart of the matter. Mom is afraid to go home because she won’t be able to do anything around the house. She feels that she won’t be able to take care of dad and cook and clean. Kathy told her that dad has become a good cook and he even straightens up the house and cleans. Mom eventually stopped crying and Kathy put her to sleep, said a prayer and left.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Mom Update, September 28, 2011, Wednesday
Mom’s update Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Dad started the day with mom. I had an early appointment today and couldn’t go.
John’s cousin came to see mom. He does some speech and language activities with mom. I spoke to him after he saw her and he said, “Sheeeeeee’s baaaack!” He felt she is doing very well. He wants us to keep challenging her, keep working on memory and cognition. He also wants her to use longer sentences. He said we shouldn’t accept one-word answers.
Anthony came to see mom. He spoke to John’s cousin. Mom stood up 5 to 6 times with Anthony and at least 3 x with no one helping!!! She stood up 3 times with no problem and then she was tired. She told them, “I’m ready to go.” Then she couldn’t do it and said my arms are not strong enough. Anthony said, “You just did it 3x.” A few times she stood she stayed up for 20 seconds. There were a few times when she could only stay up for 5-10 seconds.
John went to mom this evening. Dad was still there. John gave her a kiss and spoke to John. When dad left mom was goofing around and kept asking him for one more kiss. When dad left mom was writing. John tried to play “words with friends” with mom but John couldn’t get internet on his phone because of the room. It was 6:30 and mom still didn’t get dinner. John went out in the hall and asked where dinner was and the nurse apologized and said it was late tonight. She ate all of her food. She had a roast beef sandwich, coleslaw and fruit. John talked to her during dinner. John took out a word search and mom did excellent. They only thing she could do were words that were on a slant. Every time she circled the word she didn’t close the circle. Not only could she not find the slanted words but she couldn’t circle them either. One of the words was “darling” and mom kept saying Ron Darling of the Mets!
The doctor came in and examined mom. He left and didn’t say anything to John.
A CNA came in and asked John if he wanted her to put mom in bed before she left for dinner break or after. John asked her to put mom in the bed before. The CNA came in 15 minutes later and put mom to bed. John felt that mom was uncomfortable in the wheel chair and needed to be put in bed. John said mom had red blotches on her face and asked the nurse about it. The nurse told John that his wife (me) told her about it and they were getting the prescription for an ointment.
John stayed with mom and then left. Mom blew John a kiss good-bye.
Peace and be well,
~Claud
Dad started the day with mom. I had an early appointment today and couldn’t go.
John’s cousin came to see mom. He does some speech and language activities with mom. I spoke to him after he saw her and he said, “Sheeeeeee’s baaaack!” He felt she is doing very well. He wants us to keep challenging her, keep working on memory and cognition. He also wants her to use longer sentences. He said we shouldn’t accept one-word answers.
Anthony came to see mom. He spoke to John’s cousin. Mom stood up 5 to 6 times with Anthony and at least 3 x with no one helping!!! She stood up 3 times with no problem and then she was tired. She told them, “I’m ready to go.” Then she couldn’t do it and said my arms are not strong enough. Anthony said, “You just did it 3x.” A few times she stood she stayed up for 20 seconds. There were a few times when she could only stay up for 5-10 seconds.
John went to mom this evening. Dad was still there. John gave her a kiss and spoke to John. When dad left mom was goofing around and kept asking him for one more kiss. When dad left mom was writing. John tried to play “words with friends” with mom but John couldn’t get internet on his phone because of the room. It was 6:30 and mom still didn’t get dinner. John went out in the hall and asked where dinner was and the nurse apologized and said it was late tonight. She ate all of her food. She had a roast beef sandwich, coleslaw and fruit. John talked to her during dinner. John took out a word search and mom did excellent. They only thing she could do were words that were on a slant. Every time she circled the word she didn’t close the circle. Not only could she not find the slanted words but she couldn’t circle them either. One of the words was “darling” and mom kept saying Ron Darling of the Mets!
The doctor came in and examined mom. He left and didn’t say anything to John.
A CNA came in and asked John if he wanted her to put mom in bed before she left for dinner break or after. John asked her to put mom in the bed before. The CNA came in 15 minutes later and put mom to bed. John felt that mom was uncomfortable in the wheel chair and needed to be put in bed. John said mom had red blotches on her face and asked the nurse about it. The nurse told John that his wife (me) told her about it and they were getting the prescription for an ointment.
John stayed with mom and then left. Mom blew John a kiss good-bye.
Peace and be well,
~Claud
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Mom Update, September 27, 2011, Tuesday
Mom’s update Tuesday, September 27, 2011
I started the day with mom. I set her up in bed, put her hearing aids in and put her glasses on. I also set up her breakfast. Mom had a runny nose this morning and had to keep blowing her nose. After breakfast I set up her tray with the phone, her remote, the list of TV channels and some recipe cards I received in the mail.
Dad and Kathy went with mom to the doctor today.
Dad and
I went with mom to the neurologist today. Mom had a carotid artery scan and an EEG (brain scan). During the first test, the carotid artery scan, mom had to get up out of the wheelchair and onto an examining table. The technician, the CNA and I assisted mom. She followed my directions well and did most of the work to stand, swivel and sit. She needed our help for sure---but she is doing more and more of the work to stand herself. No results were given from either test today. The results will be sent to the facility doctor.
In between tests, we sat in the waiting room and played thinking games. First, we played, "Spell this" which involved me giving mom a word to spell and she had to spell it. She got every word correct except 'encyclopedia.' She forgot the middle piece -- 'cycl' but remembered the rest. Then, we played "Guess What I am Thinking About" which involved mom and me taking turns describing something to each other and then we had to guess what the item was based on the description---like: "It has numbers on it, you talk on it, you listen on it, it comes in different shapes and colors..." Answer: "A phone."
When it came time for mom's EEG, I went in the examining room with her again. I had to stand for an hour at her side and keep her calm and quiet and relaxed during the exam. The first time I did this with her was about a year ago and she couldn't even follow directions!! Mom kept joking with the technician asking him, "What kind of a beautician are you anyway?" The technician fell in love with her and us. Mom has that way about her. She joked and joked with the technician and kept us laughing. It was much more of a challenge to get her to conform this time! She also had to get up from the wheelchair again and onto a large recliner for this test as well. She didn't do as well as the first time with standing and moving. This time, it was like she didn't know that her feet are attached to her body or that they can help her move.
Both the technicians and the CNA kept commenting on what a great family we are. It is good to show God's love through each other and nice to know that it shines. Mom has done so much for us. She said she always feels strong whenever I am with her and that she never wants to be a burden on any of us. I reassured her that she wasn't. I waited with dad, mom and the CNA for a while after the exam for the transport to come but then I left for work.
~Kathy
When I arrived in the late afternoon, dad was with mom. They were having a snack and watching TV. I sat with them and talked. Mom was uncomfortable in the wheel chair so dad and I prompted to place her feet on the floor and her hands on the arms of the wheel chair and pulled herself up. She did with a lot of prompting. Dad left and I gave mom a book that Ava bought but hasn’t had time to read (with school demands). It is called “97 Orchard” and it is about many ethic families who all lived in NYC in the early 1900’s and how they tell their story through the food they cook and eat. My mom read a whole chapter. She loved the book. She took a nap before dinner. It was a busy day. Going to the doctor always knocks her out. A few times she wasn’t very loud and I couldn’t hear her so she independently took the thing I made and held it against her stoma to talk. She actually asked for it, “Where is that thing?” and motioned with her hand against her stoma.
I put the Mets game on for mom and I gave her the team baseball cards. I also gave her the Mets team roster book I made for her. She read through the book and the cards and watched the game. They came to put her in bed and she was complaining that her toes hurt when she stands in the Sarita lift. When she was in bed I gave her a pedicure and found out why her toes hurt! She needed them clipped! I can’t remember the last time we clipped them. The more she has gained cognitive and language skills the more we work on those skills and forget about the simple things we use to do when she was on the vent or sleeping all the time. We use to do more grooming and primping because that is all we could do for her, but now we can do so much more we forget about grooming.
Mom watched the Mets in bed and commented on the game. She would catch a little of the announcers conversation and then ask me questions (What did he mean when he said…) She asked if the World Series happened yet. The announcers came on the screen and she knew Keith Hernandez but couldn’t name the other two announcers. I called my house but no one answered (as usual). I called Anthony but he didn’t answer, so I called the next biggest Mets fan I know, Nancy. Nancy answered and told us who they were and it’s a good thing because mom kept saying over and over, who are the other two announcers? I know Keith but who are the others. Mom saw Reyes’ second homerun and cheered. She gave me a high five!
I tucked mom in and took out her hearing aids and set the timer on the TV.
The game was tied by the time I left.
Lets Go Mets!
~Claud
I started the day with mom. I set her up in bed, put her hearing aids in and put her glasses on. I also set up her breakfast. Mom had a runny nose this morning and had to keep blowing her nose. After breakfast I set up her tray with the phone, her remote, the list of TV channels and some recipe cards I received in the mail.
Dad and Kathy went with mom to the doctor today.
Dad and
I went with mom to the neurologist today. Mom had a carotid artery scan and an EEG (brain scan). During the first test, the carotid artery scan, mom had to get up out of the wheelchair and onto an examining table. The technician, the CNA and I assisted mom. She followed my directions well and did most of the work to stand, swivel and sit. She needed our help for sure---but she is doing more and more of the work to stand herself. No results were given from either test today. The results will be sent to the facility doctor.
In between tests, we sat in the waiting room and played thinking games. First, we played, "Spell this" which involved me giving mom a word to spell and she had to spell it. She got every word correct except 'encyclopedia.' She forgot the middle piece -- 'cycl' but remembered the rest. Then, we played "Guess What I am Thinking About" which involved mom and me taking turns describing something to each other and then we had to guess what the item was based on the description---like: "It has numbers on it, you talk on it, you listen on it, it comes in different shapes and colors..." Answer: "A phone."
When it came time for mom's EEG, I went in the examining room with her again. I had to stand for an hour at her side and keep her calm and quiet and relaxed during the exam. The first time I did this with her was about a year ago and she couldn't even follow directions!! Mom kept joking with the technician asking him, "What kind of a beautician are you anyway?" The technician fell in love with her and us. Mom has that way about her. She joked and joked with the technician and kept us laughing. It was much more of a challenge to get her to conform this time! She also had to get up from the wheelchair again and onto a large recliner for this test as well. She didn't do as well as the first time with standing and moving. This time, it was like she didn't know that her feet are attached to her body or that they can help her move.
Both the technicians and the CNA kept commenting on what a great family we are. It is good to show God's love through each other and nice to know that it shines. Mom has done so much for us. She said she always feels strong whenever I am with her and that she never wants to be a burden on any of us. I reassured her that she wasn't. I waited with dad, mom and the CNA for a while after the exam for the transport to come but then I left for work.
~Kathy
When I arrived in the late afternoon, dad was with mom. They were having a snack and watching TV. I sat with them and talked. Mom was uncomfortable in the wheel chair so dad and I prompted to place her feet on the floor and her hands on the arms of the wheel chair and pulled herself up. She did with a lot of prompting. Dad left and I gave mom a book that Ava bought but hasn’t had time to read (with school demands). It is called “97 Orchard” and it is about many ethic families who all lived in NYC in the early 1900’s and how they tell their story through the food they cook and eat. My mom read a whole chapter. She loved the book. She took a nap before dinner. It was a busy day. Going to the doctor always knocks her out. A few times she wasn’t very loud and I couldn’t hear her so she independently took the thing I made and held it against her stoma to talk. She actually asked for it, “Where is that thing?” and motioned with her hand against her stoma.
I put the Mets game on for mom and I gave her the team baseball cards. I also gave her the Mets team roster book I made for her. She read through the book and the cards and watched the game. They came to put her in bed and she was complaining that her toes hurt when she stands in the Sarita lift. When she was in bed I gave her a pedicure and found out why her toes hurt! She needed them clipped! I can’t remember the last time we clipped them. The more she has gained cognitive and language skills the more we work on those skills and forget about the simple things we use to do when she was on the vent or sleeping all the time. We use to do more grooming and primping because that is all we could do for her, but now we can do so much more we forget about grooming.
Mom watched the Mets in bed and commented on the game. She would catch a little of the announcers conversation and then ask me questions (What did he mean when he said…) She asked if the World Series happened yet. The announcers came on the screen and she knew Keith Hernandez but couldn’t name the other two announcers. I called my house but no one answered (as usual). I called Anthony but he didn’t answer, so I called the next biggest Mets fan I know, Nancy. Nancy answered and told us who they were and it’s a good thing because mom kept saying over and over, who are the other two announcers? I know Keith but who are the others. Mom saw Reyes’ second homerun and cheered. She gave me a high five!
I tucked mom in and took out her hearing aids and set the timer on the TV.
The game was tied by the time I left.
Lets Go Mets!
~Claud
Monday, September 26, 2011
Mom Update, September 26, 2011, Monday
Mom’s update Monday, September 26, 2011
Jean started the day with mom. He set her up for the day. He put her hearing aids in and put her glasses on. He helped her with breakfast. After breakfast they watched Regis and Kelly. Jean said they talked about what was on TV.
Dad came next and he stayed with mom all day. One of the staff at the facility came in and spoke with dad about the local newspaper interviewing our family about mom. Dad called all of us to ask what we thought and we all agreed to do it. I don’t know the details of when and where, etc.
Con, Anthony Michael, Gina and Sam all went to see mom. They brought doughnuts to celebrate Sam’s birthday. Mom wrote her a note for her birthday:
Dear Samantha, You are14. Happy birthday. You are growing up so quickly. I can’t get you a monkey but your father is a monkey, you don’t need one. Stick to asking for a dog, though you don’t need one.
They all sang happy birthday. Mom was very quiet. Mom told them she was tired. Dad stayed with mom because she needed to stay up late for a test she is having tomorrow. She is getting an EEG and they want her to be tired.
Peace and be well,
~Claud
Jean started the day with mom. He set her up for the day. He put her hearing aids in and put her glasses on. He helped her with breakfast. After breakfast they watched Regis and Kelly. Jean said they talked about what was on TV.
Dad came next and he stayed with mom all day. One of the staff at the facility came in and spoke with dad about the local newspaper interviewing our family about mom. Dad called all of us to ask what we thought and we all agreed to do it. I don’t know the details of when and where, etc.
Con, Anthony Michael, Gina and Sam all went to see mom. They brought doughnuts to celebrate Sam’s birthday. Mom wrote her a note for her birthday:
Dear Samantha, You are14. Happy birthday. You are growing up so quickly. I can’t get you a monkey but your father is a monkey, you don’t need one. Stick to asking for a dog, though you don’t need one.
They all sang happy birthday. Mom was very quiet. Mom told them she was tired. Dad stayed with mom because she needed to stay up late for a test she is having tomorrow. She is getting an EEG and they want her to be tired.
Peace and be well,
~Claud
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Mom Update, September 25, 2011, Sunday
When I arrived this morning, mom was sitting up in bed and eating breakfast. She gave me a wide grin and was so happy and surprised to see me. Today, mom ate a huge breakfast of Fiber One cereal, apple-berry sauce, eggs with spinach and turkey slices and whole wheat toast. Even though her left hand is pretty much hooked and in a claw shape, mom manages to use it in a functional way---like to hold a bowl of cereal while she scoops with a spoon. Mom was actually cutting her turkey with a knife while stabilizing it with a fork this morning at breakfast!! I told mom again that our childhood friends/cousin, Mark and Tommy, ask for her and prayer for her. She was soooo touched! I had told mom last week that I had a promotion at work and today she asked me if I started to work in my new position and whether the new position involved a lot more work!! She remembered!! Mom complained that a small mole behind her left ear hurt so I asked her if I should put tissues there as a buffer between her eyeglasses and the mole and she said, “No!! I’ll look crazy!!!” and laughed. Dad called mom this morning, as he always does, and when mom hung up, she said, “”Oh my God, where did I get such a man?!”
