HIGHLIGHTS
- Grandma shared that she feels very sad sometimes
- Grandma saw a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, and Speech Therapist
- With help, she sat herself up in bed and shifted into the wheelchair
- In the Occupational Therapy room, Grandma stood up for almost 10 minutes total!
- After a visit with the Speech Therapist, Grandma ate independently
- The Speech Therapist would like to start Grandma on a pureed diet TODAY (Tuesday, April 2)
- Grandma spoke with a representative from social services
- Grandma shared that she is not too impressed with the rehab center nurses
Details:
Yesterday morning, as shared by Grandpa in his emails, we noticed that Grandma was feeling a little down yesterday morning and again in the afternoon. Some of the things Grandma said are that she has trouble believing that she will gain strength in her right leg and right arm; that she sometimes feels that completing this therapy "has no purpose."
"At this age, I need to accept that it is just the way it is," she told us. She also said that many ladies at Heritage Harbour neighborhood do not drive or even walk; she seems accepting that this will now be her lifestyle - however, Grandpa and I gently encouraged her that this is not certain and that she is making miraculous progress! Grandpa is a great encourager.
To ensure that she was perked up for the anticipated therapy visits, Grandpa played some wonderful music, which made Grandma smile. She even sang along softly but also dozed a bit in bed, resting. Grandma knew it was Easter Monday and I asked her what she did on Easter Monday when she was my age. This question seemed to spark some enthusiasm and she explained and remembered happily.
Grandpa tells me that in the morning, the Physical Therapist installed a special machine on Grandma's leg that senses pathways to the brain. Our understanding is that this machine is supposed to stimulate these pathways and muscles to help Grandma move it more easily, and regain mobility in that leg. Grandma did not like this machine very much, and said it was painful.
A few hours later, 2 occupational therapists came and helped Grandma up in bed. They encouraged her to straighten her shoulders and back and lift up her pretty head. Grandma seemed a little doubtful that she could get out of bed and into the chair, but she did it with help. I saw her support herself with her right arm and her left leg helped her to swing into the chair. Grandpa and I cheered her on!
She seemed pretty happy in the chair, and we continued to encourage her to keep her head up. In the occupational therapy room, she saw many other people at different stages of recovery rebuilding their strength. Grandpa and I both think this was a good thing for her to see.
These therapists rolled her to the far side of the room in the chair to an apparatus used to help her stand. They extended a strap on her bottom and across her hips and with help and encouragement, she stood. These therapists took her blood pressure while she was standing up and it was in good shape (I think it was something like 138/80). They had her stand with her arms supporting her for 5 minutes, then sat her down in the chair. Then they repeated this process. Grandma did great - she began apprehensively, and repeated "I just cannot believe it," a few times. Returning to the chair, she seemed perked up. We helped to push her back in the room.
Grandma shared many times yesterday that she notices that her brain and body are almost severed - Her brain knows what it wants her body to do, yet her body isn't listening and doesn't have strength. I shared my experiences with my foot surgery and how atrophied and weak my foot and leg were after 1 month of not getting out of bed. She seemed surprised and encouraged by this.
Grandma and I talked while she remained in the chair in her room for a few minutes. Grandpa got a drink. During this time, Grandma shared a lot of her fears and said that she didn't feel positive that she would regain her strength, repeating "this has no purpose." I told her that we all loved her so much and that it was normal to feel scared - but that we would be with her every single step of the way. Grandma said she's almost glad to have had this stroke at 90 years old, because to have had one earlier would have been more difficult to adjust to a new lifestyle, and that she would have had to forgo a lot of activities much earlier.
I held her hand and brushed her hair, and then she became exhausted and had some trouble holding her head up. I called some nurses to help her back into bed before Speech Therapy.
The Speech Therapist brought a big tray of food - pureed chicken pot pie, water, juice, and milk with a honey-like consistency, mashed potatoes, and pureed peaches. She fed Grandma 1 or 2 times and then Grandma began eating independently. The therapist put 2 fingers against her throat to be sure the muscles were working to help her swallow. The reason why Grandma cannot drink more watery things is that those liquids move more quickly in the mouth, and particularly to the back of the mouth. This increases the risk that it will go down her airway.
The therapist noted that Grandma continues to build the muscle in the back of her throat that helps her to swallow quickly. "It takes me 3 swallows to get a bite of food down," she said. Grandma did really great, and she seemed proud of herself at the end. We were so impressed. The ST would like to start Grandma on a pureed diet TODAY, working her up to a soft diet perhaps by next week!
Grandpa and I left for lunch shortly after while Grandma began to doze off. In the afternoon when we visited again, Grandma seemed a sad. She shared that the nurses are not too responsive, and that this is particularly true overnight. We encouraged her to press the red button at night to call the nurses that way. Grandma did not seem too hopeful that this would solve the problem, and said she had tried this before. She also said that the television has no stations that she can relate to (I believe many of the stations are from Baltimore instead of Washington DC or Annapolis), and this is frustrating.
I ran out to the nurses station and asked who was on duty now, and who would be on duty overnight. Apparently 5 nurses are on duty in the daytime. Their names are listed on the white board near the nurses station. Their shift ends in the evening around 11:00 pm. I asked how patients can contact the nurses, and if the nurses routinely check in on them. The head nurse affirmed this, and said they make regular rounds. When Grandpa and I shared this with Grandma, she seemed doubtful. She shared that she was not too impressed with the rehab center. Grandpa responded that this was good motivation to get better and get home as soon as possible!
We left Grandma around 6:00 pm as she settled in for a nap. We agreed that the day had been filled with both accomplishments and challenges, and that it was very important to help Grandma stay positive.
In the evening, I think both Grandpa and I were feeling a little worn out and deep in thought. Jerome made a special surprise visit around dinnertime and we enjoyed a good meal together at home. I think this cheered us up!
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