Past 3 Days Update and Home Sweet Home

3/12/08
I left my house really early this morning bound for LaGrange. I made it on time to my appointment with the Director of the nursing home… after my tour of the facility, that quickly became a big fat NEGATIVE. I have prayed over and over about this for the past few days and my feeling in that place just did not sit right with me and I just could not sign the paperwork to admit her there. I bee-lined as fast as I could to the hospital to have a heart-to-heart talk with the social services/discharge lady... I told her that the place was just not for her and what were my back-up options... she said that she had finally gotten in touch with the nursing home in Warm Springs but that they were full but might be able to get her a "shift bed" for a temporary time period. I frantically weighed my options and just felt in my heart that maybe just taking her home to her apartment would be the best rehab she could get for now... and I really am not busy at work these days... and I knew deep down that I could stay with her and help her for the first few days...
So here we are back at Poplar Creek, Memaw's home, the assisted living facility in LaGrange. Yes, we were discharged today from the hospital after I made the executive decision to bring her home to her apartment. After a full day of trying to find a "transition/rehabilitation" place for her, the only rehab option available was a nursing home (with rehab services) near her assisted living home here in LaGrange. BUT, so here I am... Memaw's Personal Rehab and Adaptation Assistant. Just call me Nurse Kelly. Believe it or not, she is walking around half-decent but, she does not remember her way around quite yet and the whole getting up/down/balance thing is still rusty. That is what I am here for and the hospital has arranged for PT to come work with her 3 times a week in her apartment. So that being said... I am stuck here with the "older" crowd once again... today is Day 13 of the next chapter of Memaw's Story. Let's just pray that I can go home by Sunday (since I really should go back to work on Monday) and she can get back to some normalcy....
3/13/08
What a long day this has been! Time just creeps around here for me since I am so used to being in such a hurry all the time... The home health nurse visited us today and assessed our situation... she made me feel a lot better about the situation at hand since she was arranging PT, OT and ST for her 2-3 times a week...
We walked around quite a bit today and she was pulling herself up from the recliner and the couch on her own as early this morning! That is a HUGE obstacle completed considering she could NOT pull herself up AT ALL yesterday. We played Bingo this afternoon and she actually won the first round... I have never seen someone get so excited about winning $1!! We had a couple of visitors today and we sat outside for a little while on the rockers enjoying the beautiful day. All in all, I feel good about our progress and I KNOW in my heart that I did the right thing by bringing back here to her apartment home to get better. She even got one of those "push button alert call" things to hang around her neck so she can call for help whenever she needs it... hopefully, she will remember to use it! I hope tomorrow is even more successful than today!
3/14/08
There has been an unexpected change of events since yesterday evening... late in the evening, I started to not feel too well and the one of staff at Memaw's home took my temperature. Yes, I went to bed with a 102.2 fever- I bundled up the best I could with the heaviest clothes I had with me. I woke up around 12:30 am and my entire T-shirt (under the sweatshirt) along with the sheets and the pillow case were drenched with sweat- so the good news is the fever broke. However, I have feeling really bad all day today (cough, aching, chills, burning head) and finally decided to just go home to my doctor. Of course, Memaw was not happy about it AT ALL. But, I feel comfortable that she can make it on her own with the staff there and without me as her go-to crutch. She will have to learn how to depend on them and use the call button around her neck for help. I will not worry about her, but she is in the best place she can be! I did manage to take her this morning to get her hair done and met with the Director of the home and gave her specific instructions on the things that Memaw will need each day. All in all, it was another successful day!
Thank you so much all of your prayers, concerns, calls, emails, comments and messages! I am signing off now and enjoying being at home with Mike for a change.