As per the Social Worker today….we are still not sure if mom will be discharged to go home on Friday or not. We will keep you all posted though. We think we may just find out if we can just take her home on Friday for good without their formal approval or not. I am not sure if this will affect her insurance status or not though. We are waiting for the nurse from the Dept. of Social Services to say, “OK” to the company who will be servicing mom by providing an aide, nurse, OT and PT. That person, the DOSS nurse, was on vacation all last week.
Claudia began the morning with mom. She brought mom a roll with butter to have with her breakfast. Claudia found out that mom’s nurse had spent the morning cleaning up mom’s medical files and records so that all will be in order so that it will be easier to discharge mom.
Anthony said that he, dad, the PT and the OT all worked with mom today to practice getting in and out of the car!!!! We decided that Anthony’s car is probably the best one for mom to travel home in because it is lower to the ground compared to dad’s van. Mom did very well the first time she tried and did OK the second time and not so good at all the third time.
Anthony said that the procedure is to open the car window so that mom can grab onto the door at the point of the window similar to holding onto a bar in the bathroom or the hallway railing at the facility. Mom grabs there and pulls to a standing position from the wheelchair. Next, once she is standing, Anthony or Dad gave her verbal cues to move her feet (which foot to move and where). Next, mom needs to do the pivot to turn so she can sit on the seat of the car. The hardest part of the process is scooching her bottom further and further into the car on the seat. The car seat gets put the farthest forward it can when mom enters the car. Then it gets pushed all the way back once mom sits so that her feet can be swung around in front of her.
Mom knew it was a practice run for getting in the car in preparation for going home. I was worried that she might have become confused and think she is going home then and there, but she didn’t get confused and understood the concept of practicing. The second time she got in, she smiled at dad and Anthony and said, “OK I’m in. Let’s go. Take me home” and laughed jokingly.
I met with the facility Social Worker today to prepare for mom’s homecoming. We needed to discuss the following things:
Neck bandages for the stoma (hole in mom’s neck): Will be supplied by the visiting nurse once mom is home, and by the facility for the first weekend (facility to provide a few)
We buy gloves---no reimbursement or through home care company maybe
30 day scripts for every medication mom is on -- for each prescription including those labeled “as needed”
Script for PT, OT, and Nursing evaluations for the home care company and we give it to the home care nurse when the nurse comes for the initial evaluation
The Home Care Company will constantly keep in touch with mom’s neighborhood primary care doctor
Script for the aide --- 6 hours per day, 7 days per week
Company is called Attentive in Babylon
Pat Chiefo is our contact person –
Contact Home Care Company to change the aide if there are ever problems----to change the Home Care Company, call the Dept. of Social Services nurse
Script for Gerry chair and seat lift today----
Script for transport chair and tub transfer bench today---
Bed and mattress---ordered by facility Social Worker today---fully electric bed---Social Worker got the script from facility doctor today (fully electric beds may not be covered by insurance but should be as per the one company the Social Worker talked to)
Copy of script for mom’s brace from the botox doctor
Once I got to mom’s room, dad brought her to the bathroom alone and did well! Mom and I did some “Logic Links” patterns. For example, you start with about 20 multicolored chips and then you pick a card. The first card mom picked said, “Use 1 green chip, 1 orange chip, and 1 purple chip. Clue 1: The green chip is not the center chip. Clue 2: The orange chip is not the center chip. Clue 3: The purple chip is directly on the right of the green chip.” You follow all the directions to complete a specified pattern. Mom couldn’t even find the right chips until her third card, then she found each color quickly and efficiently. It took her that long to change activities and focus on something new. By the third card, mom was also able to follow 2 of the 3 directions alone!
I left for work and told mom to continue working on a Life Skills work sheet that Claudia brought for her to do. Mom said, “No way! I’m watching TV” and laughed but dad said she worked hard on the sheet after I left.
Saturday evening, Dad and I went out to dinner and a movie. Dad's love and devotion to mom struck me so much during our conversation about mom's homecoming. Here we were, talking about the day mom comes home...going over the most minute details (what car to use to get her home--which would she be able to get in and out of easily, should we transport her via ambulette? Will they both be overwhelmed with guests at their house that day?....on and on the considerations went)...and there was dad...so calm and in control. So serene was he with knowledge in the fact that his "girl" as he refers to mom so tenderly would be finally returning home. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't know many men who would have stayed by mom's side through thick and thin...in snow and sleet and rain and hurricanes...the way that my dad has. I know I've said it before, but what a testament of what love is. They both long for each others company day after day...they both support each other (even mom in the state she is in)...their love remains constant and in tact and secure. It was just something about the way that dad looked Saturday as we talked that conveyed so much more than words can express about 'togetherness' and love. His strong, secure confidence exuded from every aspect of him. It was a most awesome thing to be in the presence of. Indeed, we all certainly have been blessed.
Dad stayed to put mom to bed tonight. Though it is hard for us to wait for mom to get home, and we want her home as soon as possible, pray for God’s Divine Guidance --- He Alone knows when mom should be at home.
"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you... Blessed are all who wait for Him." Isaiah 30:18
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