Text 28523, 107 rader
Skriven 2012-08-20 20:19:32 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
  Kommentar till text 28417 av NANCY BACKUS (1:261/1381)
Ärende: Mom
===========
Hi Nancy,


 NB> I gathered together the strands of this conversation from the various
 NB> messages....

That'll work!

 NB>  RH>> Mom was transferred to the local hospital for rehab on
 NB> Wednesday,  RH>> a lot closer to home! Dad will only have to drive one

 RH> I can see the stress is showing on Dad now. He tries to go up twice a
 RH> day to see her, keep the house going, take care of the cat & dog, do a
 RH> bunch of other things........................

 NB> A lot on him... along with the concern for her...

Very much so, especially the latter. He was speculating about the
possibility of Mom needing a wheelchair on a permanent basis. If so,
there's a lot to redo in the house to accomodate one.

 NB> (and I) doubt  RH>> she will get them done. She is not aging
 NB> gracefully.
 NB>  NB>> Sorry to hear that.  Hope she recovers ok...

 RH> It's going to be a lot longer than dad's rehab took. Her physical
 RH> condition to start with is a lot worse than Dad's was, even tho he
 RH> broke his at age 88 and she is 83.

 NB> Physical condition does make a difference, along with the
 NB> determination to make a go of the therapy...

And I don't know what her determination factor is. Talked with her
yesterday--no therapy on week ends which makes progress even slower.
She's not interested in books, puzzles, newspapers or anything that
would stimulate her mind according to Dad; we noticed that last month as
well.

 NB>  RH>> Mom is still in rehab, making
 NB>  RH>> what he calls "microscopic" progress. She's not even walking yet
 NB>  RH>> and he was doing a lot, at the same time from break.
 NB>  NB>> Not good.  Are there other factors there besides just the
 NB> break...?

 RH> Severe rhuematoid arthritis in both knees, old age senility (loss of
 RH> memory--not alzheimer's or dementia but not always able to
 RH> reason/understand/remember) and osteoporosis are the main issues.

 NB> That will indeed make recovery more problematic, on multiple levels...

And, as of the end of last week, still not walking.

 RH> In some ways I think we should be up there, other ways, we are better
 RH> here, carrying on with normal day to day living. My youngest sister
 RH> (lives in Wassaic, her son goes to Delhi Tech) is helping out some and
 RH> folks in the community are helping Dad as much as they can/he wants.

 NB> You can't do everything... and if there are other family members and
 NB> friends that can take up some of the load, it's a good thing, and less
 NB> need for you to have to be there right now.  Maybe after Steve
 NB> finishes his program, it would be your time/turn to help out...

That's to be determined; we've helped somewhat before but not on a
fulltime basis. Right now tho,it's mostly Dad doing everything he can;
what he can't do, he will call on others to help with.


 RH> Just talked to Dad on skype--Mom still isn't walking. She is able to
 RH> put weight on the leg in transferring from bed to chair or toilet chair
 RH> but still not walking. It's been 3 weeks now since the break & surgery
 RH> so we're beginning to get concerned. Dad says that a lot of her motor
 RH> skills are gone too; some were before the break but I guess others
 RH> have gone since.

 NB> Not good.  It's hard to keep the motor skills when one is in bed, too.

That's why we're concerned; her motor skills had deteriorated before the
break and they're not doing any better now.


 NB> Have they done a neurological check on her...?  I wonder if she might
 NB> have had a minor stroke or something similar when she fell...??

My sister seems to think she had a minor stroke some (unknown) time ago.
I'm wondering if she did have one in conjunction with the fall/break but
nothing has been said to indicate one way or the other if that is the
case. As far as we know, no neurological exam has been done either.


 RH> ... Psalms 18:2 |...God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

 NB> Quite appropriate...  :)    Prayers continue, for both your parents...

That's about all we can do right now. The semester started today for
Steve and my wrist surgery is a less than 3 weeks away. Theprayers are
very much appreciated.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


...  Whatever awaits you around the corner, God is already there.

--- PPoint 3.01
 * Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)