When I arrived this morning to see mom, she had just finished breakfast and was sitting happily in bed about to write something. The breakfast tray was gone but mom said she had a good breakfast and had eaten everything. There was a time when she couldn’t maneuver eating on her own. A time when she needed help to eat and to set up the tray…though we still sometimes lend a helping hand, mom is gradually becoming more and more able to do things herself.
She smiled broadly and told me I looked “lovely” and then asked, as she has for so many years, “Oh, where did you get that outfit?!” We talked and laughed and then mom began to bark out orders to me!! She is too funny! Then, she told me, “Give me a break, will you?!!!” We laughed so hard!
I gave mom the new glasses that Claudia bought for her. The facility lost one of the lenses to her glasses last week during therapy and no one ever found it. Mom has been using an old pair of glasses from home in the meantime and they appeared to have affected her writing skills. I suppose we shall see now that she has the new glasses. At first, mom said she couldn’t see well with them for reading and that she could see better with the old ones for reading. But then, she decided that she could see well with the new ones both near and far. At one point, she had accidentally put the glasses on upside-down and then said she didn’t know what was wrong with them. I told her they were on upside-down and she laughed so hard she practically choked!
Mom told me that she had a really nice time with Con and Sammy last night and that her roommate was very nice too while they all visited!! She remembered, without prompting, that they came last night!!! I hadn’t even asked her about last night’s events!
I told mom I liked her hair and asked who her hairdresser is and she remembered and said, “You are!” I also forgot to mention that the telephone was off the receiver and wrapped up in her blankets! She said she called dad this morning---all on her own!!! In class yesterday, one of my students was talking about a book that Christopher Reeve had written and quoted a section where Chris talks about how much it meant to him to be able to sit unsupported for the first time after his accident. I heard the phrase and it hit me hard as I thought about how far mom has come. “To sit unsupported….” Wow! I remember when mom couldn’t do that either. The day in and day out of our care for mom sometimes makes us unable to see the big picture---to see how far she has come. I thank God for her progress.
I told mom that she is getting company today (her friends, Maureen, Flo, Marty, and Rosemarie). She told me to put her make up on then!!
I noticed something that one of mom’s friends, Florence, wrote about our family. It is a piece for one of the church bulletins. It was beautiful. As I read it, mom commented on it---she knew and remembered what it was!! I have been visiting mom in the late afternoons right after therapy and she is totally different then… less alert and “with it” so it was good to see the “morning mom” again!
Mom called Aunt Carol after we put her make up on. She told Aunt Carol that she wants to, “Get out of here!! But the thought of grocery shopping is scary to me!” Wow! She is remembering more and more about life outside the facility. It is amazing. She asked Aunt Carol, “How are the kids?”
We began a crossword puzzle next. The theme was “Show Tunes” so I thought mom would really like it. We only got through 2 clues but she guessed them both: “The King and I heroine” Mom’s answer: “Anna” Next clue, “Bullets. Begins with an A” Mom’s answer: “Ammo.”
Dad came next and mom lit up!! She glows when she sees him!! Dad said that a doctor came last night to see mom and told them that the reason he was here was because they are in the process of getting mom to go home!!!! Dad brought mom a puzzle sheet from the diner. Mom set about doing the maze. She couldn’t do it without error, but she stayed in the lines of the maze. Then mom did a ‘connect the dots’ puzzle. She did really well with that!
Mom called dad and he couldn’t hear her so I told mom I am going to buy her a bell to ring whenever she needs him once she goes home!
Team Meeting 11-3-11
PT: Doing very well from where we started to where we are now. When I first picked her up from 1C was to be a one person assist. Good goal and mom is just about there. She transfers with one person: sit to stand, onto toilet, onto and off of the bed. In the next few weeks, we will begin to do the tasks in the room. One last bit of disconnect in the overall motor learning. Hope to get her up every day in a variety of environments---put her anywhere and she can do it. Mom does best on Monday-Wednesday and gets frustrated Thursdays and Fridays and cries. Leg closest to the toilet is the problem---she still isn’t carrying over the transfer process well. The PT plan is to carry over the process into mom’s room now with the therapists working with her AND with us working with her to walk, get out of bed, and to help to toilet. Walking is going well but it is inconsistent. Mom stands with knees straight but stooped over…this prohibiting her from walking. She isn’t scissoring her legs any more and is doing better with putting one foot in front of the other now. At first, practice standing up at the bar in the bathroom and not even sitting on the toilet. A transfer wheelchair is good to use because it is smaller to fit around the house. The PT recommended a recliner chair that tilts up. Claudia said, “Hey mom, guess what you are getting for Christmas!!” Mom laughed hysterically! PT feels she has a great base point to work from. She is ready to transfer skills to home.
