Arthur stood up and sat back down three times on Monday, with the physiotherapist. It is a pity she s only there once a week as Arthur is not getting daily exercise, only when she is there. He is getting leg massages and sitting out in the air-chair daily, but it would be better of they stood him on his feet every day.
I am visiting three or four times a week and I know Arthur wants to be home under my care. I am bracing myself for a lot of hard work. I feeling depressed this week and I do not know if it is the worry about how I am going to care for him or if it is my muscle soreness. I am having a CT scan of my back today so maybe that will identify any problems.
All the problems seem to be overwhelming and doing my university tutorial this week was very stressful. I know I have t keep going with it. I wish I had the money to just retire but I do not. I probably will never be able to retire. Giving support to my son, who has depression, is such a drain but then again he is the only one who gives me any support, really.
I just want Arthur to have a comfortable and caring place and that can only happen at home with me. I am going to visit him today.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Alaskan King Crab Mornay and Roses
To celebrate our wedding anniversary. I made a dish of Alaskan King Crab meat in bechamel sauce at home and served it to Arthur in the nursing home. I made a bechamel sauce without onion or garlic, but instead, as it was for a fish dish, used lemon juice, grated lemon zest and parsley with ground black pepper and salt.
I made up a bunch of flowers from my garden for Arthur and made sure there was some roses in it, because at our wedding we had a Rose Ceremony where we gave each other a red rose. I also took the Chelsea, the Tenterfield Terrrier, in to see him and he watched his favourite team Manchester United beat Marseilles in the UEFA Champions League quarter final.
My son also dropped by to visit with his friend. He brought along his little Tenterfield Terrier puppy, BeeBee.
Arthur and I really enjoyed the afternoon together and it was a happy wedding anniversary.
I made up a bunch of flowers from my garden for Arthur and made sure there was some roses in it, because at our wedding we had a Rose Ceremony where we gave each other a red rose. I also took the Chelsea, the Tenterfield Terrrier, in to see him and he watched his favourite team Manchester United beat Marseilles in the UEFA Champions League quarter final.
My son also dropped by to visit with his friend. He brought along his little Tenterfield Terrier puppy, BeeBee.
Arthur and I really enjoyed the afternoon together and it was a happy wedding anniversary.
Wedding Annniversary
Today is our Wedding Anniversary and my husband is not here. I so wish Arthur was home today.
Arthur has settled into the home in Semaphore and the staff seem very good. Even though it is only for a few weeks respite, Arthur had been worried that he would not be coming home again. I reassured him that no-one could make him stay there and that he is coming home at the end of the respite period.
I have been visiting every second day, taking recorded English Premier League games on my laptop for him to watch, as the home does not have cable television or internet. I hooked my laptop up to my smart-phone and connected to the internet so Arthur could read the Manchester United FC website.
The dogs have visited too, and Chelsea our female Tenterfield Terrier and love of Arthur's heart, goes under his blankets and sleeps next to him for a coupe of hours while I am there.
The physiotherapist has had Arthur up on his feet once this week, so he has at least been standing. He has adapted to being transferred with an electric lifter quite well and most days sits out in the Princess air chair.
I am going to try to make something special for Arthur to eat today. His swallowing mechanism is not good so everything has to be ground up and thickened but I am going to try to make a dish out of an Alaskan King Crab leg that I bought for him.
I want to make this a happy Wedding Anniversary. I am so glad we are husband and wife.
Arthur has settled into the home in Semaphore and the staff seem very good. Even though it is only for a few weeks respite, Arthur had been worried that he would not be coming home again. I reassured him that no-one could make him stay there and that he is coming home at the end of the respite period.
I have been visiting every second day, taking recorded English Premier League games on my laptop for him to watch, as the home does not have cable television or internet. I hooked my laptop up to my smart-phone and connected to the internet so Arthur could read the Manchester United FC website.
The dogs have visited too, and Chelsea our female Tenterfield Terrier and love of Arthur's heart, goes under his blankets and sleeps next to him for a coupe of hours while I am there.
The physiotherapist has had Arthur up on his feet once this week, so he has at least been standing. He has adapted to being transferred with an electric lifter quite well and most days sits out in the Princess air chair.
I am going to try to make something special for Arthur to eat today. His swallowing mechanism is not good so everything has to be ground up and thickened but I am going to try to make a dish out of an Alaskan King Crab leg that I bought for him.
I want to make this a happy Wedding Anniversary. I am so glad we are husband and wife.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Mr S hits out with his walking stick.
