Today when we went to visit my dad in the nursing home, I noticed that his hands and feet were really swollen. I talked to the nurse on duty (very nice, by the way), and she said they're doing some testing. They think he's having some circulation issues.
We arrived when he was eating dinner and the table was full with other residents, so we waited in the "living room" area. When he was done, he started "walking" while in his wheelchair with his feet, and was getting around pretty good. Except there are no wheels on the sides, so he couldn't steer, so we had to help him with that. He "walked" out of that area and into another area that led to a big hallway and stopped there. There was no-one around there, so I have to wonder if he purposely did that so he could have some time alone with his family. My daughter ran up and down the hallway, and every once in a while, he would look up slightly to look at her, but then put his head back down again.
He seems to have a cold, too, and was hunched over, so I'm guessing he's not feeling too great. He was only slightly responsive to us, and seemed to have trouble making eye contact. After only a few minutes, we looked over at him and suddenly realized he had fallen asleep, so we went and got the nurse, and she came and took him back.
Oh, and the nurse said he had been getting up out of his wheelchair and slowly walking, holding on to the wall railing, and they were following behind him making sure he didn't fall. I'm so thankful that he is still able to walk, even if only for short distances.
Forgive me for the non-interesting, rambling post tonight. It's late and I'm tired, but I wanted to give an update. I appreciate the continued prayers of anyone out there who's been following this. It is only by God's grace that I am able to handle seeing my Dad suffering the way he has been.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Visited my Dad at the new place and... Wow!
I'm impressed. VERY impressed. I had heard it was a nice place, but didn't want to get my hopes up like I did for the first place he was in, so I didn't set my expectations too high. I was pleasantly surprised! Comparing this new place to the place he was in before would be like comparing a brand new Cadillac to... umm... maybe the old rusty Malibu station wagon I owned many years ago that started itself back up after I turned the engine off? (Not to mention the clouds of smoke that billowed out the tail pipe.) ;-)
I wish I could exclaim how thrilled I was that someone else out there had the same dream as me to build a Cadillac-like Alzheimer's Facility/Nursing Home for the elderly who so deserve it, but... I'm afraid it is because this particular nursing home is for veterans. Still, I am thrilled for the veterans who are able to live in (or temporarily stay in) such a nice facility and also so deserve it.
We visited him on Sunday afternoon and as soon as we walked in the front doors, I had a very good feeling. After we signed in and walked further, I was liking it more and more. Very clean, no pungent smells, nice furnishings. Definitely not your typical nursing home.
We got to the section where my dad was after almost getting lost in the vast expanse of hallway surrounding an outdoor courtyard area so large you could barely see the other end of it, were let in by a very nice man (a doctor, maybe?) who punched in the code for us that opened the doors automatically (unlike the other place where we had to press a doorbell and wait for someone to come open the door for us).
As we approached the area where his room was, I spotted him in the communal "living room" area. And it really was like a living room, complete with a big flat screen TV and fireplace to use in the cooler months, with a "porch" area leading off of that. The chairs... oh my... EVERY chair was an easy chair and no ordinary easy chair at that. VERY comfortable. My dad was in a special kind of chair. Like an easy chair but different. It had two foot rests, and no handle on the side so that he couldn't put his feet down and try to get up when the nurses weren't looking. He could, however, be adjusted to where he could sit in a more upright position, but his feet were still up far enough to where he couldn't put them down on the floor. Plus (and I had to kind of laugh at this), on the back of his shirt there was a little clip with a line running to an alarm, so if he did figure out a way to get out of the chair, the alarm would go off (and it actually did at one point when he was adjusting his pillows and he accidentally knocked the clip off, so we know the alarm works very well). Genius.
I talked to a nurse while there and found out that he is receiving daily therapy now during the week! Once a day on weekdays, a physical therapist comes and gets him up and takes him for a walk (and has him do other exercises, too, I'm sure). I was so happy and relieved to hear that.
My daughter was so precious with him, and he responded well to her (and to us). He seemed in good spirits and overall doing pretty good. He drank some water while we were there, and ate pudding as well, all with no help at all (my daughter figured out that he was saying he was hungry, when neither my husband nor I could understand him, and she went and told the nurse and brought him the pudding, and then later the cup of water). We were talking with the nurse and I happened to mention that my daughter wanted to be a doctor, so the nurse showed her how to use the stethoscope to listen to my dad's heartbeat and stomach sounds. It was one of those rare times my daughter got very quiet. Her reaction was priceless.
