Wednesday was dad's last Physical Therapy at the Rehab Center (he will have some therapy at home for a few weeks)...I suggested that we get him in and out of the car, and he did great. This picture, however, was taken today...it was not therapy, it was "HEADED FOR HOME" time. Look at that smile!!!!
One nice benefit that they have is that they are in the far back of the complex...and I can pull the car up and one can walk right up this ramp, through the door, and their apartment is the very first one. I gave dad the choice of walking up the ramp, or me getting his Hoveround and ride up the walk and into the apartment...he choose the walker. With temps up in the 100's this week, I was very happy it was only in the 80's when he did this. However, the slight incline did take a bit out of him.
Both mom and dad have Hoverounds similar to the one above...since they live so far away from the dinning hall, it gives them a way to get to their meals, and they can just pull right up to the table. It also allows them to visit Walmart, CVS, etc., which are right across busy Greenback Lane, thankfully with street lights and nice crosswalks.
Quickly he was in his recliner, which is also a lift chair. For his rapidly deteriorating back, dad does not take much pain relief outside of Tylenol. His chair is his relief...if his back starts hurting, he adjusts it so it doesn't hurt anymore. Getting up and out of chairs is very difficult, and the lift part of the chair provides way less pain for him to get up. Unfortunately, the all of the therapist said that the lift chair also makes a person weak since the chair does all the work. So what is better...to be on Opioids to relieve pain, or use a mechanical device to relieve pain...he has chosen the latter.
We hope that the home health starts up real quick. For a few weeks he will have a nurse come by to monitor his health and take Prothrombin time (PT) Blood Test, which measures how long it takes blood to clot since he is on a blood thinner. His "PT" level was out of whack (too high) when he entered the hospital, and also went out of whack (high again) at the Rehab Center. We think it is all under control now. This is something he has been on for about 10 years, and it has never got out of whack before, and was probably caused by a antibiotic he was taking.
Thank you all for your prayers and concerns...they have been highly appreciated.
Yay!! So glad to see him home and on the mend. It's a hard choice between opioids and the chair. I'd probably choose the chair also, but try some kind of movement to keep the muscles strong. I hope the home health care starts immediately.
ReplyDeleteWhen it HURTS when you stand and walk and move around, it is hard to move around, hard to motivate yourself to do it.
DeleteHe's looking good! :-)
ReplyDeleteYep
DeleteBeen sitting quietly praying for this day. Praying that your parents continue to celebrate happy times together.
ReplyDeleteThe Chair is the better choice but your Dad needs to exercise to keep his muscles toned. Maybe walking to the Dining Room will help keep his strength.
May he be Safe and Enjoy being Home.
It's about time.
Walking the hallways would be good, but getting all the way to the dinning room just isn't going to happen, it really is a long, long way due to the configuration of the building. We sure appreciate your prayers...and yes, he does need to exercise.
DeleteGreat news! Hopefully he will continue to recover and gain more strength over the coming weeks.
ReplyDeleteHis strength has grown each day...unfortunately he came home with a slight sore throat and cough, which I got too...but we are both better now. Saturday night I was SOOOOO sick!
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