Mom made phone calls next. After she spoke to dad, she called Anthony and spoke to him and Sammy. Sammy is turning 14 tomorrow!! Mom said she couldn’t believe that she was going to be so old and that, “It was just yesterday that I was changing all you kids’ diapers!!!” Mom talked to Con and Anthony Michael on the phone too. Then she called Aunt Carol and they talked for a while. Mom was very on target and relevant with her conversation.
Mom said she wanted to just sit and do nothing all day!! She was teasing me and said, “I only have to do something because you are here, Kathy!!” Then she tried to write a card for Sammy’s birthday tomorrow. She began to write the card but then spoke on the phone and began to take notes about the phone conversation instead. She tried to read what she wrote and laughed and laughed and laughed because she couldn’t read what she wrote! What a difference from last night! She laughed at how she spelled some of the words and read these words phonetically!! She would read a non-word she wrote and pronounce it and laugh and say, “What the heck is that?!!!” Writing is a challenge for her because she has to translate what she is thinking into written symbols. She is hysterical today!! She wrote the non-word, “M-E-N-I-N-G-U-S” and read it and laughed so hard!!! Then she wrote Sam’s birthday card. She wrote: “Dear Samantha, So you are 14?!! Happy Birthday!! You are growing up so quickly! I can’t get you a monkey, but your father is a monkey so you don’t need one. Stick to asking your father for a dog…so you don’t need one (a monkey). Love Nonny” She came up with all this by herself!! Then she drew a heart and wrote “Nonny loves Sam” in it. The heart was actually drawn as 2 circles side by side.
Lenny came next and mom and Lenny played a word building game. There are blocks with letters on them like, “ack” or “Sn” or “ig” or “b” etc. You combine the blocks to form words like “snack” or “big” etc. Lenny combined the blocks and mom read the words and then wrote the words. Mom and I played the Candy Game next. She needed a lot of verbal prompting (clues) along with some pointing.
Donna and Anthony came to visit with mom, Lenny and I next. Donna brought mom some fresh fruit and mom commented on how pretty Donna looked. (Dad calls Donna their 4th daughter). We all talked and looked at pictures of upstate after the hurricane. After Lenny and Donna left, dad, Anthony and I helped mom stand with the walker. We practiced about 12 times. By the end, mom was able to pull herself up alone and stand to a count of 20 practically straight up!!!
I left Dad and Anthony with mom in the early afternoon. Dad said that mom had a nice afternoon. Dad put mom to bed tonight.
“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” Deuteronomy 32:2
Mom made phone calls next. After she spoke to dad, she called Anthony and spoke to him and Sammy. Sammy is turning 14 tomorrow!! Mom said she couldn’t believe that she was going to be so old and that, “It was just yesterday that I was changing all you kids’ diapers!!!” Mom talked to Con and Anthony Michael on the phone too. Then she called Aunt Carol and they talked for a while. Mom was very on target and relevant with her conversation.
Mom said she wanted to just sit and do nothing all day!! She was teasing me and said, “I only have to do something because you are here, Kathy!!” Then she tried to write a card for Sammy’s birthday tomorrow. She began to write the card but then spoke on the phone and began to take notes about the phone conversation instead. She tried to read what she wrote and laughed and laughed and laughed because she couldn’t read what she wrote! What a difference from last night! She laughed at how she spelled some of the words and read these words phonetically!! She would read a non-word she wrote and pronounce it and laugh and say, “What the heck is that?!!!” Writing is a challenge for her because she has to translate what she is thinking into written symbols. She is hysterical today!! She wrote the non-word, “M-E-N-I-N-G-U-S” and read it and laughed so hard!!! Then she wrote Sam’s birthday card. She wrote: “Dear Samantha, So you are 14?!! Happy Birthday!! You are growing up so quickly! I can’t get you a monkey, but your father is a monkey so you don’t need one. Stick to asking your father for a dog…so you don’t need one (a monkey). Love Nonny” She came up with all this by herself!! Then she drew a heart and wrote “Nonny loves Sam” in it. The heart was actually drawn as 2 circles side by side.
Lenny came next and mom and Lenny played a word building game. There are blocks with letters on them like, “ack” or “Sn” or “ig” or “b” etc. You combine the blocks to form words like “snack” or “big” etc. Lenny combined the blocks and mom read the words and then wrote the words. Mom and I played the Candy Game next. She needed a lot of verbal prompting (clues) along with some pointing.
Donna and Anthony came to visit with mom, Lenny and I next. Donna brought mom some fresh fruit and mom commented on how pretty Donna looked. (Dad calls Donna their 4th daughter). We all talked and looked at pictures of upstate after the hurricane. After Lenny and Donna left, dad, Anthony and I helped mom stand with the walker. We practiced about 12 times. By the end, mom was able to pull herself up alone and stand to a count of 20 practically straight up!!!
I left Dad and Anthony with mom in the early afternoon. Dad said that mom had a nice afternoon. Dad put mom to bed tonight.
“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” Deuteronomy 32:2
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Mom Update, September 24, 2011, Saturday
Ava and I started the day with mom. She was sleeping when we arrived. We brought her breakfast. She ate a ham and cheese omelet and home fries with onions. She loved it. I also gave her Fiber One in a cup and a
cappuccino. The Fiber One has been working to help with bowel issues. Evidently, being in bed and a wheel chair reeks havoc with your intestines and makes moving your bowels very difficult.
She was so happy to see Ava. We played a new game today. It is a logic game with three different colored candy pieces with three different shapes. Three dark chocolates, three caramel candies and three strawberry candies. I just showed her the answers and she had to match the template and place the pieces in on the board. I used phrases such as top middle, bottom right, etc. She did pretty well with the verbal and visual together. She looked over and saw the language binder we have been using and it said Grammatical Clozure and she asked what it meant. i told her that it was full of activities like the missing piece activity that we do and she said, "That's visual not grammar. What does grammatical clozure mean." I don't know?!?! I told her we would have to ask John's cousin. I was talking to Ava at one point and mom said, "She's being sarcastic Ava." Ava was telling her about a friend she has that lives on Long Island by the water. Mom said, "By the water? What is he a fish?"
We then took mom down to the computer room and Ava showed her the pictures on her Facebook. Ava told her who all the people were. Mom remembered some but not all.
Anthony, Con and the kids came and brought mom an ice coffee. They said mom was so happy to see them. They had a great visit. Anthony saw the PT and asked how maom was doing and he said she is doing well. She often crosses her legs when she walks and they have to place a stick between her legs as a physical renminder not to cross them when she walks. He said she is making progress and there is no reason why she can't learn to walk again.
Claud
Anthony, Con, Samantha, and Anthony Michael came to see mom today. Sammy said that mom was really surprised and thrilled to see them! They talked, visited, laughed. Mom had lunch. Terry came next and played word searches on the NOOK and then they played a game called, “Chocolate Fix” which is a logical deduction game. This game has a board that looks like a tic-tac-toe board but with circles cut out of it. There are also plastic chocolate candies of various shapes and colors—triangles, squares, and circles that are pink, dark brown and light brown. Then there is a memo pad with a different set of clues on each page. For example, the clues are all in pictures and by looking at the pictures, you have to deduct what pieces of candy go where. Terry and mom also filled out her menu for the week.
When I arrived, mom was so glad to see me. I gave her a sewing card to do and she actually sewed it appropriately and corrected!! I also saw that mom has begun to take notes in the small memo pad book that Dad brought for her to write in!!! She is writing in script!!! All the words are spelled correctly too!!! Mom finished writing—she is beginning to write notes to herself as reminders of what to do (just like before the stroke!!) but then, as she became tired, she couldn’t read what she had written and became extremely frustrated and kept starting to cry on and off. I could read what she wrote but she couldn’t. I tried to explain it all to her but finally, I had to distract her like a small child and take the pencil and pad away so she would stop fixating on it. She wanted to fill out the menu for next week. She had a hard time at first figuring out how to read it. She also insisted on understanding it!!! Finally, she persisted and pretty much understood it.
Terry stayed to put mom to bed tonight. Dad and I left to go to my house for dinner. Mom cried when dad said he was leaving. It is so sad to see them both crying. As dad and I walked out of the facility, I looked up and there in the pinkest clouds I've ever seen was a RAINBOW!! Huge and beautiful and well defined on both sides. I showed dad and began to cry again, "God's Covenant! God's Covenant!!! Maybe mom will come home soon."
"I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants," Genesis 9:9
cappuccino. The Fiber One has been working to help with bowel issues. Evidently, being in bed and a wheel chair reeks havoc with your intestines and makes moving your bowels very difficult.
She was so happy to see Ava. We played a new game today. It is a logic game with three different colored candy pieces with three different shapes. Three dark chocolates, three caramel candies and three strawberry candies. I just showed her the answers and she had to match the template and place the pieces in on the board. I used phrases such as top middle, bottom right, etc. She did pretty well with the verbal and visual together. She looked over and saw the language binder we have been using and it said Grammatical Clozure and she asked what it meant. i told her that it was full of activities like the missing piece activity that we do and she said, "That's visual not grammar. What does grammatical clozure mean." I don't know?!?! I told her we would have to ask John's cousin. I was talking to Ava at one point and mom said, "She's being sarcastic Ava." Ava was telling her about a friend she has that lives on Long Island by the water. Mom said, "By the water? What is he a fish?"
We then took mom down to the computer room and Ava showed her the pictures on her Facebook. Ava told her who all the people were. Mom remembered some but not all.
Anthony, Con and the kids came and brought mom an ice coffee. They said mom was so happy to see them. They had a great visit. Anthony saw the PT and asked how maom was doing and he said she is doing well. She often crosses her legs when she walks and they have to place a stick between her legs as a physical renminder not to cross them when she walks. He said she is making progress and there is no reason why she can't learn to walk again.
Claud
Anthony, Con, Samantha, and Anthony Michael came to see mom today. Sammy said that mom was really surprised and thrilled to see them! They talked, visited, laughed. Mom had lunch. Terry came next and played word searches on the NOOK and then they played a game called, “Chocolate Fix” which is a logical deduction game. This game has a board that looks like a tic-tac-toe board but with circles cut out of it. There are also plastic chocolate candies of various shapes and colors—triangles, squares, and circles that are pink, dark brown and light brown. Then there is a memo pad with a different set of clues on each page. For example, the clues are all in pictures and by looking at the pictures, you have to deduct what pieces of candy go where. Terry and mom also filled out her menu for the week.
When I arrived, mom was so glad to see me. I gave her a sewing card to do and she actually sewed it appropriately and corrected!! I also saw that mom has begun to take notes in the small memo pad book that Dad brought for her to write in!!! She is writing in script!!! All the words are spelled correctly too!!! Mom finished writing—she is beginning to write notes to herself as reminders of what to do (just like before the stroke!!) but then, as she became tired, she couldn’t read what she had written and became extremely frustrated and kept starting to cry on and off. I could read what she wrote but she couldn’t. I tried to explain it all to her but finally, I had to distract her like a small child and take the pencil and pad away so she would stop fixating on it. She wanted to fill out the menu for next week. She had a hard time at first figuring out how to read it. She also insisted on understanding it!!! Finally, she persisted and pretty much understood it.
Terry stayed to put mom to bed tonight. Dad and I left to go to my house for dinner. Mom cried when dad said he was leaving. It is so sad to see them both crying. As dad and I walked out of the facility, I looked up and there in the pinkest clouds I've ever seen was a RAINBOW!! Huge and beautiful and well defined on both sides. I showed dad and began to cry again, "God's Covenant! God's Covenant!!! Maybe mom will come home soon."
"I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants," Genesis 9:9
Friday, September 23, 2011
Mom Update, September 23, 2011, Friday
Mom’s update Friday, September 23, 2011
I started the day with mom. She was already eating when I arrived. I fixed her oatmeal with applesauce and cinnamon and I put Fiber One in it too. She loved it and ate it all. We are trying to help her with her bowel issue. I did some language lessons from the binder that John’s cousin gave us. She did well. I then left for work.
I forgot to mention last night that when mom was in the Sarita lift she actually held onto the bars and lifted herself up. She did all the work. When she was in bed she said, “I really lifted myself up, did you see?” I told her how proud I was of her.
Dad went to see mom and they worked with clocks and telling time. Dad bought her a new digital clock with large numbers. Dad did a word search with mom. Dad asked mom how she did at PT and mom said she walked. Dad asked how far and she said not far but I walked (this means standing with the walker and three people). Dad spoke to an advocate and made a complaint that the doctor in the facility didn’t return dad’s call regarding removing the feeding tube. I spoke to the head of respiratory and he also agreed about removing the feeding tube. He said why have it if you don’t need it. It is a hole in the body and a place where she could get an infection. Why risk it? The social worker helped to file the complaint. Dad was told that mom could have a different doctor. Dad told the advocate that we eventually want her to come home.
I brought dad and mom dinner tonight and they sat together and ate – Mediterranean Chicken with eggplant, zucchini, and fresh mozzarella. They watched TV and enjoyed each others company. Dad set up mom for the night and left.
Peace and be well,
~Claud
I started the day with mom. She was already eating when I arrived. I fixed her oatmeal with applesauce and cinnamon and I put Fiber One in it too. She loved it and ate it all. We are trying to help her with her bowel issue. I did some language lessons from the binder that John’s cousin gave us. She did well. I then left for work.
I forgot to mention last night that when mom was in the Sarita lift she actually held onto the bars and lifted herself up. She did all the work. When she was in bed she said, “I really lifted myself up, did you see?” I told her how proud I was of her.
Dad went to see mom and they worked with clocks and telling time. Dad bought her a new digital clock with large numbers. Dad did a word search with mom. Dad asked mom how she did at PT and mom said she walked. Dad asked how far and she said not far but I walked (this means standing with the walker and three people). Dad spoke to an advocate and made a complaint that the doctor in the facility didn’t return dad’s call regarding removing the feeding tube. I spoke to the head of respiratory and he also agreed about removing the feeding tube. He said why have it if you don’t need it. It is a hole in the body and a place where she could get an infection. Why risk it? The social worker helped to file the complaint. Dad was told that mom could have a different doctor. Dad told the advocate that we eventually want her to come home.
I brought dad and mom dinner tonight and they sat together and ate – Mediterranean Chicken with eggplant, zucchini, and fresh mozzarella. They watched TV and enjoyed each others company. Dad set up mom for the night and left.
Peace and be well,
~Claud
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Mom Update, September 22, 2011, Thursday
When I arrived to see mom this morning, she was just finishing breakfast. Breakfast must have come early. Mom said she slept well and that she had hard boiled egg for breakfast. Mom has a really nice, kind roommate. The roommate reminds me a bit of a younger Aunt Sophie!! She looks like her. At one point this morning, mom asked what her roommate’s name was and when I told her she said she didn’t know that before. I told her she knew but had forgotten and that it was OK. Mom became annoyed and said, “Oh, well now I suppose you are all going to blame me for everything and then say ‘Oh you forgot mom!’” She is too funny!
Mom said that she wanted to work on telling time today. She said, “Ok, I want to look at the clock and see if I can tell what time it is.” She looked at the clock on the wall in front of her bed and said, “Umm…it’s 9:05. Right?” And it was!! Five minutes later, mom did the same thing. She looked at the clock and said, “OK, let me see…it’s umm 10 after 9, right?” And it was!! I told her she is doing really well with telling time and she said, “Well, I did that with the speech therapist yesterday. But I don’t think I did so good with it yesterday.”
