-=> Quoting Janis Kracht to Nancy Backus on 11-01-19  21:52 <=-

 >> I haven't tried those much yet, perhaps I will :)  It would definitely
 >> help on days when we're running back and forth to Oak Hill where Ron's
 >> Aunt is getting rehab for her broken hip.
 > All the prep is done for you, and the cleanup should be minimal... :)
 > And so far all the ones we've tried have been pretty tasty... :)

 JK> It's neat that Wegman's food is generally good to great   Even my
 JK> son likes some of their dishes we grab..well, I should qualify that
 JK> with "even my son eats _some_ of them" 

Yes, I remember how picky he could be... :)  Actually eating them is a
high compliment from him... 
 
 >> I made a mistake there btw, it is 2 hours a day rehab necessary if you
 >> want medicare to cover the cost.  That would certainly be easier on
 >> someone than 6 hours a day :)
 > Oh, that DOES make better sense... 6 hours might stress out anybody...

 JK> Yes, indeed. She was extremely unwilling to cooperate with the rehab
 JK> staff in the beginning and wouldn't do any of the Rehab work needed to
 JK> make a difference in her condition.  We went in and talked to her and
 JK> that helped some but lately it's sad but it doesn't seem to make a
 JK> difference.. she's 97 going on 98 in Feb. so geez it's understandable..
 JK> Her oldest sister lived to be 100 but her sister really wasn't all
 JK> there towards the end. 

It can be an ongoing struggle to get someone like her actually motivated
to do the rehab... the surgery itself can take so much out of them...
and the healing as well.... 

 >> She's in a facility near us in Ithaca, Oak Hill Manor; it's a nice
 >> place, people seem happy there.  That's a big plus to me... And she's
 >> not complaining so that's a good thing.
 > Both good things... close enough that it isn't a hardship to be there
 > regularly, and a place that she's happy enough with... :)

 JK> Unfortunately, it has become a hardship for the two of us.. Ron is
 JK> still recovering from the Sciatica (he had the injection and goes back
 JK> for another one in a few weeks I think)... but he still can't sit for
 JK> long, or walk for long :( Eventually he'll be better but driving is
 JK> rough for him.  I'm doing generally ok but tire out fast. That lung
 JK> infection this month knocked me out for a bit.. luckily my doc was able
 JK> to find an antibiotic that I could tolerate so I was happy about
 JK> that...  But we're really just run down and can't deal very well with
 JK> "stuff".

Oh, that is not so good at all... even though it might have been
worse... I'm sorry that it is such a hardship all the same.... 

 JK> It was a heavy load when she was here before she broke her
 JK> hip, and now we're trying to 'catch up'.  Her doc thinks she'll be
 JK> staying at Oak Hill for a number of reasons... I think her mind is
 JK> going a bit as well as her sister's did.  That's sad.

I wonder if some of it is institutional delirium... her brain not making
total sense of the strange surroundings... But if she can't/won't do the
rehab to get better enough to get out of there, there's not much you can
do... We kept our mom home at my sister's after she broke her hip, as
she was very prone to the delirium, and that helped some, but it was a
lot of work for us as well as for her... We had therapists coming to the
house to work with her.... Probably more than you'd be able to do
though, with your health not so great, either....

 >> As far as how the rehab itself goes, it's slow going.  It makes sense
 >> when you think about it... she does NOT tolerate pain well (she's
 >> going to be 98 this Feb.), and so when they try to work with her for
 >> this kind of stuff she's not very keen on working on it.  Everytime I
 >> see her I keep reminding her that if she can deal with the discomfort
 >> she'll get back home sooner than later.. but you know.. it's rough.
 > Yes, I know it can be very rough on you... you want the best for her,
 > and it can be hard to get across why she needs to put in that effort to
 > get that best.... She has enough brain left to be able to explain how
 > things can be helpful, doesn't she...?  Not just to encourage working
 > through the discomfort, but also explaining how each exercise could be
 > helpful in the process....

 JK> Before this last fall happened, I would have said yes.. but after she
 JK> fell I think it really took a toll on her... mentally especially :(
 
That's not that uncommon, either....

 >> We meet with the Oak Hill Admin. every now and then to see how things
 >> are going, get updates on her successes (they are very few.. she's been
 >> there now 3 weeks I think, and they _today_ got her to stand with the
 >> aid of some weird contraption...)
 > Have you been able to sit in on the therapy sessions with her...?
 > Sometimes that can be a helpful extra push to make the therapy go
 > smoother... Hopefully she's still making some progress...

 JK> No, we can't do that.. It would be too much really for us.  There are
 JK> some other memebers of the family but no one else can help they say..

That's a shame....
 
 >> Over here, she will have to be able to use her walker to get to the
 >> bathroom from her room (it's right around the corner) before we can
 >> take her home :( damn..
 > Would a commode in her room help any...?  at least as a temporary
 > fix...?

 JK> She had one in her room from the beginning...

Ah... then not a solution, either...
 
 >> Well, I have been trying to force myself to eat 'decent' food as
 >> opposed to junk (cookies, ice cream Lol) but I'm not even eating the
 >> junk food.. my weight is down to 114.. geez.  I'll disappear soon if
 >> this doesn't change :(
 > Just need to keep at it... nibble on good stuff between meals if you
 > can... make the cookies specially nutritious... ;)

 JK> I've been making pumpkin bread - that's great :)

And eating nice thick slices of it with plenty of butter...?  ;)

 >>>> I have some not totally ripe pumpkins sitting under plant lights in
 >>>> the living room... they are ripening there, so that's great :)
 >>> Sounds good...  :)
 >> They are doing really well there, they like those plant lights, so
 >> that's great.
 > Another use for your indoor garden... :)  Have you made any goodies yet
 > with the pumpkins...?

 JK> Maybe next week.. we'll see :)

Anything yet...?  ;)

ttyl        neb

... Panic now - avoid the rush!

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20