Arthur has been moved to a nursing home for respite. It is in Semaphore which is by the beach. I looked at another one first but there he would have been in a room of five beds and I knew he wouldn't have liked that. The hospital said he was medically fit to discharge with 8 days of antibiotics to go, and that could be monitored by a General Practitioner. The hospital and nursing home organised the move by ambulance and I went down after my interview about the CDC package.
Of course all Arthur wants to do is come home, but I need to get some help in changing the house around, and I am hoping the physiotherapists there will manage to get him on his feet again.
He is in a share room with one other person, but unfortunately didn't get the window bed.
I stayed for quite along time that first day, which turned out to be a fortunate decision. When the new admission to the other bed, Mr S, arrived, there was an incident. When the care workers tried to help Mr S get into bed, he threw a punch to the jaw of a female care worker. On seeing this, I went to get the nurse, and made it clear to him that Arthur could not stay in the same room as a violent person. More workers came into the room and Mr S was moved to another area. The head nurse called the manager, and put me on the phone to her. She explained they had no other beds available and that if Arthur didn't provoke Mr S, Arthur should be alright. I was horrified by that suggestion and flatly discounted it. I told the woman that she had a victim of a home invasion (in 1998) with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in with a violent person who was unsuitable for this type of accommodation. Mr S needed to be in a secure unit. As I could hear a commotion further up the corridor, I told her Mr S was still being disruptive. The manager said that the Department of Health and Ageing had not told her that Mr S had these problems. She said she also did not know Arthur had PTSD. I said I assumed it was in his transfer notes from the hospital.
I said I understood it was not the home's fault Mr S was there, but that it was unacceptable for him to be in with Arthur. She asked to speak to the head nurse and I went and got him. I went back to Arthur and told him I would stay alll night with him if necessary, but that I could hear the phone call and Mr S was being sent to hospital to be assessed and that he would be unlikely to return. I heard Mr S' wife mentioned and felt sorry for her. I wonder if she suffers from his violence at home. Maybe not, maybe Mr S just does not like facilities and nurses telling him what to do.
I wandered up the corridor to find out what was happening and the head nurse told me Mr S was to be taken for assessment at the hospital and that the police had been called to supervise the transfer. The nurse was very annoyed because Mr S had hit him across the neck with his walking stick and left a red mark. The nurse was quite a solid man, overweight with thick neck. I had visions of that walking stick crashing onto Arthur's thin frame and weak bones. The nurse was outraged, and said that he would not have any of his staff at risk. I politely agreed with him but I am not sure he picked up my point when I said that if Mr S had hit Arthur with the walking stick, Arthur would have been killed.
I stayed for a long time, and settled Arthur down. I asked that the locum doctor be called to give him a sedative if he needed it and that he be checked on quite frequently. As it turned out, I received a call to say Arthur was alright, but they couldn't call the doctor because they did not have his medicare card. I told hm the number should be in Arthur's notes, however I would bring his card in the next day. (They did find his medicare number in his notes the next day.) The home was very good at keeping me informed and responded quite correctly to Mr S when the manager understood the seriousness of the situation.
Arthur was upset by all this and it was not a good start to his stay. I came in the next day with Jason to see how he was doing, and to check up on how he was being treated. Arthur was tired, but he was being cared for quite well and we hoped he could be moved to the window bed. Unfortunately that bed was allocated to a man who was coming to live there permanently. He turned out to be quiet and friendly.
I stayed overnight at my friend Jill's place. We have been friends for nearly 30 years. Time does fly.
Of course all Arthur wants to do is come home, but I need to get some help in changing the house around, and I am hoping the physiotherapists there will manage to get him on his feet again.
He is in a share room with one other person, but unfortunately didn't get the window bed.
I stayed for quite along time that first day, which turned out to be a fortunate decision. When the new admission to the other bed, Mr S, arrived, there was an incident. When the care workers tried to help Mr S get into bed, he threw a punch to the jaw of a female care worker. On seeing this, I went to get the nurse, and made it clear to him that Arthur could not stay in the same room as a violent person. More workers came into the room and Mr S was moved to another area. The head nurse called the manager, and put me on the phone to her. She explained they had no other beds available and that if Arthur didn't provoke Mr S, Arthur should be alright. I was horrified by that suggestion and flatly discounted it. I told the woman that she had a victim of a home invasion (in 1998) with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in with a violent person who was unsuitable for this type of accommodation. Mr S needed to be in a secure unit. As I could hear a commotion further up the corridor, I told her Mr S was still being disruptive. The manager said that the Department of Health and Ageing had not told her that Mr S had these problems. She said she also did not know Arthur had PTSD. I said I assumed it was in his transfer notes from the hospital.