Mom also showed me the tool Claudia made for her to hold over her stoma so she could be heard better. Mom said, “Yeah, I’ve been practicing with it.” This is sooo great—the fact that mom is now practicing her skill development on her own now!!
Mom spent some time puzzling over her skills with the calendar too. She asked, “How do you say the 10th of September?” I was inclined at first to say, “Just the way you did” but then I realized she meant ‘in numbers’ because she asked, “Is it 20-10? Is that how you say it?” I told her that it is, “9-10 because September is the 9th month.” She said, “Oh, but I don’t think so.”
Mom kept calling dad to find out where he was. I left for work right before dad came to be with mom. While I was there though, one of the respiratory therapists came to see mom. The therapist was surprised to see mom in the facility still and said that we need to get mom to do some ‘breathing exercises’ where she takes big, deep breaths.
Last night, Ava called mom to say thank you for the letter mom sent last week. Mom didn’t remember writing the letter and kept telling Ava that Claudia must have written it and signed her name to it. Ava laughed. Mom said, “Well I hope you enjoyed whatever it said.”
Claudia saw mom tonight and Claudia noticed that mom had done some of the crossword puzzle I left her this morning. They sat and talked and watched TV. After mom was in bed, Claudia gave mom a book I bought her called, “All Pigs are Beautiful.” Mom got a kick out of it. Mom went page by page and read every word and Claudia asked her comprehension questions based on the pictures. Mom answered the questions. Mom kept thumbing through the book over and over. Mom had all the answers right. Claudia said that a weird thing was that mom kept saying that there were a lot of mistakes in the book. Mom couldn’t identify any mistakes though when Claudia asked her to tell her what they were. Mom took the remote then and tried to get Channel 12 for the Food Network but kept hitting Channel 11 instead. They said a prayer and mom closed her eyes.
“…he refreshes my soul…” Psalm 23:3
Mom said that she wanted to work on telling time today. She said, “Ok, I want to look at the clock and see if I can tell what time it is.” She looked at the clock on the wall in front of her bed and said, “Umm…it’s 9:05. Right?” And it was!! Five minutes later, mom did the same thing. She looked at the clock and said, “OK, let me see…it’s umm 10 after 9, right?” And it was!! I told her she is doing really well with telling time and she said, “Well, I did that with the speech therapist yesterday. But I don’t think I did so good with it yesterday.”
Mom also showed me the tool Claudia made for her to hold over her stoma so she could be heard better. Mom said, “Yeah, I’ve been practicing with it.” This is sooo great—the fact that mom is now practicing her skill development on her own now!!
Mom spent some time puzzling over her skills with the calendar too. She asked, “How do you say the 10th of September?” I was inclined at first to say, “Just the way you did” but then I realized she meant ‘in numbers’ because she asked, “Is it 20-10? Is that how you say it?” I told her that it is, “9-10 because September is the 9th month.” She said, “Oh, but I don’t think so.”
Mom kept calling dad to find out where he was. I left for work right before dad came to be with mom. While I was there though, one of the respiratory therapists came to see mom. The therapist was surprised to see mom in the facility still and said that we need to get mom to do some ‘breathing exercises’ where she takes big, deep breaths.
Last night, Ava called mom to say thank you for the letter mom sent last week. Mom didn’t remember writing the letter and kept telling Ava that Claudia must have written it and signed her name to it. Ava laughed. Mom said, “Well I hope you enjoyed whatever it said.”
Claudia saw mom tonight and Claudia noticed that mom had done some of the crossword puzzle I left her this morning. They sat and talked and watched TV. After mom was in bed, Claudia gave mom a book I bought her called, “All Pigs are Beautiful.” Mom got a kick out of it. Mom went page by page and read every word and Claudia asked her comprehension questions based on the pictures. Mom answered the questions. Mom kept thumbing through the book over and over. Mom had all the answers right. Claudia said that a weird thing was that mom kept saying that there were a lot of mistakes in the book. Mom couldn’t identify any mistakes though when Claudia asked her to tell her what they were. Mom took the remote then and tried to get Channel 12 for the Food Network but kept hitting Channel 11 instead. They said a prayer and mom closed her eyes.
“…he refreshes my soul…” Psalm 23:3
Mom Update, September 21, 2011, Wednesday
I spoke to the physical therapist in charge of working with mom yesterday. The therapist gave the following report on mom's progress:
-She is currently able to go from the wheelchair to pull herself up to a standing position at the parallel bars 10 times in a row and stand for 20 seconds each time (almost totally straight) ALL BY HERSELF!!!!
-Mom is able to take "appropriate steps" independently while holding onto the walker while 2 people (one holding under each of her arms) gently hold under her arms as she walks (not supporting her heavily at all) as another, 3rd, person stands in front of the walker and pushes the walker close to mom while she takes steps!! Mom has a tendency to push the walker away from herself as she walks
-Mom has a tendency to keep her feet too close together as she walks (she needs to spread them further apart). I told the PT that Anthony and I were just talking about this today!! It is as though mom uses her arms and arm muscles to assist her in standing up, but it is like she does not know at all what to do with her feet or how to use them to assist her
-Occupational Therapist is still working on having mom start in the wheelchair and grab the bar on the wall in the bathroom to stand up and then sit on the toilet---difficult time there but this is a relatively new skill.
-PT says that, when mom is taught a new skill, she needs ALOT of cuing and prompting (verbally and otherwise) to complete the task. It is as if mom doesn't know what to do--comprehension or processing problem--- However, once the process is repeated over a period of 2 weeks, mom remembers what to do. This is a typical characteristic for someone with a Traumatic Brain injury like mom.
-PT said that some time next week, we will be invited to come watch mom in PT!!!! PT is afraid we will distract her though...I assured PT we won't do that
-PT said that mom is working toward walking with the walker with a TRUE 2 person assist, then with a TRUE 1 person assist, then transfer the skill to the CNAs in mom's room
-PT said it is noted that mom does not transfer new knowledge yet---for example, though she can pull herself to stand at the parallel bars, she can't do it in the bathroom at the bar there...tasks and skills are not related in her mind....they are separate, new events
Claudia began the day with mom this morning. THE BEST NEWS WAS THAT MOM CAN NOW ACTUALLY DO A CROSSWORD PUZZLE ALONE!! She was able to read a few clues, arrive at he answers, then find the spot on the crossword board where the word goes, AND write the word!!! She didn’t finish the puzzle by any means---but she did go through this process for 5 words or so!! Mom got D-A-L-I for a clue about Salvatore Dali, but she spelled it D-U-L-I. She also got the clue for “house made of bricks” ‘ADOBE’ and more.
Mom insists that Claudia put her make up on now!! –especially since Carmine was coming today to work with her! Mom was already eating breakfast this morning when Claudia arrived. Claudia looked for activities for mom to do on her bed tray. She gives mom the remote, the phone, the phone number list (she called dad last week!!). Claudia made mom a tool to use to put over her stoma (hole in the throat) so that her volume improves. Claudia rips out one page at a time from several activity books (jumbled words, mazes, crosswords…). Then Claudia leaves for work.
Mom’s friends Maureen and Flo came to see her next. Then dad joined them. Dad said mom was talkative and laughed and had a nice visit with them. Dad said that he worked on color matching cards with mom and that she did well. He is becoming a good teacher!! He also bought mom a computerized crossword and word puzzle hand held electronic game. We will figure it out and try to use it tomorrow.
I visited with mom tonight after work. She was so happy to see me and I don’t ever remember her looking and behaving in such a typical and normal way! Mom said she has a lot of dreams about things that will happen. One dream she remembered was about someone getting married at her house and she had to get information from the guests but she couldn’t walk. She had to crawl around the house.
She talked on the phone to Lenny. She told me about her wonderful visit with Maureen Florence and Flo and Karen. She was excited that Carmine came to see her today too. She was in a great mood and remembered a lot without me prompting her (giving her hints).
Once she was in bed, she began to ask me questions about the stroke and coma again. She asked me to tell her the story so I did, starting with last summer. When I came to the part about Christmas and the set back, I told her about how I bought every member of our family the “Don’t quit 5 minutes before the miracle happens” shirts and that I prayed and wrote each family member a special letter about him/herself that included a message about their character and not quitting. Mom asked me to read the letters to her so I did. She loved them and cried and laughed and asked me to print them all and put them in a frame for her to read. She said that she wants to be around for all of us for a long time and that her hope for us all is that we would all be happy. Mom said that she hopes we all have the wonderfully blessed life that she has had.
We prayed and I anointed her with oil. When we came to the part in the prayer about thanking God for the miracles He is doing in her life, she cried and gave thanks and said she hoped she does well (like living up to what God has given and done for her). We held each other and kissed and hugged and then I left.
“Whoever remains in Me and I in him will bear much fruit.” John 15:5
-She is currently able to go from the wheelchair to pull herself up to a standing position at the parallel bars 10 times in a row and stand for 20 seconds each time (almost totally straight) ALL BY HERSELF!!!!
-Mom is able to take "appropriate steps" independently while holding onto the walker while 2 people (one holding under each of her arms) gently hold under her arms as she walks (not supporting her heavily at all) as another, 3rd, person stands in front of the walker and pushes the walker close to mom while she takes steps!! Mom has a tendency to push the walker away from herself as she walks
-Mom has a tendency to keep her feet too close together as she walks (she needs to spread them further apart). I told the PT that Anthony and I were just talking about this today!! It is as though mom uses her arms and arm muscles to assist her in standing up, but it is like she does not know at all what to do with her feet or how to use them to assist her
-Occupational Therapist is still working on having mom start in the wheelchair and grab the bar on the wall in the bathroom to stand up and then sit on the toilet---difficult time there but this is a relatively new skill.
-PT says that, when mom is taught a new skill, she needs ALOT of cuing and prompting (verbally and otherwise) to complete the task. It is as if mom doesn't know what to do--comprehension or processing problem--- However, once the process is repeated over a period of 2 weeks, mom remembers what to do. This is a typical characteristic for someone with a Traumatic Brain injury like mom.
-PT said that some time next week, we will be invited to come watch mom in PT!!!! PT is afraid we will distract her though...I assured PT we won't do that
-PT said that mom is working toward walking with the walker with a TRUE 2 person assist, then with a TRUE 1 person assist, then transfer the skill to the CNAs in mom's room
-PT said it is noted that mom does not transfer new knowledge yet---for example, though she can pull herself to stand at the parallel bars, she can't do it in the bathroom at the bar there...tasks and skills are not related in her mind....they are separate, new events
Claudia began the day with mom this morning. THE BEST NEWS WAS THAT MOM CAN NOW ACTUALLY DO A CROSSWORD PUZZLE ALONE!! She was able to read a few clues, arrive at he answers, then find the spot on the crossword board where the word goes, AND write the word!!! She didn’t finish the puzzle by any means---but she did go through this process for 5 words or so!! Mom got D-A-L-I for a clue about Salvatore Dali, but she spelled it D-U-L-I. She also got the clue for “house made of bricks” ‘ADOBE’ and more.
Mom insists that Claudia put her make up on now!! –especially since Carmine was coming today to work with her! Mom was already eating breakfast this morning when Claudia arrived. Claudia looked for activities for mom to do on her bed tray. She gives mom the remote, the phone, the phone number list (she called dad last week!!). Claudia made mom a tool to use to put over her stoma (hole in the throat) so that her volume improves. Claudia rips out one page at a time from several activity books (jumbled words, mazes, crosswords…). Then Claudia leaves for work.
Mom’s friends Maureen and Flo came to see her next. Then dad joined them. Dad said mom was talkative and laughed and had a nice visit with them. Dad said that he worked on color matching cards with mom and that she did well. He is becoming a good teacher!! He also bought mom a computerized crossword and word puzzle hand held electronic game. We will figure it out and try to use it tomorrow.
I visited with mom tonight after work. She was so happy to see me and I don’t ever remember her looking and behaving in such a typical and normal way! Mom said she has a lot of dreams about things that will happen. One dream she remembered was about someone getting married at her house and she had to get information from the guests but she couldn’t walk. She had to crawl around the house.
She talked on the phone to Lenny. She told me about her wonderful visit with Maureen Florence and Flo and Karen. She was excited that Carmine came to see her today too. She was in a great mood and remembered a lot without me prompting her (giving her hints).
Once she was in bed, she began to ask me questions about the stroke and coma again. She asked me to tell her the story so I did, starting with last summer. When I came to the part about Christmas and the set back, I told her about how I bought every member of our family the “Don’t quit 5 minutes before the miracle happens” shirts and that I prayed and wrote each family member a special letter about him/herself that included a message about their character and not quitting. Mom asked me to read the letters to her so I did. She loved them and cried and laughed and asked me to print them all and put them in a frame for her to read. She said that she wants to be around for all of us for a long time and that her hope for us all is that we would all be happy. Mom said that she hopes we all have the wonderfully blessed life that she has had.
We prayed and I anointed her with oil. When we came to the part in the prayer about thanking God for the miracles He is doing in her life, she cried and gave thanks and said she hoped she does well (like living up to what God has given and done for her). We held each other and kissed and hugged and then I left.
“Whoever remains in Me and I in him will bear much fruit.” John 15:5
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mom Update, September 20, 2011, Tuesday
Mom Update, September 19, 2011, Tuesday
Mom’s update Tuesday, September 20, 2011
I started the day with mom. She did not want to get up today. Her CNA helped me fix her in the bed. I set up her breakfast. I had to speak to the head of therapy to see if I could get her therapy moved to the morning today because mom’s friend Flo and her daughter Karen came to see mom today in the afternoon. I also had to have her shower changed to very early so she could get to therapy.I ran around so much trying to get her therapy changed that I didn't spend any time with mom this morning. Mom had to have PT today with a different therapist because I had to change the time. Mom’s biggest worry…who would comb her hair after her shower so she looked good for Flo and Karen! I set her up with a fine motor task, the phone and her remote and left to go to work.
Dad came to see mom when Flo and Karen came. Karen was reminiscing about when she and I were kids. At first mom didn’t recognize her and then she started to tell mom stories about when she would sleep over or come over to play (Karen and I were friends growing up). At one point Karen mentioned her dog, Snowball, and mom’s eyes lit up and she said, “Oh yeah, Snowball!” and Karen said, “Sure, you remember my dog but you don’t remember me!” They all started to kid around how Karen was Snowball’s sister and mom laughed. Mom was kidding around with them. The last time Karen went to see mom she saw a rainbow as she left the facility and she told her mom about it. Today, Karen brought up the rainbow to Flo and said, “See, the rainbow must have meant something!” Growing up I had a thing for rainbows (Karen doesn’t know this – I don’t know how many people DO know this). I brought it up recently to my daughter. You see my dad bought Ava a lamp for her dorm room and it had kittens on it because Ava has a new kitten and he thought she would like it. I told her that my mom bought me a lamp when I went away to school. It was a rainbow! I loved the beauty of the rainbow but I especially loved the meaning behind the rainbow…a promise from God.
Dad stayed with mom when they left. She was doing a crossword puzzle. She read it and then wrote something down, but dad wasn’t sure if she had the correct answer. Mom read the paper and did the jumble. She was able to get two words. Kathy spoke to the PT and he told her that mom is doing well. Mom can pull herself up on the parallel bars and walk independently holding onto the bars. She is also able to pull herself up using the walker and then two people are on each side and one in front. The front person is there because she pushes the walker too far in front. The people on each side use to hold her up but they are now there to steady her (they are no longer holding her up). For the most part she is walking (shuffling at times) with the walker. Her feet are very close together and they need to remind her to walk with them farther apart. She does correct with verbal prompting.