My dad did say some words a few times that we could understand clearly, and responded appropriately to a couple of questions the nurse asked. The nurse said he was free of all infections now and was no longer on antibiotics. More good news.
I didn't even think to see what his room or the dining room looked like while we were there, we were so busy visiting with him in the "living room" area. I will have to make it a point to do that next time.
I wish I could exclaim how thrilled I was that someone else out there had the same dream as me to build a Cadillac-like Alzheimer's Facility/Nursing Home for the elderly who so deserve it, but... I'm afraid it is because this particular nursing home is for veterans. Still, I am thrilled for the veterans who are able to live in (or temporarily stay in) such a nice facility and also so deserve it.
We visited him on Sunday afternoon and as soon as we walked in the front doors, I had a very good feeling. After we signed in and walked further, I was liking it more and more. Very clean, no pungent smells, nice furnishings. Definitely not your typical nursing home.
We got to the section where my dad was after almost getting lost in the vast expanse of hallway surrounding an outdoor courtyard area so large you could barely see the other end of it, were let in by a very nice man (a doctor, maybe?) who punched in the code for us that opened the doors automatically (unlike the other place where we had to press a doorbell and wait for someone to come open the door for us).
As we approached the area where his room was, I spotted him in the communal "living room" area. And it really was like a living room, complete with a big flat screen TV and fireplace to use in the cooler months, with a "porch" area leading off of that. The chairs... oh my... EVERY chair was an easy chair and no ordinary easy chair at that. VERY comfortable. My dad was in a special kind of chair. Like an easy chair but different. It had two foot rests, and no handle on the side so that he couldn't put his feet down and try to get up when the nurses weren't looking. He could, however, be adjusted to where he could sit in a more upright position, but his feet were still up far enough to where he couldn't put them down on the floor. Plus (and I had to kind of laugh at this), on the back of his shirt there was a little clip with a line running to an alarm, so if he did figure out a way to get out of the chair, the alarm would go off (and it actually did at one point when he was adjusting his pillows and he accidentally knocked the clip off, so we know the alarm works very well). Genius.
I talked to a nurse while there and found out that he is receiving daily therapy now during the week! Once a day on weekdays, a physical therapist comes and gets him up and takes him for a walk (and has him do other exercises, too, I'm sure). I was so happy and relieved to hear that.
My daughter was so precious with him, and he responded well to her (and to us). He seemed in good spirits and overall doing pretty good. He drank some water while we were there, and ate pudding as well, all with no help at all (my daughter figured out that he was saying he was hungry, when neither my husband nor I could understand him, and she went and told the nurse and brought him the pudding, and then later the cup of water). We were talking with the nurse and I happened to mention that my daughter wanted to be a doctor, so the nurse showed her how to use the stethoscope to listen to my dad's heartbeat and stomach sounds. It was one of those rare times my daughter got very quiet. Her reaction was priceless.
My dad did say some words a few times that we could understand clearly, and responded appropriately to a couple of questions the nurse asked. The nurse said he was free of all infections now and was no longer on antibiotics. More good news.
I didn't even think to see what his room or the dining room looked like while we were there, we were so busy visiting with him in the "living room" area. I will have to make it a point to do that next time.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Moved to a Nursing Home
Sorry it's been so long since I updated. Life has been busy, in a good way. I started a business, which is actually a fulfillment of one of my New Year's Resolutions/Goals, which was to--by the end of the year--come up with a plan to allow me to eventually make an income large enough to help me reach another ultimate goal of mine: To build one of the best Alzheimer's facilities in the world, and to have several around the country, God willing. I haven't worked out all the details of what I want the facilities to be like, but it is going to be really, really nice. I will not be interested in making a profit from it, only have it sustain itself, so prices for families will be very affordable and the employees will be paid well (and you better believe I will have high standards for the type of employees that work there). :-)
Then of course there are the more immediate financial needs of my daughter's upcoming school tuition and building her college fund, as she has aspirations to be a doctor, which may or may not hold when she gets older, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared just in case. On a side note, I asked her one day what her reason was for wanting to be a doctor (testing to see if it was a real desire, to be honest) and her response was: "Because I want to help sick people. And because God tells me to." Hey that's good enough for me.