OT: Brace is best for mom now. Give mom the hand cone with finger separater and also rest in the dorsal splint---which is a splint that holds mom’s forearm and wrist and hand straight with a piece that separates her fingers. Mom will where the brace/splint…when she isn’t working on using the left hand, she doesn’t need the brace/splint…
Diet: Food is now regular consistency!! Can eat all foods!! Normal consistency. No more mechanical soft.
· Social Work: As needed meds. Albuterol, sorbitol, Tylenol, zanex Will call Dept. of Social Services to get services through Medicaid to make a verbal request, then fasx over the Patient Review Instrument (strengths, weaknesses, doctor report), doctor report, they review it , the person who is the Dept of Social Services RN who reviews it all. Then the Dept of Soc Services RN sets up an evaluation to be done at the facility. We will know the day (can take up to 2 weeks to come). She then approves and determines the number of hours needed through Medicaid. Lombardi program provides oversight and supervision from an RN once a week with a PT once or twice a week with blocked hours. Dominican Sisters may also come to evaluate here. One solid block of time. Home Health Aide program is blocked hours with just an aide but sporadic throughout the day no PT but would get it through Medicare for only 6 weeks but after that, there are programs that come in longer term. Neurologist’s scripts will also work to get us agencies to come do therapies through Medicare. Mom isn’t up to the point where she is able to work on endurance on an outpatient basis.
"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches…" Philippians 4:19
~Kathy
I (Claud) came by mom after work and my friend, Kathy, was meeting me there to visit with mom. I went up to her room and wheeled mom down to the lobby “café”. We waited there for her. My friend walked into the lobby and was shocked to see mom in the café. She couldn’t get over it! Mom was surprised to see her too. I arranged for my friend to talk to mom since she is a clinical social worker and since mom has been crying so much I figured she could help. We went into the computer room. Every time Kathy spoke about how great she looked, mom told her it was because of her family. She told Kathy that her family never gave up. Kathy told her that she never gave up either. The last time Kathy saw mom was July 2010! Kathy was also at the hospital that dreaded day in December when mom was decanulated. She stayed in the waiting room with our family giving us support. They talked for a long time tonight. Kathy sat with her arm around mom and spoke softly and slowly so mom could follow. Finally, mom told her that she is afraid to go home. She told her that she isn’t going to be able to cook and clean and take care of things. Kathy told her that in their generation (Kathy is younger than mom but older than me) a woman was measured by how she took care of her family and she took care of her family well, it was evident in the love we have for mom. Mom shook her head but wasn’t convinced. Kathy told her that now it is time for her to relax and the cooking would get done and so would the cleaning. She told her how much better she will be in her own home with her own things. She told her that she would make more progress in her own home and that it is normal to be afraid. Kathy truly has a gift of making people feel loved and calm and warm. She has been a friend of mine for a long time and always there to lend an ear. I knew it would be great for mom. I took mom upstairs to see her room. She loved all the pictures and I showed her some of the programs we run each day. Kathy spoke about how she wrote in the “Love Notes to Dotty” book when she visited in July of 2010. We found her letter and Kathy sat next to mom and read it to her. Mom and Kathy both were touched. Kathy told her that she wanted to come back and see mom before she is discharged and then she would love to see her when she comes home. A few times mom told Kathy that she was afraid to go home, that she wanted to leave and she hates it there but going home frightened her. Kathy kept reassuring her that she will be fine and that it is OK to let go of things and let others help. Mom was very calm and peaceful talking to Kathy.
Dinner came and mom had PBJ, French fries, and salad (another lovely combination). Mom picked up the milk container and said, “I want this.” I poured her milk and she said, “This goes great with PBJ.” She’s right! Can’t argue with logic! After dinner she said, “Where’s my book I need to write about my day.” I gave her the book, but she wanted her memory book to write what she ate. She wrote her lunch and dinner and then the CNA’s came to put her to bed. I sat with her and we watched TV. We held hands and laughed. I had Chopped on the TV and they were cooking rattlesnake so I had to stay to see how they cooked it. We laughed and laughed about the rattlesnake making silly comments. I said a prayer with her and part of the prayer was to “help mom be strong to keep working.” Mom said, “Working? What work?” I told her that walking is work, memory is work, standing is work. She nodded and I kiss her goodnight.
Peace and Be Well,
~Claud
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