Dad left when Con, Anthony Michael, Sam, Gina, and Michael arrived. She was very surprised to see them. They sat with mom and talked and watched TV. They brought pictures from their trip to Philly and mom loved looking at the pictures. She asked a lot of questions. Con told mom that tomorrow is her father’s birthday and mom said is he still alive and Con said, “no both my parents died when I was young” and mom seemed confused. Mom was very tired. Once mom was in bed she kept closing her eyes. Mom told Con she was tired and she should go home. Con stayed awhile longer and then they set mom up for bed, removed her hearing aids, put the timer on the TV and lowered the bed.
Genesis 9:12-13
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
~Claud
Mom’s update Tuesday, September 20, 2011
I started the day with mom. She did not want to get up today. Her CNA helped me fix her in the bed. I set up her breakfast. I had to speak to the head of therapy to see if I could get her therapy moved to the morning today because mom’s friend Flo and her daughter Karen came to see mom today in the afternoon. I also had to have her shower changed to very early so she could get to therapy.I ran around so much trying to get her therapy changed that I didn't spend any time with mom this morning. Mom had to have PT today with a different therapist because I had to change the time. Mom’s biggest worry…who would comb her hair after her shower so she looked good for Flo and Karen! I set her up with a fine motor task, the phone and her remote and left to go to work.
Dad came to see mom when Flo and Karen came. Karen was reminiscing about when she and I were kids. At first mom didn’t recognize her and then she started to tell mom stories about when she would sleep over or come over to play (Karen and I were friends growing up). At one point Karen mentioned her dog, Snowball, and mom’s eyes lit up and she said, “Oh yeah, Snowball!” and Karen said, “Sure, you remember my dog but you don’t remember me!” They all started to kid around how Karen was Snowball’s sister and mom laughed. Mom was kidding around with them. The last time Karen went to see mom she saw a rainbow as she left the facility and she told her mom about it. Today, Karen brought up the rainbow to Flo and said, “See, the rainbow must have meant something!” Growing up I had a thing for rainbows (Karen doesn’t know this – I don’t know how many people DO know this). I brought it up recently to my daughter. You see my dad bought Ava a lamp for her dorm room and it had kittens on it because Ava has a new kitten and he thought she would like it. I told her that my mom bought me a lamp when I went away to school. It was a rainbow! I loved the beauty of the rainbow but I especially loved the meaning behind the rainbow…a promise from God.
Dad stayed with mom when they left. She was doing a crossword puzzle. She read it and then wrote something down, but dad wasn’t sure if she had the correct answer. Mom read the paper and did the jumble. She was able to get two words. Kathy spoke to the PT and he told her that mom is doing well. Mom can pull herself up on the parallel bars and walk independently holding onto the bars. She is also able to pull herself up using the walker and then two people are on each side and one in front. The front person is there because she pushes the walker too far in front. The people on each side use to hold her up but they are now there to steady her (they are no longer holding her up). For the most part she is walking (shuffling at times) with the walker. Her feet are very close together and they need to remind her to walk with them farther apart. She does correct with verbal prompting.
Dad left when Con, Anthony Michael, Sam, Gina, and Michael arrived. She was very surprised to see them. They sat with mom and talked and watched TV. They brought pictures from their trip to Philly and mom loved looking at the pictures. She asked a lot of questions. Con told mom that tomorrow is her father’s birthday and mom said is he still alive and Con said, “no both my parents died when I was young” and mom seemed confused. Mom was very tired. Once mom was in bed she kept closing her eyes. Mom told Con she was tired and she should go home. Con stayed awhile longer and then they set mom up for bed, removed her hearing aids, put the timer on the TV and lowered the bed.
Genesis 9:12-13
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
~Claud
Monday, September 19, 2011
Mom Update, September 19, 2011, Monday
Kathy: Dad began the day with mom this morning and I am sure she was thrilled about that!! They had breakfast together and then prepared mom for her visit to the neurologist for the botox consultation for her fingers on her left hand.
I met mom and dad at the neurologist’s office just as the doctor was giving recommendations. The examination of mom’s hand had just finished so I was right on time. The doctor said that mom is a candidate for botox in order to improve the spasticity (stiffness) in her fingers on her left hand. The doctor said that mom’s left forearm is responsible for movement of the fingers on her left hand and that this muscle in the forearm is relatively fluid and able to move well. Mom’s left arm bicep is also just slightly stiff (spastic). The doctor recommends that mom receive botox injections once every 3 months in her left forearm predominantly and a smaller injection in her bicep at the same time. The doctor said that injections right into mom’s hand and fingers would be very painful, so that will be a last resort. We all decided to go with the route of least pain on a trial basis first. Then, we can transition to the route of most complication (direct injections into the hand), if need be. The injections will NOT restore mobility in mom’s hand and fingers; but WILL enable easier movement in the muscles of the hand and forearm and bicep, which will enable the ability to exercise her fingers. The hope is that mom will be able to stretch and bend and control her fingers better with the injections. Mom was also told to wear the splint on her left hand in order to keep her fingers outstretched as much as possible. I think there are pros and cons to this. Claudia and I learned that it is movement that creates both memory and new pathways in the brain. A splint will prevent movement. I asked the doctor if mom can use the splint at night and during times of inactivity (watching TV with dad) and the doctor agreed with this plan of action. Mom asked both the doctor and me some really relevant questions about her hand/fingers and what she needed to do to get better.
I left to go back to work and dad went back to the facility with mom. Dad said that mom did well with her therapies today.
Claudia: John and Jean went to put mom to bed. They talked about baseball. John
and Jean came straight form the Yankee game today and they spoke about
Mariano Rivera and how he broke the “Save” record. Mom talked about the
Brooklyn Dodgers. Jean showed mom photos of the new Yankee stadium that
he took with his phone. They watched the red carpet show from the Emmys
and they watched Wheel of Fortune and mom tried to guess the answers.
One of the answers was “handwriting” and mom said, “Oh, I thought that
was two words.” Mom started to fall asleep in her wheelchair and John
tried to get someone to put her in the bed. There was no one around. Her
CNA went to dinner and didn’t come back until after 8:30. By the time
she was done and they came back in the room it was after 9pm. It is a
long day for mom. The CNA apologized and said she would work out her
dinner break so mom isn’t left in the chair so long.
“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
I met mom and dad at the neurologist’s office just as the doctor was giving recommendations. The examination of mom’s hand had just finished so I was right on time. The doctor said that mom is a candidate for botox in order to improve the spasticity (stiffness) in her fingers on her left hand. The doctor said that mom’s left forearm is responsible for movement of the fingers on her left hand and that this muscle in the forearm is relatively fluid and able to move well. Mom’s left arm bicep is also just slightly stiff (spastic). The doctor recommends that mom receive botox injections once every 3 months in her left forearm predominantly and a smaller injection in her bicep at the same time. The doctor said that injections right into mom’s hand and fingers would be very painful, so that will be a last resort. We all decided to go with the route of least pain on a trial basis first. Then, we can transition to the route of most complication (direct injections into the hand), if need be. The injections will NOT restore mobility in mom’s hand and fingers; but WILL enable easier movement in the muscles of the hand and forearm and bicep, which will enable the ability to exercise her fingers. The hope is that mom will be able to stretch and bend and control her fingers better with the injections. Mom was also told to wear the splint on her left hand in order to keep her fingers outstretched as much as possible. I think there are pros and cons to this. Claudia and I learned that it is movement that creates both memory and new pathways in the brain. A splint will prevent movement. I asked the doctor if mom can use the splint at night and during times of inactivity (watching TV with dad) and the doctor agreed with this plan of action. Mom asked both the doctor and me some really relevant questions about her hand/fingers and what she needed to do to get better.
I left to go back to work and dad went back to the facility with mom. Dad said that mom did well with her therapies today.
Claudia: John and Jean went to put mom to bed. They talked about baseball. John
and Jean came straight form the Yankee game today and they spoke about
Mariano Rivera and how he broke the “Save” record. Mom talked about the
Brooklyn Dodgers. Jean showed mom photos of the new Yankee stadium that
he took with his phone. They watched the red carpet show from the Emmys
and they watched Wheel of Fortune and mom tried to guess the answers.
One of the answers was “handwriting” and mom said, “Oh, I thought that
was two words.” Mom started to fall asleep in her wheelchair and John
tried to get someone to put her in the bed. There was no one around. Her
CNA went to dinner and didn’t come back until after 8:30. By the time
she was done and they came back in the room it was after 9pm. It is a
long day for mom. The CNA apologized and said she would work out her
dinner break so mom isn’t left in the chair so long.
“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Mom Update, September 18, 2011, Sunday
Mom’s update Sunday, September 18, 2011
I started the day with mom. Mom had a great breakfast today and she enjoyed it very much. After breakfast I took out the IPad and we worked on the new apps I downloaded. One was a category app where she was given three items and she had to give the category. One of the examples was a dog, a cat and a fish. Mom said, “Things you find in your house!” She cracks me up! She did well but it is so curious the categories she remembers and the high level thinking skills and then the ones she has no words for. It took a lot of thought and she enjoyed it. We then did an inferencing app where they give a situation and mom had to answer a question based on inferential information. She did well on this as well. She didn’t get everyone correct and a few were tough, but she enjoyed it. I showed her pictures of dad in the parade and she cried because she wasn’t able to be there. I felt bad, but I wanted her to see how handsome dad was. Dad came early today and I showed him how to use the IPad so he can play some games with mom. When I left, they were playing a word game.
My dad’s cousin, Angelo and his wife Madeline and cousin Jo Ann came to visit. Angelo sang a new 2nd verse of his song that he wrote for mom. Angelo and Dad told stories of when they were young and I was told that they laughed and laughed and laughed! Mom showed them how she can stand up. Lenny held under one arm and she stood almost all the way up straight, twice! Lenny said he was holding her but not lifting her.
Kathy and Lenny stayed with mom and put her to bed. They said a prayer and left.
Peace and be well…
~Claud
I started the day with mom. Mom had a great breakfast today and she enjoyed it very much. After breakfast I took out the IPad and we worked on the new apps I downloaded. One was a category app where she was given three items and she had to give the category. One of the examples was a dog, a cat and a fish. Mom said, “Things you find in your house!” She cracks me up! She did well but it is so curious the categories she remembers and the high level thinking skills and then the ones she has no words for. It took a lot of thought and she enjoyed it. We then did an inferencing app where they give a situation and mom had to answer a question based on inferential information. She did well on this as well. She didn’t get everyone correct and a few were tough, but she enjoyed it. I showed her pictures of dad in the parade and she cried because she wasn’t able to be there. I felt bad, but I wanted her to see how handsome dad was. Dad came early today and I showed him how to use the IPad so he can play some games with mom. When I left, they were playing a word game.
My dad’s cousin, Angelo and his wife Madeline and cousin Jo Ann came to visit. Angelo sang a new 2nd verse of his song that he wrote for mom. Angelo and Dad told stories of when they were young and I was told that they laughed and laughed and laughed! Mom showed them how she can stand up. Lenny held under one arm and she stood almost all the way up straight, twice! Lenny said he was holding her but not lifting her.
Kathy and Lenny stayed with mom and put her to bed. They said a prayer and left.
Peace and be well…
~Claud
Mom Update, September 17, 2011, Saturday
Mom’s update Saturday, September 17, 2011
I started the day with mom and she was sitting up in the bed and almost done with breakfast. This is the first time that she was given breakfast that early. I had brought breakfast for her but wasn’t able to give it to her. After breakfast I took out the IPad and put the baseball multiplication game on for her. There are three steps to play the game and mom kept asking me what to do next. I took out an index card and wrote down the three steps. 1. Touch the pitcher. 2. Enter the answer on the calculator on the left. 3. Hit OK. I taped the card onto the side of the IPad and just visually prompted her. She read the step and then performed the action. She did occasionally forget what order to read the steps even though they were written on the card in a top down order. She kept at it for over an hour.
Next, I opened solitaire. She did very well. I only prompted her a little. Something weird that I noticed is that the longer she does any activity the more confused she gets. She does better in the beginning of a task and at some point she gets overloaded and doesn’t know what to do. She played few games of solitaire and then I put on her favorite program, word jumble. She unscrambles words and puts the letters in order and then presses the “next word” button. She can do this entirely independently.
The CNA came in to take mom out of bed. Dad came and we both went back into the room with mom once she was in her wheel chair. I put her makeup on and put a few items on her tray table. I left her the sewing cards. She loves to do this. It also is a good fine motor skill as well as motor planning. It reinforces her ability to organize (placing the string in the very next hole and being consistent with the pattern). Dad was all dressed for the parade and mom loved the way he looked and told him he looked handsome.
The parade was great and dad was in his own car leading the parade with three other older members (each in their own car). It was great. Terry stayed with mom and told me that she brought her old TV DVD’s and they watched Carol Burnett and My Three Sons. Mom liked them and they had a great time together. Terry told me that the CNA put mom to bed very early and I explained to Terry that she could say “NO”. It’s ok to tell them you want her to stay up a little longer. They actually put her to bed before she even ate dinner. The weekend people are not the same as the weekday crew and you really need to keep on top of things so they don’t take advantage. Terry went through the TV channels with mom and had her practice with the remote.
Terry set mom up for the night, set the timer on the TV, took out her hearing aids and left for the night.
Peace and be well,
~Claud
I started the day with mom and she was sitting up in the bed and almost done with breakfast. This is the first time that she was given breakfast that early. I had brought breakfast for her but wasn’t able to give it to her. After breakfast I took out the IPad and put the baseball multiplication game on for her. There are three steps to play the game and mom kept asking me what to do next. I took out an index card and wrote down the three steps. 1. Touch the pitcher. 2. Enter the answer on the calculator on the left. 3. Hit OK. I taped the card onto the side of the IPad and just visually prompted her. She read the step and then performed the action. She did occasionally forget what order to read the steps even though they were written on the card in a top down order. She kept at it for over an hour.
Next, I opened solitaire. She did very well. I only prompted her a little. Something weird that I noticed is that the longer she does any activity the more confused she gets. She does better in the beginning of a task and at some point she gets overloaded and doesn’t know what to do. She played few games of solitaire and then I put on her favorite program, word jumble. She unscrambles words and puts the letters in order and then presses the “next word” button. She can do this entirely independently.
The CNA came in to take mom out of bed. Dad came and we both went back into the room with mom once she was in her wheel chair. I put her makeup on and put a few items on her tray table. I left her the sewing cards. She loves to do this. It also is a good fine motor skill as well as motor planning. It reinforces her ability to organize (placing the string in the very next hole and being consistent with the pattern). Dad was all dressed for the parade and mom loved the way he looked and told him he looked handsome.
The parade was great and dad was in his own car leading the parade with three other older members (each in their own car). It was great. Terry stayed with mom and told me that she brought her old TV DVD’s and they watched Carol Burnett and My Three Sons. Mom liked them and they had a great time together. Terry told me that the CNA put mom to bed very early and I explained to Terry that she could say “NO”. It’s ok to tell them you want her to stay up a little longer. They actually put her to bed before she even ate dinner. The weekend people are not the same as the weekday crew and you really need to keep on top of things so they don’t take advantage. Terry went through the TV channels with mom and had her practice with the remote.
Terry set mom up for the night, set the timer on the TV, took out her hearing aids and left for the night.
Peace and be well,
~Claud
Mom Update, September 16, 2011, Friday
Mom’s update Friday, September 16th, 2011
Sorry I didn’t mail out the blog. Everything is OK. I fell asleep at 8:30 last night from exhaustion!
I started the day with mom and set her up for the day. I also helped her with breakfast. After breakfast I gave her the tray table with three sewing cards. She asked me what to do with them and I showed her and she finished half a card by the time I left. I also gave her a crossword puzzle and a pen. So far she hasn’t filled in a crossword puzzle for me independently but I keep leaving them there in the hopes she will. I also left her “Love Notes to Dotty “ book and the vocabulary easel her friends bought her for Christmas. It is a book that stands like an easel and has words and definitions on it. She loves words!
