What A Beautiful Day!!!

How was this for a "Chamber of Commerce Day" in Austin?! Danny took advantage of it and took Dad outside for about 45 minutes this afternoon! That's a great way to get some good Vitamin D!!!

Danny and Daddy had a great day together! They played two games of two-handed Texas Hold 'Em poker and Danny admitted that Dad beat him handily!!! I keep ribbing Dad about beating him at gin and had Danny tell him that, if he'll practice, I'll play him again some time! That got a big grin out of him! During the late afternoon, Dad caught Danny sleeping in the chair! Danny said that when he woke up Dad pointed at him and laughed out loud! The speech therapist says that laughing out loud is GREAT therapy to wake up his voice!

A father should be so lucky to have a son like Danny! He has been diligent with supporting what the therapists are doing and pushing Dad to work hard so they can go fishing! Dad takes pressure from Danny better than he does any of us! Today Danny was working with Dad's right leg and Dad lifted it up about 3 inches! That's the first time he has been able to do that! We are convinced that Dad will regain enough strength to walk! Lifting that leg on his own is the first step (no pun in tended!)!

Dad pointed to the clock today and Danny deciphered that he wanted Danny say out loud the days between now and Monday. Then Dad had Danny name the days again and made him stop on Saturday. He was telling Danny he wanted to go home tomorrow. Danny explained to him that we were getting his personal assistant and home health care lined up and Monday was the soonest that could happen. Patience is not Dad's best virtue, but he has sure learned to have more of it since his stroke! Hopefully he will remain patient until Monday!!!

Mom will be back at Reliant some time Saturday late morning and will stay with Dad during the day Saturday and Sunday and then drive him home Monday. Dad will not have any therapy Saturday or Sunday, so both days are good for visiting!

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Down to the wire!!!

Dad's therapists are all pouting because they know he's going home Monday! It's such a blessing that he is being treated by people who really care for him! The bed, wheel chair, walker, etc are due to be delivered to Mom and Dad's house Monday morning, so everything should be ready for him when he gets there! I'll be the first place he heads to is "his chair!!!" Mother will drive Dad home with Danny following. Jean will be at the house for the deliveries and several of the rest of the "kids" will be there when Mom and Dad arrive! Should be quite a homecoming! Dad will probably be exhausted!!! The personal assistant, Sarah Smith (really!), should be there before they get home. It has been determined that she will be on a 5-2 rotation. She'll work 5 days and be off 2 days. There will be another assistance for the other 2 days. I don't know that person's name yet!

Please keep those prayers going for things to continue going well once Dad gets home and settles in with Mom, Sarah and Home Health Care!!!

Happy Thursday!

I spent the day with Dad at Reliant. When I arrived at 9:15 he was already in the gym working with the occupational therapist. He was sitting in the wheel chair and she was sitting in front of him. The exercise was to have him stand up then sit back down about six times, then rest for a few minutes. She did that with him for about 5 rotations. After lunch she took him back to the gym and had him pull himself up out of the wheel chair into a standing position. He can do that if she supports his right leg. Next he spent time with the physical therapist who worked with him using the walker. Again, the therapist fully supports Dad's right leg and helps him to move it forward a step then has him move the left foot up a step. It's a slow process, but very good for building strength in his legs. Dad tires pretty easily because his left leg is supporting all his weight until the right leg becomes functional.

Dad's stay in Reliant has been very positive and progressive. However, he really wants to go home! We are honoring his wish to go home and Mom's wish to have him there! If all goes according to plan, Dad will go home this Monday, Nov 2. We have Home Health Care lined up to continue his therapies next week and the personal assistance aid will be at Mom and Dad's Monday to meet Dad get him settled back home! He will be so happy to get in his chair at home!

More to tell but I'll have to continue tomorrow because I'm going to bed!!! Love to all of you! Sandi

This from Leslie Stephens...

I took Harvey's Stone Mountain plat with me when I went to see him a few days ago. Danny and I showed it to him and he knew who owned the lots and the numbers of them. He didn't the first time I showed it to him two weeks ago. Also I wrote several things on the chalk board and he recognized all of them. I wrote "how many cows do we have" and ask him to write the answer on the board and he wrote 19 with the 9 backwards. He new it was so he erased it and wrote it again the same way but looking at it he knew it was not correct. I acted like I didn't notice it and started talking about other things. Later I told him about a friend that came to the house asking about him and he didn't know who I was talking about until I told him a funny thing that happened one day with this guy while building their new house and all the sudden his eyes lit up and a big thumbs up!

