Oy Vey…these past few days have been a whirlwind of activity!! Matt has settled in here at Younker really nicely. We have spent most of these first few days just getting to know the therapists, as they evaluate him and his abilities. They all seem very nice and helpful; I think it’s going to be a great environment for him.
He took several walks with the PT ladies these past few days. They are evaluating how he does and so far, I think he’s doing great. He practiced standing up and sitting down several times in a row and did great with that. The occupational therapy is going to be great here too; they’ve been working a lot on the everyday stuff like dressing and grooming. It’s hard for me not to help too much, but I know he needs to do as much as possible. He got such a good start with these therapies at Fleur Heights that he’s really just perfecting what he’s already started relearning. Every morning the OT therapist comes in first thing to help him get ready for the day. It’s SO nice that I don’t have to worry about getting here early and doing it all for him. The nurses have been so good here too…helping him in the morning and being very regular with his medications. We’ve changed up his tube feedings a bit. Instead of being hooked up all night, he’s doing shorter feedings 5 times a day. He did say he was getting hungry during the day sometimes, so hopefully this will help with that and still get all his calories and also not be hooked up to the feedings during therapy. I think it’ll be the best of both worlds! He will have regular showers as well as bed baths in between…where as before he’d have to go several days between bed baths and only had one shower the whole time we were there. This is just MUCH better for him. He loves the shower! They take him up in a shower chair and he just relaxes in the hot water! He will help rinse and scrub, so that’s good as well. The first few nights he said he still didn’t sleep the greatest, but last night was much better. He got a new call light that is easier for him to push, and I know he feels a lot more secure knowing that the call light actually sounds a bell that they have to respond to. Plus, we are just down from the nurses station, and they are so attentive. The atmosphere here is just exactly what he needed. There are folks recovering from all sorts of injuries here…and he fits right in. The therapy rooms are full of activity and he can look around and not wonder why he is in a nursing home. I came in this morning and was greeted with a big hug…but the look of desperation and fear was no longer in his eyes. He looked rested and comfortable. I can’t tell you what peace that gives me. I leave here at night and feel CONFIDENT that he will be taken care of. Before, when I’d leave him at night, I’d tell myself that he’d be OK…that nothing TOO bad would happen to him. Now, I feel like NOTHING bad will happen to him period. What a HUGE relief, let me tell you. That is my blessing for the day…for the week…for the month!
It looks like he’ll be done with therapy early in the afternoon today and tomorrow…by 2. He will have breaks over the lunch hour too, so that’s be an ok time to visit on the weekend…during the week he will be booked up full most days until 4. We are both looking forward to good times and recovery here!
He took several walks with the PT ladies these past few days. They are evaluating how he does and so far, I think he’s doing great. He practiced standing up and sitting down several times in a row and did great with that. The occupational therapy is going to be great here too; they’ve been working a lot on the everyday stuff like dressing and grooming. It’s hard for me not to help too much, but I know he needs to do as much as possible. He got such a good start with these therapies at Fleur Heights that he’s really just perfecting what he’s already started relearning. Every morning the OT therapist comes in first thing to help him get ready for the day. It’s SO nice that I don’t have to worry about getting here early and doing it all for him. The nurses have been so good here too…helping him in the morning and being very regular with his medications. We’ve changed up his tube feedings a bit. Instead of being hooked up all night, he’s doing shorter feedings 5 times a day. He did say he was getting hungry during the day sometimes, so hopefully this will help with that and still get all his calories and also not be hooked up to the feedings during therapy. I think it’ll be the best of both worlds! He will have regular showers as well as bed baths in between…where as before he’d have to go several days between bed baths and only had one shower the whole time we were there. This is just MUCH better for him. He loves the shower! They take him up in a shower chair and he just relaxes in the hot water! He will help rinse and scrub, so that’s good as well. The first few nights he said he still didn’t sleep the greatest, but last night was much better. He got a new call light that is easier for him to push, and I know he feels a lot more secure knowing that the call light actually sounds a bell that they have to respond to. Plus, we are just down from the nurses station, and they are so attentive. The atmosphere here is just exactly what he needed. There are folks recovering from all sorts of injuries here…and he fits right in. The therapy rooms are full of activity and he can look around and not wonder why he is in a nursing home. I came in this morning and was greeted with a big hug…but the look of desperation and fear was no longer in his eyes. He looked rested and comfortable. I can’t tell you what peace that gives me. I leave here at night and feel CONFIDENT that he will be taken care of. Before, when I’d leave him at night, I’d tell myself that he’d be OK…that nothing TOO bad would happen to him. Now, I feel like NOTHING bad will happen to him period. What a HUGE relief, let me tell you. That is my blessing for the day…for the week…for the month!
It looks like he’ll be done with therapy early in the afternoon today and tomorrow…by 2. He will have breaks over the lunch hour too, so that’s be an ok time to visit on the weekend…during the week he will be booked up full most days until 4. We are both looking forward to good times and recovery here!
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