Dad and Anthony came next and Anthony worked with mom. They went outside to enjoy the beautiful weather and sat there until lunch. After lunch mom went to therapy. Dad waited for her and stayed to put her in bed. I called in the evening and mom was very happy that dad was going to be with her to put her to bed.
My dad is the Grand Marshal of the Town of Babylon fireman’s parade today!!! Mom is sad she won’t be there so I am video taping it and taking pictures! He only found out yesterday afternoon so not all of us will be there because we didn’t know. My brother is going to Philadelphia with his family this weekend, a well-deserved vacation. Kathy is upstate delivering much needed supplies to our friend who is a pastor. Pastor Dotty lives between two towns that were wiped out during hurricane Irene. Kathy called last night crying that both towns were totally gone. No houses or stores. Please pray for those people who have lost everything.
I am heading to mom to give her breakfast and stay with her today until dad’s parade.
Peace and be well.
~Claud
=
Sorry I didn’t mail out the blog. Everything is OK. I fell asleep at 8:30 last night from exhaustion!
I started the day with mom and set her up for the day. I also helped her with breakfast. After breakfast I gave her the tray table with three sewing cards. She asked me what to do with them and I showed her and she finished half a card by the time I left. I also gave her a crossword puzzle and a pen. So far she hasn’t filled in a crossword puzzle for me independently but I keep leaving them there in the hopes she will. I also left her “Love Notes to Dotty “ book and the vocabulary easel her friends bought her for Christmas. It is a book that stands like an easel and has words and definitions on it. She loves words!
Dad and Anthony came next and Anthony worked with mom. They went outside to enjoy the beautiful weather and sat there until lunch. After lunch mom went to therapy. Dad waited for her and stayed to put her in bed. I called in the evening and mom was very happy that dad was going to be with her to put her to bed.
My dad is the Grand Marshal of the Town of Babylon fireman’s parade today!!! Mom is sad she won’t be there so I am video taping it and taking pictures! He only found out yesterday afternoon so not all of us will be there because we didn’t know. My brother is going to Philadelphia with his family this weekend, a well-deserved vacation. Kathy is upstate delivering much needed supplies to our friend who is a pastor. Pastor Dotty lives between two towns that were wiped out during hurricane Irene. Kathy called last night crying that both towns were totally gone. No houses or stores. Please pray for those people who have lost everything.
I am heading to mom to give her breakfast and stay with her today until dad’s parade.
Peace and be well.
~Claud
=
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Mom Update, September 15, 2011, Thursday
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Anthony started the day with mom. He set her up for the morning and gave her breakfast. He stayed with her until dad got there. I didn't get to touch base with him regarding mom, but if I know Anthony, he worked on her legs. Dad stayed with mom all day.
Yes, mom IS getting better each day. Her progress is forward mainly but with little steps backward in some areas (for example, you can't hear her talk most times again--her volume is very low). But, thank God, her cognition is ever going forward though which is great. The main periods of confusion occur when she is either
tired or when she is emotional (like wanting to go home), but the confusion is not vast.
We are noticing that she is highly distracted when in a group---any interaction that involves more than her and someone else, becomes distracting for her. In such situations, she is suddenly unable to hear. We check her hearing aids and usually they are fine so it is an attentional or sensory overload problem.
Last night, at the computer, she really had a hard time focusing on the monitor (the picture was small at first) even though the volume was really loud. We had to give her many sensory cues, like making the picture much larger as well as having the volume up high, in order for mom to be able to focus on the computer. She DID eventually focus once we did all this (other people also cannot be talking at the same time or she cannot filter out the background from the foreground sound---this means that she has difficulty determining what is important to listen to versus what is not---and she can't multi-task and listen to and filter everything).
Mom is also becoming angry at her situation. I guess she is beginning to go through that stage of grief which is good as long as she continues to move forward to the acceptance stage of the process. Over the last few days, she frequently says, "I'm so sick of all this. I want to get out of here" lately. Perhaps this is what is driving her
to become more cognizant and physically able at times. It seems so.
Mom has been referring to her parents again alot lately. However, sometimes she forgets that they have both passed away. Claudia had a conversation about them and the fact that they are "in heaven watching down" with mom yesterday. Mom wasn't shocked to know they are gone, she just listened.
~Kathy
I went to mom tonight because John was needed for another family situation. I arrived and dad was sitting next to her and they were both watching TV. Dad told me he spoke to the facility’s main doctor about mom and how when she was in Brookhaven the doctor there mentioned an operation to close up the stoma. He said he would look into it. He also mentioned the feeding tube and this doctor agreed with dad that it can open her up to an infection having the tube in for too long.
Dad left and I stayed with mom. I brought a few catalogs that I received in the mail. Mom looked at them for a while. She also had a Chinese menu on her tray. She was very excited to tell me that tomorrow she is ordering Chinese food for lunch. She was like a little kid almost giggling with excitement. I asked if she and dad were ordering food and she said yes.
Dinner came and she ate a good amount. She had tortellini, mixed vegetables, and a pudding pie. She didn’t eat much of the vegetables. I cleared off her tray table and took out the letter blocks. I had her and I take turns spelling words with the blocks. After that I took out the thera-putty and buried little plastic pieces in it. I then had her dig through the thera-putty to get them out. She stayed with the task until they were all found. At one point the CNA came in and asked her when she wanted to go to bed and she said soon and then told me she was sorry but she was tired. SORRY! I love that she can be comfortable and rest in bed early in the evening. Anything is better than when she had “sundowners”. That was horrible staying up late until she settled down.
Once mom was in bed she kept saying for me to go home. I told her I would stay a little while longer. We held hands and sang our song and mom sang a little of the counter part but forgot the words…
I hear singing and there's no one there
I smell blossoms and the trees are bare
All day long I seem to walk on air
I wonder why, I wonder why?
I keep tossing in my sleep at night
And what's more, I've lost my appetite
Stars that used to twinkle in the skies
Are twinkling in my eyes, I wonder why?
You don't need analyzin'
It is not so surprisin'
That you feel very strange but nice
Your heart goes pitter-patter
I know just what's the matter
Because I've been there once or twice
Put your head on my shoulder
You need someone who's older
A rub down with a velvet glove
There is nothing you can take
To relieve that pleasant ache
You're not sick, you're just in love!
Both parts are sung simultaneously. The last time we sang she sang my part. We had a great talk. Mom said that she is afraid to go home. I asked her why and she said she is always nervous when she comes home from vacation or being away for a while. She said, “Where do I start?” Meaning, where does she start to straighten up the house when she gets home. She said everything must be different. She also said she is blessed to have our family. At one point mom asked me if she was a good mother. I told her that she is and that the reason we are so good to her is that we are a reflection of the love she has for us. I told her that she taught us how to be loving and caring. She spoke about how much she misses her life with dad. I reassured her that she would walk out of this place. (Actually, I forgot to mention that tonight when they put her on the sarita lift, mom lifted herself up and stayed holding on and supporting herself with her legs. I was pretty impressed). We talked some more and she asked about John. She said, “I thought my other boyfriend was coming tonight” (meaning John) and I told her he had something very important to do. We called him and she spoke to him. She was pretty loud. We eventually said a prayer and just before I finished she said, “And please let me go home to dad.”
It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.
Ephesians 1:11
Peace,
~Claud
Anthony started the day with mom. He set her up for the morning and gave her breakfast. He stayed with her until dad got there. I didn't get to touch base with him regarding mom, but if I know Anthony, he worked on her legs. Dad stayed with mom all day.
Yes, mom IS getting better each day. Her progress is forward mainly but with little steps backward in some areas (for example, you can't hear her talk most times again--her volume is very low). But, thank God, her cognition is ever going forward though which is great. The main periods of confusion occur when she is either
tired or when she is emotional (like wanting to go home), but the confusion is not vast.
We are noticing that she is highly distracted when in a group---any interaction that involves more than her and someone else, becomes distracting for her. In such situations, she is suddenly unable to hear. We check her hearing aids and usually they are fine so it is an attentional or sensory overload problem.
Last night, at the computer, she really had a hard time focusing on the monitor (the picture was small at first) even though the volume was really loud. We had to give her many sensory cues, like making the picture much larger as well as having the volume up high, in order for mom to be able to focus on the computer. She DID eventually focus once we did all this (other people also cannot be talking at the same time or she cannot filter out the background from the foreground sound---this means that she has difficulty determining what is important to listen to versus what is not---and she can't multi-task and listen to and filter everything).
Mom is also becoming angry at her situation. I guess she is beginning to go through that stage of grief which is good as long as she continues to move forward to the acceptance stage of the process. Over the last few days, she frequently says, "I'm so sick of all this. I want to get out of here" lately. Perhaps this is what is driving her
to become more cognizant and physically able at times. It seems so.
Mom has been referring to her parents again alot lately. However, sometimes she forgets that they have both passed away. Claudia had a conversation about them and the fact that they are "in heaven watching down" with mom yesterday. Mom wasn't shocked to know they are gone, she just listened.
~Kathy
I went to mom tonight because John was needed for another family situation. I arrived and dad was sitting next to her and they were both watching TV. Dad told me he spoke to the facility’s main doctor about mom and how when she was in Brookhaven the doctor there mentioned an operation to close up the stoma. He said he would look into it. He also mentioned the feeding tube and this doctor agreed with dad that it can open her up to an infection having the tube in for too long.
Dad left and I stayed with mom. I brought a few catalogs that I received in the mail. Mom looked at them for a while. She also had a Chinese menu on her tray. She was very excited to tell me that tomorrow she is ordering Chinese food for lunch. She was like a little kid almost giggling with excitement. I asked if she and dad were ordering food and she said yes.
Dinner came and she ate a good amount. She had tortellini, mixed vegetables, and a pudding pie. She didn’t eat much of the vegetables. I cleared off her tray table and took out the letter blocks. I had her and I take turns spelling words with the blocks. After that I took out the thera-putty and buried little plastic pieces in it. I then had her dig through the thera-putty to get them out. She stayed with the task until they were all found. At one point the CNA came in and asked her when she wanted to go to bed and she said soon and then told me she was sorry but she was tired. SORRY! I love that she can be comfortable and rest in bed early in the evening. Anything is better than when she had “sundowners”. That was horrible staying up late until she settled down.
Once mom was in bed she kept saying for me to go home. I told her I would stay a little while longer. We held hands and sang our song and mom sang a little of the counter part but forgot the words…
I hear singing and there's no one there
I smell blossoms and the trees are bare
All day long I seem to walk on air
I wonder why, I wonder why?
I keep tossing in my sleep at night
And what's more, I've lost my appetite
Stars that used to twinkle in the skies
Are twinkling in my eyes, I wonder why?
You don't need analyzin'
It is not so surprisin'
That you feel very strange but nice
Your heart goes pitter-patter
I know just what's the matter
Because I've been there once or twice
Put your head on my shoulder
You need someone who's older
A rub down with a velvet glove
There is nothing you can take
To relieve that pleasant ache
You're not sick, you're just in love!
Both parts are sung simultaneously. The last time we sang she sang my part. We had a great talk. Mom said that she is afraid to go home. I asked her why and she said she is always nervous when she comes home from vacation or being away for a while. She said, “Where do I start?” Meaning, where does she start to straighten up the house when she gets home. She said everything must be different. She also said she is blessed to have our family. At one point mom asked me if she was a good mother. I told her that she is and that the reason we are so good to her is that we are a reflection of the love she has for us. I told her that she taught us how to be loving and caring. She spoke about how much she misses her life with dad. I reassured her that she would walk out of this place. (Actually, I forgot to mention that tonight when they put her on the sarita lift, mom lifted herself up and stayed holding on and supporting herself with her legs. I was pretty impressed). We talked some more and she asked about John. She said, “I thought my other boyfriend was coming tonight” (meaning John) and I told her he had something very important to do. We called him and she spoke to him. She was pretty loud. We eventually said a prayer and just before I finished she said, “And please let me go home to dad.”
It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.
Ephesians 1:11
Peace,
~Claud
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Mom Update, September 14, 2011, Wednesday
Mom was asleep when Claudia arrived. Claudia woke mom and helped to get mom ready in the bed and put her hearing aides in. Breakfast came and mom complained that the turkey is too salty. She had a hard boiled egg and cracked it herself and peeled it and ate it. Mom asked for 2-3 glasses of ice water. She loves drinking it and chewing on the ice cubes.
Today was mom’s CNAs birthday and mom sang, “Happy Birthday” to her. Mom watched ‘Good Morning America” and commented on what she was watching. Claudia set her up with crosswords, word searches, pens, pencils, and the phone and phone numbers (Claudia gave mom choices and mom chose what she wanted). Then Claudia left for work.
When Anthony came to see mom today, he found her in better spirits than yesterday. He worked on her legs and they did exercises that both the physical therapist and Barry showed us. Mom did great! She had a lot of strength in her legs. Mom was able to bend and stretch her legs really well. She also was able to push very hard against Anthony’s hands.
Dad joined Anthony and mom and assisted mom with leg exercises too. Dad said that someone came and changed mom’s mattress today. They took the air mattress away and gave mom some hard one with the springs jutting out of it. I am investigating how to get the air mattress back again. The last thing we need is bed sores.
The dentist saw mom today. Within a week or two, mom’s teeth will be getting cleaned here at the facility. The dentist just needs to wait for clearance from the doctor.
Dad said that mom had all her therapies today and did well with them. The best time to visit mom is before 1:00 p.m. or after 3:30 p.m. She has therapies in the afternoon.
Mom’s friends, Maureen and Florence, came to visit her today. They brought mom pictures of when the choir from church came to see her. They enlarged one of the pictures of mom and the other choir members. It was beautiful.
Aunt Carol and I came to see mom tonight to put her to bed. We sat and talked with mom as she ate dinner. Mom asked Aunt Carol, out of nowhere, about whether Aunt Carol ever had a stroke (she did about 17 years ago). Mom compared things about her condition with Aunt Carol. She asked Aunt Carol if she had surgery on her head too. She touched the place where Aunt Carol had surgery and then showed Aunt Carol her spot. Aunt Carol has a hole of sorts in her skull while mom has a bump where the shunt is. I teased mom and told her that her bump and Aunt Carol’s hole make one full, complete person. Mom asked many relevant, pertinent questions. It was really something!! Aunt Carol is mom’s role model to aspire to be like---our family “poster child.” Our family miracle.
Then Claudia came to join us. We all went to the computer room to watch a video Uncle Mike and Aunt Pat sent to us about Ukranian food and cooking. Mom enjoyed the movie so much!! She laughed at certain parts that reminded her of Grammy (her mom). Claudia and Aunt Carol left and mom and I went back upstairs to get her ready for bed. We watched TV and talked and read magazines while we waited for mom’s CNA to come put mom to bed.
When the CNAs came to put mom into bed, they used the serita (lifting machine that mom holds onto while a pad wraps around her back and under her arms). The last time mom used this was around Labor Day and she wasn’t good at standing or holding herself in a standing position at all. Today, MOM PULLED HERSELF AND STOOD!!!!!! SHE SUPPORTED HERSELF!! She was bent over a bit (her back was) but she did it!!
“As in water face reflects face, so t he heart of man reflects man.” Proverbs27
Today was mom’s CNAs birthday and mom sang, “Happy Birthday” to her. Mom watched ‘Good Morning America” and commented on what she was watching. Claudia set her up with crosswords, word searches, pens, pencils, and the phone and phone numbers (Claudia gave mom choices and mom chose what she wanted). Then Claudia left for work.
When Anthony came to see mom today, he found her in better spirits than yesterday. He worked on her legs and they did exercises that both the physical therapist and Barry showed us. Mom did great! She had a lot of strength in her legs. Mom was able to bend and stretch her legs really well. She also was able to push very hard against Anthony’s hands.
