I just spoke with Jeff (Dad's PT specialist) who said that despite Sam's misgivings (I had talked to Sam last week about his thoughts on Dad's prognosis and they were pretty dismal), Dad had performed quite a bit better in his transfer from bed to wheelchair in his evaluation I'd prompted them to do last week. Jeff said that Dad was able to put a lot more weight on his good leg than he'd done before and that Dad took more initiative in getting himself up and out of the bed than he'd seen him do before.
As a result of the positive evaluation, Jeff is filing papers to get Dad back into PT for a while at least. Since he is now covered by Medicare Part B, I am not quite sure the duration of this PT schedule, but the PT sessions will be 5 days a week until Med B cuts him off. If we are still seeing progress, Med B might still pay for some or all of the PT, and even if it does not, we would pay out of pocket if Dad has a chance to get walking again. It is well worth the money!!
I knew it was a bit exaggerated when Dad self-described last week's session to me as "I got up from my bed and walked to the wheelchair" but I am glad to see that Jeff and Sam were able to see some measurable improvement. Either Dad has decided he really wants to get home and will push through the pain, or all that candy has done something as far as beefing up that good leg! :)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
May 12, 2010 (Meeting with ORN staff)
At our meeting with the care center's staff, which Dad attending along with Janice, Brad, and myself, we discussed Dad's state. Overall, not much has changed in months, except Dad's weight, which had sky rocketed since the last time we'd checked. He'd gained 7% of his body weight!!! I have no doubt that is because of all the visitors who've been bringing him candy, and because of all the lunches out we take him to. Dad's sweet tooth is insatiable and he does not seem to have the ability to recognize when he is full. If you put a bag full of chocolate in front of him, he will eat it until it's gone, no matter how huge the bag is!
During the meeting, we discussed the following: We mentioned that it seemed he'd been a bit more upbeat lately, possibly due to his prescriptions changing. We asked them to look into the fact that the door to the outside of his room seems to never be locked and that anyone could possibly come in there. The door is also quite breezy and Dad says it often makes him cold. The usage of the braces we purchased for him seems to have done a bit of good in keeping his left hand outstretched instead of curled, and we mentioned that we've noticed they are not very conscientious about making sure the braces are put on every day. We also asked that Dad be re-evaluated for physical therapy and asked that the PT staff charge it to Medicare and see if they would pick up the bill for a 2-week stint. If Medicare won't pay, then we said to start doing PT two times per week and we would pay out of pocket for it. Jim (the social worker we meet with) said that he would talk to PT and call me back that same day. Dad asked if he'd been reported for any "inappropriate behaviors" and we (and Dad especially) were very glad to hear he has not been! :)
After the meeting, we wheeled Dad out to lunch and visited for a while. It is so nice to FINALLY have some spring/summer weather here!
During the meeting, we discussed the following: We mentioned that it seemed he'd been a bit more upbeat lately, possibly due to his prescriptions changing. We asked them to look into the fact that the door to the outside of his room seems to never be locked and that anyone could possibly come in there. The door is also quite breezy and Dad says it often makes him cold. The usage of the braces we purchased for him seems to have done a bit of good in keeping his left hand outstretched instead of curled, and we mentioned that we've noticed they are not very conscientious about making sure the braces are put on every day. We also asked that Dad be re-evaluated for physical therapy and asked that the PT staff charge it to Medicare and see if they would pick up the bill for a 2-week stint. If Medicare won't pay, then we said to start doing PT two times per week and we would pay out of pocket for it. Jim (the social worker we meet with) said that he would talk to PT and call me back that same day. Dad asked if he'd been reported for any "inappropriate behaviors" and we (and Dad especially) were very glad to hear he has not been! :)
After the meeting, we wheeled Dad out to lunch and visited for a while. It is so nice to FINALLY have some spring/summer weather here!
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