Anyway, on to my dad's move. To make a long story short, he recovered well from the UTI, then got sick again and had to return to the E.R.; this time it was a stomach/intestinal infection, and he was put on another round of antibiotics, and began recovering from that. Somewhere in there he fell again/went to E.R./no concussion but had a nasty black eye/returned to ALH and recovered from that. My step mom determined at some point that enough was enough and my dad needed to be in a facility where he could have closer supervision and better care than what an ALH can provide, and began looking into Nursing Home facilities. She found a nice one, and though the cost is even more, she is cutting costs to bare bones in order to be able to do it. Bless her heart! Another reason for me to start a business. Once it gets off the ground, I will make sure she is well taken care of and doesn't lack for anything! She has sacrificed so much.
Back to my dad. He was moved to the new facility on Monday. Another plus: it's closer to where I live! So I will be able to see him more often. Not so good for my step mom, as it's much further from her, but she feels so good about the new facility and how well taken care of it seems he will be, that she is comfortable visiting him less often than when he was only five minutes away. There are nurses and doctors on staff there, and the nurses can see my dad in his room at all times from the nurses station.
The newest change in his medications seemed to do the trick this time. Since returning from his last hospital stay, he has been more lively, chatters away (though most of the time you can't understand what he's talking about), and can get up out of his wheelchair or bed and "tries" to walk. Oh and he is also able to use his arms and hands better now. He looks a lot less pale, too (though I'm afraid the paleness I was seeing before was because he was silently suffering from a UTI for at least four months!).
I haven't visited him in the nursing home yet, but have driven by there and it looks nice. I plan to try and visit him today while out delivering customer orders and running errands.
Then of course there are the more immediate financial needs of my daughter's upcoming school tuition and building her college fund, as she has aspirations to be a doctor, which may or may not hold when she gets older, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared just in case. On a side note, I asked her one day what her reason was for wanting to be a doctor (testing to see if it was a real desire, to be honest) and her response was: "Because I want to help sick people. And because God tells me to." Hey that's good enough for me.
Anyway, on to my dad's move. To make a long story short, he recovered well from the UTI, then got sick again and had to return to the E.R.; this time it was a stomach/intestinal infection, and he was put on another round of antibiotics, and began recovering from that. Somewhere in there he fell again/went to E.R./no concussion but had a nasty black eye/returned to ALH and recovered from that. My step mom determined at some point that enough was enough and my dad needed to be in a facility where he could have closer supervision and better care than what an ALH can provide, and began looking into Nursing Home facilities. She found a nice one, and though the cost is even more, she is cutting costs to bare bones in order to be able to do it. Bless her heart! Another reason for me to start a business. Once it gets off the ground, I will make sure she is well taken care of and doesn't lack for anything! She has sacrificed so much.
Back to my dad. He was moved to the new facility on Monday. Another plus: it's closer to where I live! So I will be able to see him more often. Not so good for my step mom, as it's much further from her, but she feels so good about the new facility and how well taken care of it seems he will be, that she is comfortable visiting him less often than when he was only five minutes away. There are nurses and doctors on staff there, and the nurses can see my dad in his room at all times from the nurses station.
The newest change in his medications seemed to do the trick this time. Since returning from his last hospital stay, he has been more lively, chatters away (though most of the time you can't understand what he's talking about), and can get up out of his wheelchair or bed and "tries" to walk. Oh and he is also able to use his arms and hands better now. He looks a lot less pale, too (though I'm afraid the paleness I was seeing before was because he was silently suffering from a UTI for at least four months!).
I haven't visited him in the nursing home yet, but have driven by there and it looks nice. I plan to try and visit him today while out delivering customer orders and running errands.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
A rough few days
My dad is back at the Assisted Living Home now and--after a rough few days--is doing better today. The first antibiotic they used for my dad's bladder infection while he was still in the hospital didn't help and the infection only got worse. Then they discovered that the bacteria that was causing it was E. Coli, and had to put him on a very strong, special-ordered antibiotic. They said they believe he had the infection for at least four months before it was detected. At least. Wow. I am amazed that it didn't get worse than it did and also that it didn't go into his kidneys.