I said I understood it was not the home's fault Mr S was there, but that it was unacceptable for him to be in with Arthur. She asked to speak to the head nurse and I went and got him. I went back to Arthur and told him I would stay alll night with him if necessary, but that I could hear the phone call and Mr S was being sent to hospital to be assessed and that he would be unlikely to return. I heard Mr S' wife mentioned and felt sorry for her. I wonder if she suffers from his violence at home. Maybe not, maybe Mr S just does not like facilities and nurses telling him what to do.
I wandered up the corridor to find out what was happening and the head nurse told me Mr S was to be taken for assessment at the hospital and that the police had been called to supervise the transfer. The nurse was very annoyed because Mr S had hit him across the neck with his walking stick and left a red mark. The nurse was quite a solid man, overweight with thick neck. I had visions of that walking stick crashing onto Arthur's thin frame and weak bones. The nurse was outraged, and said that he would not have any of his staff at risk. I politely agreed with him but I am not sure he picked up my point when I said that if Mr S had hit Arthur with the walking stick, Arthur would have been killed.
I stayed for a long time, and settled Arthur down. I asked that the locum doctor be called to give him a sedative if he needed it and that he be checked on quite frequently. As it turned out, I received a call to say Arthur was alright, but they couldn't call the doctor because they did not have his medicare card. I told hm the number should be in Arthur's notes, however I would bring his card in the next day. (They did find his medicare number in his notes the next day.) The home was very good at keeping me informed and responded quite correctly to Mr S when the manager understood the seriousness of the situation.
Arthur was upset by all this and it was not a good start to his stay. I came in the next day with Jason to see how he was doing, and to check up on how he was being treated. Arthur was tired, but he was being cared for quite well and we hoped he could be moved to the window bed. Unfortunately that bed was allocated to a man who was coming to live there permanently. He turned out to be quiet and friendly.
I stayed overnight at my friend Jill's place. We have been friends for nearly 30 years. Time does fly.
Friday, March 4, 2011
CDC - not yet.
My interview with the provider about CDC was informative but unproductive as the only packages available were for low care. We have been put next on the list should a high-care CDC package become available.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Consumer Directed Care
Yesterday a service provider I talked with a few weeks ago rang to tell me they had some consumer directed care packages coming from the Commonwealth Government. The lady will get a copy of Arthur's assessment and see if this may be suitable for us. She also sad another provider had one, and she will contact them as well. I spoke to our present agency but they do not do CDC packages but they were very supportive of me finding out more about them. I am waiting for a call back.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Crunch Time
The doctor rang and told me Arthur's pneumonia is better and he will be ready for discharge soon. The problem is that Arthur is so frail he needs to go to a nursing-home, and he does not want to. Arthur told them to ring me. I said Arthur was coming home - no ifs, no buts, no nursing home.
I asked about the TCP program to get him conditioning to improve his mobility, but the doctor said the physiotherapists concluded that he is not suitable. He is not strong enough anymore and he won't benefit from it, they said.
The doctor said they could not discharge him to go home but Arthur could discharge himself, so I assume this is to do with liability issues. I am going in tomorrow morning to talk to the physiotherapist and the occupational therapist. I talked about it with Arthur and I asked him to consider where he wanted the hospital bed, as he would mostly be using that, as it was the best for me to look after him. He said he would think about it.
I was shocked because the social worker talked to me about the TCP program and I thought that Arthur would do it and get back some mobility. I have to face that fact that Arthur has gone down another level and there are not many more left to go.
I am hurting, hurting, hurting. My soul feels as if it has toothache. I am fighting to hold back grief so that I can be positive for Arthur. I have been so sluggish since he came home in November. It is as if I wished to slow time. I need to find the energy to do the things I need and want in whatever time we have left.
Dear God, if you be, be with us.
I asked about the TCP program to get him conditioning to improve his mobility, but the doctor said the physiotherapists concluded that he is not suitable. He is not strong enough anymore and he won't benefit from it, they said.
The doctor said they could not discharge him to go home but Arthur could discharge himself, so I assume this is to do with liability issues. I am going in tomorrow morning to talk to the physiotherapist and the occupational therapist. I talked about it with Arthur and I asked him to consider where he wanted the hospital bed, as he would mostly be using that, as it was the best for me to look after him. He said he would think about it.
I was shocked because the social worker talked to me about the TCP program and I thought that Arthur would do it and get back some mobility. I have to face that fact that Arthur has gone down another level and there are not many more left to go.
I am hurting, hurting, hurting. My soul feels as if it has toothache. I am fighting to hold back grief so that I can be positive for Arthur. I have been so sluggish since he came home in November. It is as if I wished to slow time. I need to find the energy to do the things I need and want in whatever time we have left.
Dear God, if you be, be with us.
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