Lena's Recovery: 04/15/13

Christina's Sunday 4-14 Pictures

Lunch

Happy to be in the sunshine!

Found a forsythia bush to pose with -- Grandma struggled a moment to remember the name of them, but did recall that they have several of these bushes on the side of their house.

Cute chat with church friend Julie, who has been at HHRC (nursing home portion, not rehab) for two years.

Sunday 4-14 with The Purple Ladies

Grandpa's update:

Lena started the day in a depressed mood, but Andrei & Joyce & Christina, as well as the nice weather managed to cheer her up.

She did not eat much at breakfast, but commented favorably on the lunch & dinner.

Thanks very much, Joyce & Christina, both Lena & I appreciated your visit and your help very much and Andrei, you are always one of grandma's favorite people to see!

** A reminder from Christina: If you click on the pictures they will open in a large slideshow view so you can see them better. **

Lunch: Beef, mashed potatoes, peas, and in the dish: dessert (marble cake, pureed). Grandma has about the same meal as others at HHRC, but hers is just pureed.

Note that we're all wearing purple -- completely unplanned!

Visiting Julie (friend from church who has been a long-time patient at HH rehab) -- Grandma was surprised to learn Julie is only 66, yet has been at HHRC for two years, and yet Grandma is 90 and will probably eventually walk and be sent home!

Dinner: Chicken (or Turkey?) salad, beets, tomato soup, and I'm not sure what was in the small bowl. Apple sauce maybe.

Thursday 4-11 and Pictures

Some news I forgot to include from last Thursday. From Grandpa:

When I came in this morning about 9:00, mom was happy to see me, but complained she had been awakened at 6:00 ("That's the middle of the niiiight!") to go to the doctor. She claimed she had gone there, but as the wait was long she had given up & gone back.

Anyhow she claimed also that at breakfast she had eaten a whole banana! I could not believe this, but later saw the speech therapist who confirmed that this was true! The therapist said that this was quite a milestone, but she stressed that such eating of rather solid food should only be in her (the therapist's) presence only.

Then mom settled back in a rather noncomittal mood, leaving uncertain where the day would go, but i tried to liven her up with some music, and when the therapists came she agreed to be cooperative.

After some exercises in bed with the one therapist (lifting the arms, and also with a 2 lb weight), they helped her move into the chair, and she helped rolling the chair to the exercise room where they had her stand up in a contraption she had been in before. She seemed pleased with the accomplishment but again scared them with stating she felt dizzy and breaking out in a sweat. However, her vital signs were OK and they took her to the middle of the room for a rest while they observed her sitting there with a rather absent look. However, she then suddenly broke the spell by saying, "Can anybody tell a good joke?" I then suggested she sing something she had composed, which she did, a happy tune.

The PT (Annabelle) then worked for a while with her on exercises of her right leg, and indicated she was satisfied. The PT asked me however to discuss with Dr Chopra this frequent almost seeming to black out.

Mom & I then sat in the room for at least another half an hour until she asked to be back in the bed which seemed deserved after the good work she had done.

While we sat there, this doctor W (?) came by and said that he was making a slight change in her medicine, so as to correct her soda level which he stated was 129 and should be <135.