Today my step mom told me on the phone that he was sitting up in a wheelchair today, chattering away, and once again, trying to get up out of his wheelchair. We have stayed away as a precaution since hearing about the E. Coli and the fact that the hospital had moved him to a private room and had a note on the door about wearing a mask, scrubs, and gloves upon entering his room. I didn't want to chance exposing my daughter to it, but I think the danger has passed now since he has been on the new antibiotic greater than 24 hours, so I'm planning to take my daughter to see him sometime tomorrow or Tuesday.
I give praise and thanks to such a wonderful Heavenly Father who has watched over my dad and held him in the palm of His hand.
Today my step mom told me on the phone that he was sitting up in a wheelchair today, chattering away, and once again, trying to get up out of his wheelchair. We have stayed away as a precaution since hearing about the E. Coli and the fact that the hospital had moved him to a private room and had a note on the door about wearing a mask, scrubs, and gloves upon entering his room. I didn't want to chance exposing my daughter to it, but I think the danger has passed now since he has been on the new antibiotic greater than 24 hours, so I'm planning to take my daughter to see him sometime tomorrow or Tuesday.
I give praise and thanks to such a wonderful Heavenly Father who has watched over my dad and held him in the palm of His hand.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Update after hospital visit
I am pleased to report that my dad seemed to be doing okay, and actually looked a little better than the last time I saw him at the assisted living home. The color had returned to his skin a little, his eyes were a little bit clearer, and his voice sounded better. He seemed more responsive, too, and seemed to recognize me and gave me a big hug, which he actually initiated this time (something that hasn't happened in a very long time).
I found out that he had not fallen yesterday morning like I had thought, but the night before, right after they had put him to bed. And he did get back out of bed himself without any help before falling, according to the report from the workers at the assisted living home.
They're treating him for the UTI and sinusitis with antibiotics, and will also be testing his swallowing capability, as he has been having a bit of trouble swallowing for awhile now. He hasn't been eating as much over the past couple of months and has lost 35 pounds (and he wasn't overweight to begin with, or maybe by only about five pounds). They aren't sure if it's because his appetite is down or because he can't swallow well, or both.
The doctor that is seeing him while he's in the hospital also discontinued all his medications (apparently he has to use a different doctor while in the assisted living home, one that oversees the residents there), except for the antibiotics, and will be reintroducing them one at a time to try and get a better dosage, hoping it will help my dad be able to function better.
I do find it very interesting that after discontinuing his medications, he was more responsive and more "himself," and able to communicate better ("better" being a relative term, of course). It's hard to describe the difference I could see in his face and in his eyes, though. He was more "there," if that makes sense. The last time I saw him at the assisted living home, I looked into his eyes once and it was like he wasn't even there. It was his body, but the man, my dad, didn't seem to be there. It gave new meaning to the term, "blank stare." It was a chilling moment. But today, he was very much there. There were brief moments when his eyes were glazed over a bit, but the majority of the time, he was really there, and I can't tell you how relieved I was to see "him" again.
For those who might be reading this, I beg of you (and I'm not usually the begging type, mind you), if you are the praying type, please pray that the doctor who is currently under my dad's care will be able to figure out the best dosage for my dad's medications, so that the time he has left on this earth will be of the best quality possible. Thank you.
I found out that he had not fallen yesterday morning like I had thought, but the night before, right after they had put him to bed. And he did get back out of bed himself without any help before falling, according to the report from the workers at the assisted living home.
They're treating him for the UTI and sinusitis with antibiotics, and will also be testing his swallowing capability, as he has been having a bit of trouble swallowing for awhile now. He hasn't been eating as much over the past couple of months and has lost 35 pounds (and he wasn't overweight to begin with, or maybe by only about five pounds). They aren't sure if it's because his appetite is down or because he can't swallow well, or both.
The doctor that is seeing him while he's in the hospital also discontinued all his medications (apparently he has to use a different doctor while in the assisted living home, one that oversees the residents there), except for the antibiotics, and will be reintroducing them one at a time to try and get a better dosage, hoping it will help my dad be able to function better.
I do find it very interesting that after discontinuing his medications, he was more responsive and more "himself," and able to communicate better ("better" being a relative term, of course). It's hard to describe the difference I could see in his face and in his eyes, though. He was more "there," if that makes sense. The last time I saw him at the assisted living home, I looked into his eyes once and it was like he wasn't even there. It was his body, but the man, my dad, didn't seem to be there. It gave new meaning to the term, "blank stare." It was a chilling moment. But today, he was very much there. There were brief moments when his eyes were glazed over a bit, but the majority of the time, he was really there, and I can't tell you how relieved I was to see "him" again.