Dad joined Anthony and mom and assisted mom with leg exercises too. Dad said that someone came and changed mom’s mattress today. They took the air mattress away and gave mom some hard one with the springs jutting out of it. I am investigating how to get the air mattress back again. The last thing we need is bed sores.
The dentist saw mom today. Within a week or two, mom’s teeth will be getting cleaned here at the facility. The dentist just needs to wait for clearance from the doctor.
Dad said that mom had all her therapies today and did well with them. The best time to visit mom is before 1:00 p.m. or after 3:30 p.m. She has therapies in the afternoon.
Mom’s friends, Maureen and Florence, came to visit her today. They brought mom pictures of when the choir from church came to see her. They enlarged one of the pictures of mom and the other choir members. It was beautiful.
Aunt Carol and I came to see mom tonight to put her to bed. We sat and talked with mom as she ate dinner. Mom asked Aunt Carol, out of nowhere, about whether Aunt Carol ever had a stroke (she did about 17 years ago). Mom compared things about her condition with Aunt Carol. She asked Aunt Carol if she had surgery on her head too. She touched the place where Aunt Carol had surgery and then showed Aunt Carol her spot. Aunt Carol has a hole of sorts in her skull while mom has a bump where the shunt is. I teased mom and told her that her bump and Aunt Carol’s hole make one full, complete person. Mom asked many relevant, pertinent questions. It was really something!! Aunt Carol is mom’s role model to aspire to be like---our family “poster child.” Our family miracle.
Then Claudia came to join us. We all went to the computer room to watch a video Uncle Mike and Aunt Pat sent to us about Ukranian food and cooking. Mom enjoyed the movie so much!! She laughed at certain parts that reminded her of Grammy (her mom). Claudia and Aunt Carol left and mom and I went back upstairs to get her ready for bed. We watched TV and talked and read magazines while we waited for mom’s CNA to come put mom to bed.
When the CNAs came to put mom into bed, they used the serita (lifting machine that mom holds onto while a pad wraps around her back and under her arms). The last time mom used this was around Labor Day and she wasn’t good at standing or holding herself in a standing position at all. Today, MOM PULLED HERSELF AND STOOD!!!!!! SHE SUPPORTED HERSELF!! She was bent over a bit (her back was) but she did it!!
“As in water face reflects face, so t he heart of man reflects man.” Proverbs27
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Mom Update, September13, 2011, Tuesday
I started the day with mom. She was sleeping when I arrived. She was NOT happy having to wake up. She wanted to sleep more, but breakfast was already on its way. I fixed her in the bed and set the tray table up so she could eat. I didn’t have much time this morning because I had an 8:15 meeting. I had made a sheet up with all of our cell numbers (me, Kathy, Anthony and Pop). She started by dialing my cell phone and she did it! It rang! I then had her dial Anthony and she was able to talk to him. When I came back in the afternoon after work, dad said she called him today! Those of you who know the real “mom” will know this is dangerous because she will be prank calling us all day! (I can’t wait for the whispered tones of “Is your refrigerator running? Better catch it!). I cut up her food and poured her juice. I cut her food up and then had to leave. I left some magazines and a book for her to read. I also left her the remote.
~Claud
When I came to see mom this morning, she was in the large recreation room with much older patients. They were getting ready to have coffee together. I approached mom and she desparately said, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" It upsets her to be with the "old" people as she calls them. We went back to her room and I cut her hair, trimmed her nails, had her brush her teeth, and then I put her make up on. She was in a quiet mood. I think she misses her therapies a lot and feels that she was given up on. She called Aunt Carol for her birthday and sang to her on the phone. Mom thought that dad was coming to take her home today and cried a bit when I told her today was not "the" day. We went down to the computer room next because mom wants to learn how to use the computer again. We met Anthony downstairs. Mom was confused with the computer but not terribly so. Using her left hand is the big challenge there (on the computer).
Mom was in the wheelchair and wanted to learn how to push herself. Anthony is soooo patient with her. It is a beautiful thing to watch their interactions. He gently guides and encourages her. I had a flashback today of years ago when mom would sit with Anthony and teach him at home....he now has the opportunity to do the same for mom. They work well together. Mom's progress is sooooo slow at times but Anthony is soooo patient with her.
Anthony said that when they went back upstairs, mom had lunch and it was still all wrong. He called both the dietician and the speech therapist to get it fixed---wrong liquids still. Anthony said he could barely get mom to laugh. She wasn't her happy self today. She is still on medication and also still has the UTI which could contribute to her mood.
Anthony said that he and mom did some WORD SEARCHES. Mom could read the words on the list, circles the words in the jumble of words when Anthony pointed the words out, and cross out the words found from the list. But, mom couldn't find the words from amongst the jumble of words.
~Kathy
I came back in the afternoon and dad was sitting beside her. He gets all nervous when he sees me and starts to make excuses (LOL). I tried to have her do work but she won’t work for me! It’s cute. I sat down and started to work with mom. I did the scrambled sentences and she was able to do a page and a half. They are lists of scrambled sentences (pancakes I this morning ate). She was able to unscrambled them. I then took out the markers and the white board and practiced writing letters. She was doing great. I took out a piece of paper and a pencil and had her copy words in order to write Ava a letter. She did it, she wrote her a note – To Ava, How do you like Brooklyn, etc. I then took out some drawing cards we had from a long time ago. They have pictures of simple drawings and then the same drawing on the opposite side of the card with missing pieces. Mom did a pretty good attempt at filling in the missing pieces. I took a picture of one of them. I then took out the language book that John’s cousin gave us and she did fine with creating sentences. She always says that the activities in that book are “stupid”, yet there are task in that book that she can’t do yet. The visual perception tasks can be difficult.
I then had her open my computer and type her name and address. It took a long time for her to type with one hand. I had her use the caps lock key to make a capital and then turn it off. When she was all done she realized that she didn’t write Avenue after Belmont and corrected it. She read it back to me and when she was done I remembered a song she use to sing us when we were little. It was a song that she learned n kindergarten!
I know my name and address and telephone number too, and if some day I lose my way, I’ll know just what to do! Walk up to a kind policeman, the very first one you meet, and simply say I’ve lost my way and cannot find my street. BUT… I know my name and address and telephone number too. And he’ll be kind and help you find the dear ones who wait for you.
She sang the whole song and we laughed and laughed!
Dinner came and mom ate a grilled cheese sandwich and potato salad (weird dinner huh?). She didn’t eat the carrots or the fruit. She has lost her appetite. I wonder if it is the medicines that she is on. After dinner we watched TV and she fell asleep in the wheel chair. She was put into bed early.
When mom was in bed for the night I had an idea to call Anthony and have her sing to him. We called Anthony and she sang the song for him. I held my hand over her stoma and she actually carried the tune and sang for real!!! Next we called Kathy and then Con and the kids and mom sang the song for all of them. I couldn’t believe I was hearing her sing again. In the past she would mouth the words here and there, but this time she was actually singing.
She kept telling me that she misses dad. I tried to console her. My mom and dad are truly in love with each other. They have been a model for our family with regard to what true love is. They still sit and hold hands and kiss. Tonight dad hugged the stuffing out of mom and gave her many kisses before her left. I can’t help but think about the song and “the dear ones” who have waited for mom over he last 15 months.
Peace and be well,
~Claud
~Claud
When I came to see mom this morning, she was in the large recreation room with much older patients. They were getting ready to have coffee together. I approached mom and she desparately said, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" It upsets her to be with the "old" people as she calls them. We went back to her room and I cut her hair, trimmed her nails, had her brush her teeth, and then I put her make up on. She was in a quiet mood. I think she misses her therapies a lot and feels that she was given up on. She called Aunt Carol for her birthday and sang to her on the phone. Mom thought that dad was coming to take her home today and cried a bit when I told her today was not "the" day. We went down to the computer room next because mom wants to learn how to use the computer again. We met Anthony downstairs. Mom was confused with the computer but not terribly so. Using her left hand is the big challenge there (on the computer).
Mom was in the wheelchair and wanted to learn how to push herself. Anthony is soooo patient with her. It is a beautiful thing to watch their interactions. He gently guides and encourages her. I had a flashback today of years ago when mom would sit with Anthony and teach him at home....he now has the opportunity to do the same for mom. They work well together. Mom's progress is sooooo slow at times but Anthony is soooo patient with her.
Anthony said that when they went back upstairs, mom had lunch and it was still all wrong. He called both the dietician and the speech therapist to get it fixed---wrong liquids still. Anthony said he could barely get mom to laugh. She wasn't her happy self today. She is still on medication and also still has the UTI which could contribute to her mood.
Anthony said that he and mom did some WORD SEARCHES. Mom could read the words on the list, circles the words in the jumble of words when Anthony pointed the words out, and cross out the words found from the list. But, mom couldn't find the words from amongst the jumble of words.
~Kathy
I came back in the afternoon and dad was sitting beside her. He gets all nervous when he sees me and starts to make excuses (LOL). I tried to have her do work but she won’t work for me! It’s cute. I sat down and started to work with mom. I did the scrambled sentences and she was able to do a page and a half. They are lists of scrambled sentences (pancakes I this morning ate). She was able to unscrambled them. I then took out the markers and the white board and practiced writing letters. She was doing great. I took out a piece of paper and a pencil and had her copy words in order to write Ava a letter. She did it, she wrote her a note – To Ava, How do you like Brooklyn, etc. I then took out some drawing cards we had from a long time ago. They have pictures of simple drawings and then the same drawing on the opposite side of the card with missing pieces. Mom did a pretty good attempt at filling in the missing pieces. I took a picture of one of them. I then took out the language book that John’s cousin gave us and she did fine with creating sentences. She always says that the activities in that book are “stupid”, yet there are task in that book that she can’t do yet. The visual perception tasks can be difficult.
I then had her open my computer and type her name and address. It took a long time for her to type with one hand. I had her use the caps lock key to make a capital and then turn it off. When she was all done she realized that she didn’t write Avenue after Belmont and corrected it. She read it back to me and when she was done I remembered a song she use to sing us when we were little. It was a song that she learned n kindergarten!
I know my name and address and telephone number too, and if some day I lose my way, I’ll know just what to do! Walk up to a kind policeman, the very first one you meet, and simply say I’ve lost my way and cannot find my street. BUT… I know my name and address and telephone number too. And he’ll be kind and help you find the dear ones who wait for you.
She sang the whole song and we laughed and laughed!
Dinner came and mom ate a grilled cheese sandwich and potato salad (weird dinner huh?). She didn’t eat the carrots or the fruit. She has lost her appetite. I wonder if it is the medicines that she is on. After dinner we watched TV and she fell asleep in the wheel chair. She was put into bed early.
When mom was in bed for the night I had an idea to call Anthony and have her sing to him. We called Anthony and she sang the song for him. I held my hand over her stoma and she actually carried the tune and sang for real!!! Next we called Kathy and then Con and the kids and mom sang the song for all of them. I couldn’t believe I was hearing her sing again. In the past she would mouth the words here and there, but this time she was actually singing.
She kept telling me that she misses dad. I tried to console her. My mom and dad are truly in love with each other. They have been a model for our family with regard to what true love is. They still sit and hold hands and kiss. Tonight dad hugged the stuffing out of mom and gave her many kisses before her left. I can’t help but think about the song and “the dear ones” who have waited for mom over he last 15 months.
Peace and be well,
~Claud
Mom Update, Monday, September 12, 2011
Hi Everyone!!
Tonight---CLaudia and I both did the update!! SO since I am too tired to juxtapose the 2--you are getting the events from 2 different perspectives! Happy Reading!
I started the morning with mom. She was asleep when I walked in the
room. I woke her and opened the blinds. A young CNA came in the room and
asked about our family pictures and who they all were. I told her that
when my mom was first in the coma we placed the pictures there so when
she woke up she would know who we all were and also find comfort in the
pictures. Now that she is so alert I feel they bring her comfort knowing
we are all with her in spirit throughout the day. It also serves as a
visual motivation to get better and be home with the people she loves.
The CNA helped me pull mom to the head of the bed. There are mornings
when I have to do this by myself and it isn’t very easy. I pull a little
on the right and walk over to the left and pull a little and back and
forth until she is at the top of the bed, this way when I lift the bed
she bends in at the waist and can eat comfortably. It was nice to have
help this morning. I am going to back up a little. When I first arrived
this morning mom’s roommate said something to me and ask me to do
something for her. I am embarrassed to admit this, but I had to be firm.
I asked a nurse to come in to witness my interaction. I stood at the
foot of her bed and said, “Mrs. X I am sorry but my family can no longer
help you. I cannot speak to you either because it only results in a
problem. If you need help, please call the nurse. Push the buzzer.”
WELL…. She yelled at the nurse that I threatened her and didn’t she see
me shake a fist at her and she is calling the police! What made me think
of getting the nurse to witness? It was divine intervention! The nurse
told her that this didn’t happen. Now I want to explain why my family is
so upset by this. We have always helped the people in the room with mom;
turned on their TV when asked, moved the phone close, given them a
tissue when needed or called the nurse for them. It bothers me that this
is happening. I understand that she has dementia, but then she should be
in that wing of the facility (especially since she keeps calling the
police). And I guess it bothers me because mom gets so upset from her
yelling and screaming and is being kept up at night. The staff at one
point mentioned moving mom and Kathy almost screamed form frustration.
OK…the good news is she was moved out during the day and mom doesn’t
have a roommate anymore. I had to leave early today because I had jury
duty! Mom asked me where I had jury duty? (great question and very
relevant) I told her where and she said, “Oh that far?” Little does
she know that it is a hop, skip and jump from where she is! She thinks I am going from home which is far away. I set her up with her tray table. I put her Lake Wobegon book, magazines, the phone, and the remote. How great it is not to have to put the mitts on. Our theory is, she was in the hospital all week without incident and it was strange surroundings. Say a prayer that we can keep them off for good. Anthony and dad came to see mom during the day. Anthony had mom do exercise with her legs but she wouldn’t put the magazine down. Anthony told her to put the magazine down and mom
said, “I’m lifting my legs!” A social worker came in to talk to dad
about mom coming home and there is a process that the PT has to show
that she can walk and if dad can’t handle mom than they can see about
assistance in the home through a specific program. It is up to social
services, they send in a nurse from social services to determine if she
is safe in the home. Con, Sam and Anthony went to see mom tonight and
put her to bed. Mom kept asking if Anthony is visiting her tonight and
they kept looking at the pictures and she asked Con is my father coming
to visit and Con said Poppy left to go eat dinner. Mom then mumbled to
herself, “I meant MY father.” Con just made as though she didn’t hear
her. We have been thinking about how we can let her know who is in
heaven and passed on. I thought of a timeline and Samantha said how
about mixing good things and deaths i.e. Ava and Lenny graduate High
School, uncle so and so passed away. We still have to give some thought
about this. Sam and Anthony took out the ipad and went through photos.
Kathy put all of her family photos from all the holidays and parties we
have had over the years on the ipad. The first photo that came up was my
friend Debbie and mom was able to name her! She saw pictures of Aunt
Carol and all of her friends and named them all. They talked about when
the photos were taken (what event) and mom carried on a conversation
with all of them. Mom started to get tired early. She told Con that she
was up last night because of her roommate. Con told her to lay back and
close her eyes. They all sat around her and mom fell asleep. Con and the
kids took out her hearing aides, put the timer on the TV, lowered the
bed and placed the mats next to the bed.Peace and be still…~Claud
Claudia began the day with mom this morning. Claudia said that, when she arrived to see mom early this morning, she asked the nurse to witness her interaction with mom’s roommate who was already asking Claudia to do things for her. They talked in the presence of the nurse and, when Claudia finished speaking to the roommate, the roommate asked the nurse if she saw how Claudia had just threatened her while shaking her fist at the roommate. Total imagination. The poor roommate must have dementia, but what she says should NOT be taken seriously.
