Dad turned the TV to local news. I took my evening supplement and Tri-ease. Dad turned off the TV after the news. I totally encased the cot mattress in sheets. That stopped the loud sound it made when anyone laid on it. I put on my PJ's and went to bed.
Dad woke once during the night, pulling open the snaps at the shoulders. I got him covered up again and we went back to sleep. At 6:35 a nurse woke him up to take a pill, He went back to sleep, but breakfast came. He roused soon after. The nurse said he had therapy at 9:30. So there was no rush.
The nurse assistant came in several times to get him dressed, but left when she saw him still eating. At 8:25 I convinced him to leave the rest of the apple so the nurse could wash and dress him. But the speech therapist came in with a therapy schedule for today. She had to wait until he was dressed. Had we known she was coming, we could have planned our time.
The speech therapist gave him several cognitive exercises, like reciting the pattern 1A, 2B etc to the number 10. Dad skipped from h to l. There was a math problem and a time problem. He had to repeat a story, copy shapes, draw a clock, read a story aloud and answer questions while able to reread the story. She gave him a 30 out of 50 and said that 44 is a normal response. The diagnosis is mild cognitive impairment. His homework was to review the day this evening. She thought he needed hearing aids and Dad told me where to find them. She put them in.
Heather the PT took him to the gym. He practiced standing up, and then walking with only a gait belt. A nurse brought him meds while he was waiting for the PT to return. She had him do some exaggerated arm exercises: Forward, down, up, out, slap knees. OT was next but I asked for him to have some rest, so they moved the schedule to give him an hour. I took him back to the room for a nap. I called the nurse to help him to the bathroom, but by the time the nurse appeared, Dad had done it already. She helped him into bed and he took a nap. He got up 5 minutes before the OT came for him. She had him practice Rock and Reach.
He paddled back to the room under my supervision. Lunch was ready. He was eating when Sarah the NP came by to check on him. She said his thyroid should be rechecked in 6 weeks. She also said the thyroid meds would make it even harder for him to gain weight. The pastor and his wife came for a visit. So Dad had not finished eating when the OT came back to get him.
When he got to the gym, she put a heating pad on his right shoulder. She replaced the battery in his hearing aid. When his shoulder was warm, she laid him on a padded dias and turned him on his side. She measured his range of motion and massaged his shoulder. After more extensions, she gave him a long bar to hold with both hands and move from thighs to overhead.
Dad walked his wheelchair back to his room. After a bathroom break, I gave him leftover food from lunch. I called Verizon and confirmed that his bill was paid. I gave him a form to sign. I laid down for a nap. When I got up, he had put his hearing aids away. I found him a cup of yogurt. He asked about supper. We discussed the events of the day as per the instruction of the speech therapist. Then the nurse helped him lie down for a short hap before supper. At 5 we called the nurse to help him in the bathroom and supper had arrived by the time he got out. I watched him eat until Faye arrived. I shared with her the events of the day. I was about to leave when the podiatrist came. He clipped Dad's toenails and sanded them with a Dremel. He also sanded off a callus. He gave business cards to Faye and me, and left. I wondered what that was going to cost us or Medicare.
I left then, and went home. I went through the mail. I turned on my laptop. William came by with a jar of coconut oil. I ate some rotisserie chicken. I made some salad. I washed the lunch and breakfast containers. I packed lunch and started making breakfast. I listened to an audio while writing my blog post for the day.
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