For those who might be reading this, I beg of you (and I'm not usually the begging type, mind you), if you are the praying type, please pray that the doctor who is currently under my dad's care will be able to figure out the best dosage for my dad's medications, so that the time he has left on this earth will be of the best quality possible. Thank you.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
In the hospital again
On my last visit to see my dad in the assisted living home, which was Wednesday afternoon, a worker there told me that he had gotten up out of his wheelchair and taken two steps over to the dining room table. I was thrilled to hear that, as I'm sure it felt so good to my dad, and I was so thankful to the Good Lord for hearing my daughter's prayers as well as mine, that his legs and feet would be strengthened so he could walk again.
We had a pretty good visit, though my dad seemed to struggle to talk. I helped him eat his dinner, which was painstakingly slow. Meanwhile, my daughter provided good entertainment for a group of ladies who had finished their dinner and had wandered in the direction of my dad's table. While feeding my dad, he breathed in through his nose a couple of times, and I noticed that it sounded like he was quite stopped up. He didn't feel hot to the touch, though, so I figured it was just a cold.
As it turned out, however, it wound up being Sinusitis. This morning I received a text from my brother that my dad was in the hospital. While he was getting out of bed (whether he tried to do it alone or with help, I don't yet know), he fell and hit his head on the a/c unit in his room. They called my step mom and he was transported to the emergency room, where they determined he would be okay as far as his head injury, but then discovered his sinus infection, as well as another urinary tract infection, and he wound up being admitted.
Tomorrow, my husband and I plan to go visit him at the hospital after church. I'll update as soon as I can.
We had a pretty good visit, though my dad seemed to struggle to talk. I helped him eat his dinner, which was painstakingly slow. Meanwhile, my daughter provided good entertainment for a group of ladies who had finished their dinner and had wandered in the direction of my dad's table. While feeding my dad, he breathed in through his nose a couple of times, and I noticed that it sounded like he was quite stopped up. He didn't feel hot to the touch, though, so I figured it was just a cold.
As it turned out, however, it wound up being Sinusitis. This morning I received a text from my brother that my dad was in the hospital. While he was getting out of bed (whether he tried to do it alone or with help, I don't yet know), he fell and hit his head on the a/c unit in his room. They called my step mom and he was transported to the emergency room, where they determined he would be okay as far as his head injury, but then discovered his sinus infection, as well as another urinary tract infection, and he wound up being admitted.
Tomorrow, my husband and I plan to go visit him at the hospital after church. I'll update as soon as I can.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Memories
This past Monday was a decent visit with my dad. He was in a deep sleep in an easy chair when we first arrived, and since a worker there told me he had just fallen asleep, I didn't wake him right away. My daughter found a box of craft materials to play with, and I read a magazine. After awhile, maybe about twenty or thirty minutes, I finally woke him, which was--for the first time ever--very difficult to do. This time I wheeled him out of the Alzheimer's unit altogether and out the main front entrance. It's mainly just a parking lot with a sidewalk, but it's a change of scenery for my dad, and he can see more of the sky and wide open spaces from there.
Before it was time to say our goodbyes and leave, I spoke with a worker and asked some questions about my dad and found out that he was now sleeping though the night, which was such a relief to hear, and an answer to prayer.
At home a couple of days later, I decided to have a snack that I had not had in quite some time, which was canned fish steaks in mustard sauce, spread on crackers, and it brought back memories of good times with my dad (I have no idea if they are actually sardines or not, the can just says, "Fish steaks".) He was the one who introduced me to those fish steaks back when I was a kid and I wound up liking them, so he and I would eat them as a snack together quite often. Somehow, though, they didn't taste quite as good without my dad there to eat them with me.
Then I was reminded of the time he took me on a trip with him and we stopped at a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop where they made the doughnuts fresh for customers all day long. We sat in the car in the parking lot and ate some together. I remember how good they were and how much I appreciated my dad making sure he stopped at that very store (he traveled a lot so he knew where all the "good" places were). ;-) That must be why I like Krispy Kreme doughnuts so much to this day.
When I think of my dad and the condition he is in now, sitting in a wheelchair, so frail and weak and pale, it helps to conjure up those good memories, and to cherish them.
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