The facility social worker called me at work today to “take a statement” about what happened with mom’s roommate last night. I explained everything to the social worker and was informed that it was only a written accusation and no big deal. I asked for a copy of anything written.
The roommate was moved to another room!!!
When Anthony got to mom this morning, she was reading a magazine. She was engrossed in it and didn’t talk much to him unless he engaged her. The speech therapist came to reassess mom (as explained to Anthony, this is standard protocol after a hospital stay of more than 2 days). All the various therapists need to reassess mom today. The speech person brought mom crackers and water. Mom ate and drank with no problems. The therapist came to observe mom during lunch as well mom did fine. The therapist assured Anthony that mom would be back on a typical diet by dinner time today. Anthony worked on mom’s gross motor skills by exercising her legs. He gave her commands and mom followed them with success.
When I arrived to see mom, she and dad were watching TV. Physical therapy came to assess mom and said she would resume sitting in the wheelchair and going for physical therapy tomorrow. The physical therapist was impressed with mom’s strength in her legs!! This is all thanks to Anthony. The speech therapist told dad that speech would resume tomorrow along with regular, thin liquids.
Mom did something today that she used to do multiple times a day at home pre-stroke and aneurysm, she called to dad, who is practically deaf, and then repeated his name in progressively louder tones…. “Jean, Jean, JEAN!!!!!!” She’s baaaacccckkkkkkk!!!! Hahaha!!!
Dad spoke to mom’s social worker today about what happens when it is time to go home. When it is time to bring mom home, the facility doctor has to OK the move home first. Then, paperwork is filled out which goes to Social Services. Social Services then comes to evaluate mom and decides which program mom is eligible to attend or receive. Mom is eligible for the 2nd level of service which qualifies mom to have a weekly visit from a nurse to check her out, an aide to help with bathing and dressing several times a day (a few hours a day). They would also provide transportation for mom to and from therapies. Anthony said there is also a component of mom needing to be able to walk a little as well.
Mom called her dear friends, Maureen and Florence, today. She talked to them both and told Maureen to bring her calf’s liver to eat (a favorite of mom’s). One of the friends is having cataract surgery and mom said, “What Cadillac?” These phone calls cheered mom up. She was down when I arrived and kept saying she would never be able to walk or go home. She misses her therapies. Mom and I talked and we sang songs and did exercises to increase her volume.
Con, Anthony Michael and Sammy came to be with mom tonight.
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance...." Revelation 2:2
Tonight---CLaudia and I both did the update!! SO since I am too tired to juxtapose the 2--you are getting the events from 2 different perspectives! Happy Reading!
I started the morning with mom. She was asleep when I walked in the
room. I woke her and opened the blinds. A young CNA came in the room and
asked about our family pictures and who they all were. I told her that
when my mom was first in the coma we placed the pictures there so when
she woke up she would know who we all were and also find comfort in the
pictures. Now that she is so alert I feel they bring her comfort knowing
we are all with her in spirit throughout the day. It also serves as a
visual motivation to get better and be home with the people she loves.
The CNA helped me pull mom to the head of the bed. There are mornings
when I have to do this by myself and it isn’t very easy. I pull a little
on the right and walk over to the left and pull a little and back and
forth until she is at the top of the bed, this way when I lift the bed
she bends in at the waist and can eat comfortably. It was nice to have
help this morning. I am going to back up a little. When I first arrived
this morning mom’s roommate said something to me and ask me to do
something for her. I am embarrassed to admit this, but I had to be firm.
I asked a nurse to come in to witness my interaction. I stood at the
foot of her bed and said, “Mrs. X I am sorry but my family can no longer
help you. I cannot speak to you either because it only results in a
problem. If you need help, please call the nurse. Push the buzzer.”
WELL…. She yelled at the nurse that I threatened her and didn’t she see
me shake a fist at her and she is calling the police! What made me think
of getting the nurse to witness? It was divine intervention! The nurse
told her that this didn’t happen. Now I want to explain why my family is
so upset by this. We have always helped the people in the room with mom;
turned on their TV when asked, moved the phone close, given them a
tissue when needed or called the nurse for them. It bothers me that this
is happening. I understand that she has dementia, but then she should be
in that wing of the facility (especially since she keeps calling the
police). And I guess it bothers me because mom gets so upset from her
yelling and screaming and is being kept up at night. The staff at one
point mentioned moving mom and Kathy almost screamed form frustration.
OK…the good news is she was moved out during the day and mom doesn’t
have a roommate anymore. I had to leave early today because I had jury
duty! Mom asked me where I had jury duty? (great question and very
relevant) I told her where and she said, “Oh that far?” Little does
she know that it is a hop, skip and jump from where she is! She thinks I am going from home which is far away. I set her up with her tray table. I put her Lake Wobegon book, magazines, the phone, and the remote. How great it is not to have to put the mitts on. Our theory is, she was in the hospital all week without incident and it was strange surroundings. Say a prayer that we can keep them off for good. Anthony and dad came to see mom during the day. Anthony had mom do exercise with her legs but she wouldn’t put the magazine down. Anthony told her to put the magazine down and mom
said, “I’m lifting my legs!” A social worker came in to talk to dad
about mom coming home and there is a process that the PT has to show
that she can walk and if dad can’t handle mom than they can see about
assistance in the home through a specific program. It is up to social
services, they send in a nurse from social services to determine if she
is safe in the home. Con, Sam and Anthony went to see mom tonight and
put her to bed. Mom kept asking if Anthony is visiting her tonight and
they kept looking at the pictures and she asked Con is my father coming
to visit and Con said Poppy left to go eat dinner. Mom then mumbled to
herself, “I meant MY father.” Con just made as though she didn’t hear
her. We have been thinking about how we can let her know who is in
heaven and passed on. I thought of a timeline and Samantha said how
about mixing good things and deaths i.e. Ava and Lenny graduate High
School, uncle so and so passed away. We still have to give some thought
about this. Sam and Anthony took out the ipad and went through photos.
Kathy put all of her family photos from all the holidays and parties we
have had over the years on the ipad. The first photo that came up was my
friend Debbie and mom was able to name her! She saw pictures of Aunt
Carol and all of her friends and named them all. They talked about when
the photos were taken (what event) and mom carried on a conversation
with all of them. Mom started to get tired early. She told Con that she
was up last night because of her roommate. Con told her to lay back and
close her eyes. They all sat around her and mom fell asleep. Con and the
kids took out her hearing aides, put the timer on the TV, lowered the
bed and placed the mats next to the bed.Peace and be still…~Claud
Claudia began the day with mom this morning. Claudia said that, when she arrived to see mom early this morning, she asked the nurse to witness her interaction with mom’s roommate who was already asking Claudia to do things for her. They talked in the presence of the nurse and, when Claudia finished speaking to the roommate, the roommate asked the nurse if she saw how Claudia had just threatened her while shaking her fist at the roommate. Total imagination. The poor roommate must have dementia, but what she says should NOT be taken seriously.
The facility social worker called me at work today to “take a statement” about what happened with mom’s roommate last night. I explained everything to the social worker and was informed that it was only a written accusation and no big deal. I asked for a copy of anything written.
The roommate was moved to another room!!!
When Anthony got to mom this morning, she was reading a magazine. She was engrossed in it and didn’t talk much to him unless he engaged her. The speech therapist came to reassess mom (as explained to Anthony, this is standard protocol after a hospital stay of more than 2 days). All the various therapists need to reassess mom today. The speech person brought mom crackers and water. Mom ate and drank with no problems. The therapist came to observe mom during lunch as well mom did fine. The therapist assured Anthony that mom would be back on a typical diet by dinner time today. Anthony worked on mom’s gross motor skills by exercising her legs. He gave her commands and mom followed them with success.
When I arrived to see mom, she and dad were watching TV. Physical therapy came to assess mom and said she would resume sitting in the wheelchair and going for physical therapy tomorrow. The physical therapist was impressed with mom’s strength in her legs!! This is all thanks to Anthony. The speech therapist told dad that speech would resume tomorrow along with regular, thin liquids.
Mom did something today that she used to do multiple times a day at home pre-stroke and aneurysm, she called to dad, who is practically deaf, and then repeated his name in progressively louder tones…. “Jean, Jean, JEAN!!!!!!” She’s baaaacccckkkkkkk!!!! Hahaha!!!
Dad spoke to mom’s social worker today about what happens when it is time to go home. When it is time to bring mom home, the facility doctor has to OK the move home first. Then, paperwork is filled out which goes to Social Services. Social Services then comes to evaluate mom and decides which program mom is eligible to attend or receive. Mom is eligible for the 2nd level of service which qualifies mom to have a weekly visit from a nurse to check her out, an aide to help with bathing and dressing several times a day (a few hours a day). They would also provide transportation for mom to and from therapies. Anthony said there is also a component of mom needing to be able to walk a little as well.
Mom called her dear friends, Maureen and Florence, today. She talked to them both and told Maureen to bring her calf’s liver to eat (a favorite of mom’s). One of the friends is having cataract surgery and mom said, “What Cadillac?” These phone calls cheered mom up. She was down when I arrived and kept saying she would never be able to walk or go home. She misses her therapies. Mom and I talked and we sang songs and did exercises to increase her volume.
Con, Anthony Michael and Sammy came to be with mom tonight.
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance...." Revelation 2:2
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Mom Update, September 11, 2011, Sunday
John and I started the day with mom. We
brought her breakfast, but she already had a great breakfast, so we just
gave her what the facility provided. Mom was sleeping when we walked
into the room. I opened the blinds and began to get her ready for her
day. She woke up and she was so surprised to see John. Since the
hurricane, John has been working 6 days a week with overtime every day.
We sat with mom and gave her breakfast. I had to remind her to tuck her
chin down. She had a whole week of eating mush (pureed food) so she
needed a little help. She ate most of her breakfast. We have been
noticing that since she has lost so much weight her appetite is not the
same. That’s OK though, since she isn’t overeating.
Dad, Con, and Kathy all called this morning to see how mom was doing. Mom made a joke when John was talking to Con and we all laughed. She spoke to dad, but I had
to relay messages from mom since he really can’t hear her. She asked relevant questions and was really having a conversation with him. I am glad that this infection and the little bit of anesthesia that she had the other day didn’t affect her cognitive ability.
After breakfast I gave mom the Sunday paper and held back her coffee from breakfast. It was so cozy hanging out together on a Sunday morning drinking coffee and reading the paper for a little while. Mom asked questions about things she was reading in the paper. I then took out the ipad and showed John how she can play the word jumble game. He also likes word games so they played together. Mom gets a word that is all jumbled and using a stylus she has to take each letter and place them in the correct order. This game also works on fine motor and gross motor skills. Mom has to reach forward and then stretch her forearm to place the letters in the right spot. Mom and John played this game for a while. There were times that mom unscrambled the word before John and I! A few times I asked her if she wanted to play something else and she said no.
Once she started to show disinterest I changed to the memory game. Mom was able to play with minimal prompting. John couldn’t believe how she was able to remember where the cards were. Mom was dressed and washed and put back to bed. We need to wait until tomorrow to put her back in her wheel chair. She needs to be cleared by the PT. This makes sense I guess. She hasn’t been using those muscles all week and we don’t want her to be unsafe.
Con, Anthony, Anthony Michael and Sam came. We were back in the room by then playing a multiplication math game. Mom really wants to know how to play each game. She doesn’t like it if I change a setting or advance to the next screen without explaining what I am doing.
Mom’s roommate called the police while we were there. She called more than once (3 times). Anthony went to get a nurse and the nurse got on the phone with the police. John and I left after a while and Con and Anthony and the kids stayed. Con said she was in a good mood. They talked. Lunch came and she didn’t like what she was given so they sent down for something else and she ate it. They asked her what she wanted to do and she asked them to put the TV on. The lady in the next bed was screaming for the nurses. Mom started to look tired from all the noise.
~Claud
Kathy: When I came to see mom this evening, dad and Terry were there. They were all watching “Pearl Harbor.” Mom asked me if I had ever seen that movie and, when I said no, mom said, “Oh it’s soooo good.” Mom’s dinner came and dad left to go home. Mom had a quiche and mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables for dinner. But—they had her back on thickened liquids for some reason???!!!!! We were told that we need to get new clearance for regular liquids again.....We will straighten things out tomorrow. Mom also wasn’t in the wheelchair all day. She had to stay in bed all day for some reason. Mom looked tired and washed out when I saw her. I finished hanging a few pictures and posters while mom watched TV and drank ice water and read the newspaper. We talked too.
Mom’s roommate was screaming for the aides and nurses the whole time I was there. No one came fast enough for the roommate so the yelling continued. It upset mom and was so loud it interrupted even the TV. Finally, I went around the curtain—stuck my head on the roommate’s side and told her to stop yelling and to ring the call bell instead. The next thing I knew, the roommate was calling the aides and saying that I threatened her!! Oh brother. Two nurses then two more nurses came in to take a statement from the roommate and then one from me. I would think that, after the false calls to the police department today by the roommate, no one would even take the roommate seriously. This is also the roommate who accused our family of stealing her things and her money... Whatever. God knows I didn’t threaten her. Mom and I prayed for the roommate and then just read the newspaper together.
I got mom ready for bed---it was 8:30 and she was still in her clothes. Her CNA came in to get her ready for bed so mom and I said our good-byes and I love yous. Just as I was leaving, mom called to me. Ever the joker that she is, she said, “Hey Kathy, next time you come, don’t make so much trouble around here!!” and laughed. She always has a way of putting things into perspective.
The weird thing is that, as I drove home and thought about calling someone to tell the events of the night to, I thought, “Hey, I think I’ll call mom and tell her about this”….what can I say? I miss her.
“The truth shall set you free.” John 8:32
brought her breakfast, but she already had a great breakfast, so we just
gave her what the facility provided. Mom was sleeping when we walked
into the room. I opened the blinds and began to get her ready for her
day. She woke up and she was so surprised to see John. Since the
hurricane, John has been working 6 days a week with overtime every day.
We sat with mom and gave her breakfast. I had to remind her to tuck her
chin down. She had a whole week of eating mush (pureed food) so she
needed a little help. She ate most of her breakfast. We have been
noticing that since she has lost so much weight her appetite is not the
same. That’s OK though, since she isn’t overeating.
Dad, Con, and Kathy all called this morning to see how mom was doing. Mom made a joke when John was talking to Con and we all laughed. She spoke to dad, but I had
to relay messages from mom since he really can’t hear her. She asked relevant questions and was really having a conversation with him. I am glad that this infection and the little bit of anesthesia that she had the other day didn’t affect her cognitive ability.
After breakfast I gave mom the Sunday paper and held back her coffee from breakfast. It was so cozy hanging out together on a Sunday morning drinking coffee and reading the paper for a little while. Mom asked questions about things she was reading in the paper. I then took out the ipad and showed John how she can play the word jumble game. He also likes word games so they played together. Mom gets a word that is all jumbled and using a stylus she has to take each letter and place them in the correct order. This game also works on fine motor and gross motor skills. Mom has to reach forward and then stretch her forearm to place the letters in the right spot. Mom and John played this game for a while. There were times that mom unscrambled the word before John and I! A few times I asked her if she wanted to play something else and she said no.
Once she started to show disinterest I changed to the memory game. Mom was able to play with minimal prompting. John couldn’t believe how she was able to remember where the cards were. Mom was dressed and washed and put back to bed. We need to wait until tomorrow to put her back in her wheel chair. She needs to be cleared by the PT. This makes sense I guess. She hasn’t been using those muscles all week and we don’t want her to be unsafe.