Thank you, Leslie, for all the loving, caring things you do for Mom and Dad and all of us! "A faithful friend is the medicine of life." You and Kim are the best!

Workin' Hard!

Forgot to tell y'all that Danny and Lisa brought Dad Elgin hot guts for lunch on Sunday! That's Dad's favorite food!!! I'll bet he had a great big grin on his face when he saw what they'd brought! Good thinking you guys!!!

Dad is making good progress every day! He is gaining strength in his right leg...about a week ago Danny would sit in front of him and have him push as hard as he could against his hand and Dad could barely push. Now, just a week later, he can almost push Danny over!!! The physical therapist used a blow-up brace on his right leg and had Dad "walking" this week! We are so blessed with the advancements in therapeutic tools!

Dad is also making positive progress with his speech therapist. She challenges him daily in connecting pictures with words, phrases, etc. as well as working with him exercise his mouth and lips to form words. She also encourages us to use humor to make him laugh and say "Ha Ha!" That is a very good tool in "waking up" his voice! The voice and words are not there yet, but they're coming! It's just going to take time, continued therapy and prayers!

Dad enjoys playing a few hands of gin, especially if he wins!!! He never was a very good loser, although age has mellowed him in that department!!! He played gin with Jean Monday and beat her 2 out of 3 games! Jennifer, David and their kids visited Dad Monday night and Kelly played tic-tac-toe with her Great-Grandpa! Good job, Kelly!

In the very near future we will transfer Dad from Reliant to his home! He has been wanting to go home for a long time, but it was vital for him to get as much intense therapy as possible! He is at the point now that being home will be good therapy! Through Home Health Care he will have continued speech, physical and occupational therapies about 3 times a week each. We are also lining up a Personal Care Assistant through a private company so Dad and Mom will both have full-time support. The company we chose operates on a "Balanced Care System," focusing not only on personal care, but also on nutrition, physical activity, social ties, etc. They'll provide care to Dad as well as light housekeeping, menu planning and meal preparation. I think I need one of those too!!! Currently, we are getting all our ducks in a row...getting the house ready, setting up personal care and following Medicare's protocol in setting up Home Health Care in getting Dad discharged for home. I will let everyone know when Dad leaves Reliant. Once he's home and we see how his schedule is set up for therapy, we will let you know the best times for visits!

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Monday, Monday!

Good morning one and all! It's a lovely rainey morning in Austin Texas! Mom says Dad had a good weekend. The speech therapist worked with him Saturday and Sunday, but no physical or occupational therapy. Hope they'll work double time today! No news flashes for the weekend, but Dad is well and working hard! His right leg gets stronger every day. The physical therapist said that the leg will get stronger first because it has the largest muscle, then the arm will follow. We pray for that!

Thank you to those who were able to pay Mom and Dad a visit! That breaks up their day! Thank you, too, for the cards, well wishes and prayers! We appreciate you so much!

God's blessings! Sandi

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Drum roll please!!! Today Dad said the word "No!" It may not sound like much, but it's really HUGE!!! Glenda had taken him outside in the wheel chair and they had gone around the building once. As they got near the front door, Dad pointed to the door indicating he was ready to go in! Glenda encouraged him to let her take him around again. As they neared the front door for the second time, she asked Dad if he wanted to go around another time and he actually said, "No!" We are all so excited that he used his voice!!!! Thank you God for that!

The week has flown by! It had actually been a week Wednesday since I had been up to the Center. We had been out of town, etc. I was amazed when I walked into Dad's room Wednesday as to how much better he looked! He didn't look "sick!" When I walked in his room at 9 a.m., he was dressed and sitting by the window in the wheel chair. He looked so perky and healthy! He had been wheeling himself around in the chair with his feet on the floor and was so much more energetic and lively! Before he left for therapy I asked him if he'd like to play gin and he gave me the thumbs up (meaning "yes"). We played three games and I won all three, but only beating him by one or two cards each game! Well, you know how competitive Dad is...after I won the third game he pushed the table away and gave me the signal that he was DONE!!! Tee hee! I was loving it!!! He tried to act like he wasn't amused, but he was!!!

Observing Dad do physical and speech therapy is so interesting. He is making so much progress between each time I get to watch. The therapists (who happen to both be women) are so fond of Dad and it is so obvious in the way they work with him. They instill a lot of humor in their care and he responds well to it! We are so blessed to have such skilled, dedicated individuals who are working with him!

God is great! Love to all, Sandi