Con, Anthony, Anthony Michael and Sam came. We were back in the room by then playing a multiplication math game. Mom really wants to know how to play each game. She doesn’t like it if I change a setting or advance to the next screen without explaining what I am doing.
Mom’s roommate called the police while we were there. She called more than once (3 times). Anthony went to get a nurse and the nurse got on the phone with the police. John and I left after a while and Con and Anthony and the kids stayed. Con said she was in a good mood. They talked. Lunch came and she didn’t like what she was given so they sent down for something else and she ate it. They asked her what she wanted to do and she asked them to put the TV on. The lady in the next bed was screaming for the nurses. Mom started to look tired from all the noise.
~Claud
Kathy: When I came to see mom this evening, dad and Terry were there. They were all watching “Pearl Harbor.” Mom asked me if I had ever seen that movie and, when I said no, mom said, “Oh it’s soooo good.” Mom’s dinner came and dad left to go home. Mom had a quiche and mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables for dinner. But—they had her back on thickened liquids for some reason???!!!!! We were told that we need to get new clearance for regular liquids again.....We will straighten things out tomorrow. Mom also wasn’t in the wheelchair all day. She had to stay in bed all day for some reason. Mom looked tired and washed out when I saw her. I finished hanging a few pictures and posters while mom watched TV and drank ice water and read the newspaper. We talked too.
Mom’s roommate was screaming for the aides and nurses the whole time I was there. No one came fast enough for the roommate so the yelling continued. It upset mom and was so loud it interrupted even the TV. Finally, I went around the curtain—stuck my head on the roommate’s side and told her to stop yelling and to ring the call bell instead. The next thing I knew, the roommate was calling the aides and saying that I threatened her!! Oh brother. Two nurses then two more nurses came in to take a statement from the roommate and then one from me. I would think that, after the false calls to the police department today by the roommate, no one would even take the roommate seriously. This is also the roommate who accused our family of stealing her things and her money... Whatever. God knows I didn’t threaten her. Mom and I prayed for the roommate and then just read the newspaper together.
I got mom ready for bed---it was 8:30 and she was still in her clothes. Her CNA came in to get her ready for bed so mom and I said our good-byes and I love yous. Just as I was leaving, mom called to me. Ever the joker that she is, she said, “Hey Kathy, next time you come, don’t make so much trouble around here!!” and laughed. She always has a way of putting things into perspective.
The weird thing is that, as I drove home and thought about calling someone to tell the events of the night to, I thought, “Hey, I think I’ll call mom and tell her about this”….what can I say? I miss her.
“The truth shall set you free.” John 8:32
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Mom Update, September 10, 2011, Saturday
I woke this morning to another phone call. This one was from the hospital liaison between the facility and the hospital. Mom was being released today. Dad called to tell me the same thing a short while later. Oh boy. I called the facility and they knew nothing about mom's return. They said they'd call me when they heard anything. Two hours went by and no call, so I called them (hospital and facility)...no word yet. Two more hours went by and I called them---no word. Two more hours went by and I called them--no word. I spoke to the floor nurse at the facility who said to just come and unpack mom's things into her room (which is the SAME room she had been in before---the one John, Claud, Anthony Michael, Jean, Dad, Sam all packed up 2 nights ago---also complete with the last loud, dementia roommate!). My morning consisted of phone calls to everyone, family included. Since mom's room and bed at the facility was the only female bed left on the unit---we couldn't chance moving in without official notice or we'd have to move back out if another female beat her to the bed.
Claudia went to see mom at the hospital at noon right at the start of visiting hours. Mom was in a bad way. She was very confused. She said she worried that none of us knew where she was. This all could likely be due to the anesthesia from the procedure yesterday. Mom cried that she wanted to go home. Mom was moved around a lot this week---from the facility to the emergency room, to a regular room, to a new regular room yesterday...change like this can also cause disorientation for someone with a head injury. Claudia calmed mom down finally. Mom began to eat lunch (real food!! Finally---hours before her 6 day leave ends!! haha!). As mom ate her sweet potatoes, she saw a piece of the skin in the mashed sweet potatoes and said to Claudia, "Hey, what's this?" Claudia said it was the skin of the potato, to which mom replied, "Oh shucks, I thought we finally caught one of the flies in here!!" Her sense of humor remains, thank God. I called mom and she was still confused, telling me that she was going to have surgery today and asking me if I knew she was in the hospital. She didn't remember the events of yesterday. It is frustrating to take 3 steps forward and then 2 steps back all the time.
Finally, at about 1:30, I called the Claudia and she had just heard that the paperwork for discharge and arrival went out to the facility from the hospital. Alleluia!!! I called the facility (they were supposed to call me...oh well) and they confirmed mom's admittance and room (the same as before). Terry and Claudia stayed with mom at the hospital. Dad, Con, Anthony, Anthony Michael and Sammy (God bless this girl because she has been present at all 9 moves) packed all mom's belongings from dad's living room back into their vans and went to the hospital to see mom. At around 3:30, the whole group, minus Terry and Claudia, went to unpack mom's room again.
Mom arrived back at the facility intact at about 4:30. Dad and Terry stayed with her tonight and then Terry put mom to bed. Mom had dinner at the facility. Dad stayed until the bedside pads/bumpers were put back on the sides of the bed to prevent an escape!! We all decided not to put the mitts back on mom any more. She still has the G-tube though. She hasn't worn the mitts all week and did fine without them.
Just another day in the life of our family. Hahahaha!
"Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." Hebrews 10:36
Claudia went to see mom at the hospital at noon right at the start of visiting hours. Mom was in a bad way. She was very confused. She said she worried that none of us knew where she was. This all could likely be due to the anesthesia from the procedure yesterday. Mom cried that she wanted to go home. Mom was moved around a lot this week---from the facility to the emergency room, to a regular room, to a new regular room yesterday...change like this can also cause disorientation for someone with a head injury. Claudia calmed mom down finally. Mom began to eat lunch (real food!! Finally---hours before her 6 day leave ends!! haha!). As mom ate her sweet potatoes, she saw a piece of the skin in the mashed sweet potatoes and said to Claudia, "Hey, what's this?" Claudia said it was the skin of the potato, to which mom replied, "Oh shucks, I thought we finally caught one of the flies in here!!" Her sense of humor remains, thank God. I called mom and she was still confused, telling me that she was going to have surgery today and asking me if I knew she was in the hospital. She didn't remember the events of yesterday. It is frustrating to take 3 steps forward and then 2 steps back all the time.
Finally, at about 1:30, I called the Claudia and she had just heard that the paperwork for discharge and arrival went out to the facility from the hospital. Alleluia!!! I called the facility (they were supposed to call me...oh well) and they confirmed mom's admittance and room (the same as before). Terry and Claudia stayed with mom at the hospital. Dad, Con, Anthony, Anthony Michael and Sammy (God bless this girl because she has been present at all 9 moves) packed all mom's belongings from dad's living room back into their vans and went to the hospital to see mom. At around 3:30, the whole group, minus Terry and Claudia, went to unpack mom's room again.
Mom arrived back at the facility intact at about 4:30. Dad and Terry stayed with her tonight and then Terry put mom to bed. Mom had dinner at the facility. Dad stayed until the bedside pads/bumpers were put back on the sides of the bed to prevent an escape!! We all decided not to put the mitts back on mom any more. She still has the G-tube though. She hasn't worn the mitts all week and did fine without them.
Just another day in the life of our family. Hahahaha!
"Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." Hebrews 10:36
Mom Update, September 9, 2011, Friday
I woke this morning to the phone ringing (not usually a good thing). The doctor from the hospital who is overseeing mom’s care finally called (I had been calling and trying to reach the doctor since Monday---5 days ago). As you all know, we packed up mom’s room at the facility last night and brought everything to dad’s house (we have a mini-classroom in mom’s room). This was the 7th or 8th time we have had to do this. Anyway, the doctor called to say that we shouldn’t worry about losing her bed at the facility; he would be releasing her later today or tomorrow!!!!! Exasperating. I explained it was too late because she lost her bed and the facility already and that we packed up her room. The doctor asked why we would do that. ????? I explained that the facility said we had to. No choice was involved. The doctor plans to make a call to the facility and straighten things out for us. I doubt it. I hung up from the doctor’s call and immediately texted the building administrator of the facility to give a heads up. The administrator texted me back and said they would start to work on things for mom’s possible and hopeful return to the facility, but not until they hear from the hospital first. Good Morning!! I promptly left everything in God’s Hands and began my day.
Here’s how the bed hold situation works: Anyone who is Medicaid approved gets an annual 14 day bed hold. Mom never had a bed hold option until July when she became Medicaid approved. Before July 2011, the building administrator pulled strings to help us keep mom in the facility by holding a bed for her and/or finding one for her. However, though mom fulfills the first criteria for a bed hold (Medicaid approved), mom doesn’t have the 2nd criteria fulfilled: the facility must be 95% or more full on the day that a patient leaves the facility for a hospital. The facility was less than 95% full on Monday which was the day mom left for the hospital so no patients in the facility were eligible for a bed hold on that particular day. Crazy system!!
The procedure mom had done today went well. Mom has several stones in her kidney. One stone is stuck in the tube that runs from her kidney to her bladder. This stone is blocking the flow of urine and therefore causing an infection. Today, the doctor/urologist ran a catheter up that tube, through the bladder and past the stone/along side it, and up into mom’s kidney to drain the trapped, infected urine there. The stone wasn’t dislodged by doing this though. The doctor said it will most likely pass on its own. Mom had to have anesthesia for the procedure and that always makes her loopy (the last time she had it she pulled out her G-tube). The G-tube will likely stay in (according to the urologist) for precautionary measures.
Anthony came to see mom first today. He worked on having her move her legs and bend them and lift them. Dad came next and said mom did her exercises well. The hospital said that mom’s doctor here hasn’t put an order in yet to have mom moved from bed to chair and back on a daily basis, so exercise is crucial for both muscle strength, stretching and circulation.
Dad and mom watched TV and read the newspaper together.
When I arrived at mom’s room, I found mush on her lunch tray. I went to the nurse (for the 5th consecutive day) and asked for the correct consistency of food to be served. They have been giving mom thickened liquids and mush (pureed food). She hasn’t eaten that type of consistency in months!! We are worried that mush and thick liquids will end up making her go backwards again with her oral motor skills and eating abilities. I was assured (again) that mom would now receive the right food. Mom, dad and I laughed and laughed about various things. There were 4 flies in mom’s room that made us all crazy! Especially mom! I told her we could have her do “fly physical therapy” where she would have to reach out and swat the flies with her arms and hands! Mom kept trying to talk to dad but dad didn’t hear her. It was comical. We all laughed about it. I typed a word and asked mom how to spell it. She spelled it correctly and then told me to use the “spell checker.” Mom continually asks me when she will have therapy…especially PT. She misses it. She wants to work hard and go home.
The wrong food showed up again and we were told that this food was ordered by a speech therapist at the hospital who supposedly evaluated mom when she arrived and determined that she can’t have regular liquids (she has drank regular liquids for the last 2 months) and that she has to eat pureed food!!! UGH!!! She never saw a speech therapist!! We have been with her since she came here…..we managed to get her chicken salad and mom ravenously ate it (and did great chewing and swallowing). Then we went to the diner to get her a turkey and stuffing dinner with veggies. The problem is that one facility’s “mechanical soft” diet is not the same as the next facility’s interpretation of it. Here, at the hospital, a mechanical soft diet is mush/pureed food and honey consistency liquids. It is a balancing act to manage to present with the correct amount of assertion mixed with calm control.
Claudia put mom to bed tonight. Mom cried alot when it was time for Claudia to leave. Mom kept saying that she wants to be surrounded by her family and that she wants to go home. She said she doesn't want to be in the hospital any more or in the facility. She is afraid she will never get back home. Dad and we want mom home more than anything. As soon as she can go from a sitting position to standing at a walker so she can use a commode---she goes home. Dad can't change diapers and home health aides only come for a very short period of time. Claudia soothed mom and prayed with her and calmed her down a bit before leaving.
I pray she is home with us all again soon....
"Your Father knows your needs. He will give you all you need from day to day." Luke 12:30-31
Here’s how the bed hold situation works: Anyone who is Medicaid approved gets an annual 14 day bed hold. Mom never had a bed hold option until July when she became Medicaid approved. Before July 2011, the building administrator pulled strings to help us keep mom in the facility by holding a bed for her and/or finding one for her. However, though mom fulfills the first criteria for a bed hold (Medicaid approved), mom doesn’t have the 2nd criteria fulfilled: the facility must be 95% or more full on the day that a patient leaves the facility for a hospital. The facility was less than 95% full on Monday which was the day mom left for the hospital so no patients in the facility were eligible for a bed hold on that particular day. Crazy system!!
The procedure mom had done today went well. Mom has several stones in her kidney. One stone is stuck in the tube that runs from her kidney to her bladder. This stone is blocking the flow of urine and therefore causing an infection. Today, the doctor/urologist ran a catheter up that tube, through the bladder and past the stone/along side it, and up into mom’s kidney to drain the trapped, infected urine there. The stone wasn’t dislodged by doing this though. The doctor said it will most likely pass on its own. Mom had to have anesthesia for the procedure and that always makes her loopy (the last time she had it she pulled out her G-tube). The G-tube will likely stay in (according to the urologist) for precautionary measures.
Anthony came to see mom first today. He worked on having her move her legs and bend them and lift them. Dad came next and said mom did her exercises well. The hospital said that mom’s doctor here hasn’t put an order in yet to have mom moved from bed to chair and back on a daily basis, so exercise is crucial for both muscle strength, stretching and circulation.
Dad and mom watched TV and read the newspaper together.
When I arrived at mom’s room, I found mush on her lunch tray. I went to the nurse (for the 5th consecutive day) and asked for the correct consistency of food to be served. They have been giving mom thickened liquids and mush (pureed food). She hasn’t eaten that type of consistency in months!! We are worried that mush and thick liquids will end up making her go backwards again with her oral motor skills and eating abilities. I was assured (again) that mom would now receive the right food. Mom, dad and I laughed and laughed about various things. There were 4 flies in mom’s room that made us all crazy! Especially mom! I told her we could have her do “fly physical therapy” where she would have to reach out and swat the flies with her arms and hands! Mom kept trying to talk to dad but dad didn’t hear her. It was comical. We all laughed about it. I typed a word and asked mom how to spell it. She spelled it correctly and then told me to use the “spell checker.” Mom continually asks me when she will have therapy…especially PT. She misses it. She wants to work hard and go home.
The wrong food showed up again and we were told that this food was ordered by a speech therapist at the hospital who supposedly evaluated mom when she arrived and determined that she can’t have regular liquids (she has drank regular liquids for the last 2 months) and that she has to eat pureed food!!! UGH!!! She never saw a speech therapist!! We have been with her since she came here…..we managed to get her chicken salad and mom ravenously ate it (and did great chewing and swallowing). Then we went to the diner to get her a turkey and stuffing dinner with veggies. The problem is that one facility’s “mechanical soft” diet is not the same as the next facility’s interpretation of it. Here, at the hospital, a mechanical soft diet is mush/pureed food and honey consistency liquids. It is a balancing act to manage to present with the correct amount of assertion mixed with calm control.
Claudia put mom to bed tonight. Mom cried alot when it was time for Claudia to leave. Mom kept saying that she wants to be surrounded by her family and that she wants to go home. She said she doesn't want to be in the hospital any more or in the facility. She is afraid she will never get back home. Dad and we want mom home more than anything. As soon as she can go from a sitting position to standing at a walker so she can use a commode---she goes home. Dad can't change diapers and home health aides only come for a very short period of time. Claudia soothed mom and prayed with her and calmed her down a bit before leaving.
I pray she is home with us all again soon....
"Your Father knows your needs. He will give you all you need from day to day." Luke 12:30-31
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)