A Busy Week

It has been a busy week. The Ombudsman and I finally made a connection by phone. She was to go to the facility last Friday. She told me to sit tight until she got a hold of me. I have heard nothing as of yet.

I am meeting with the State people this Thursday. Al‘s budget has been set. Now he is going to ask me what I need help with for Al’s care and then he will go to the Day Program Director and meet with her on the same day. The Dept. will tell them what it cost for transportation, Day Program Services, and they will take the budget and make it fit for both of us.

There are also going to be between 30-50 hours that are budgeted too for his care here at home. I have had to choose businesses that will help me to get what Al needs. So it is looking real good at this point.

The State said they want Al home by June 1st. It may not be exactly on that day, but it will be real close.

Al fell the day before yesterday again. The next day he was not feeling well. He refused his meals but today when I went to see him, he felt better, but he was complaining of a lot of pain in his leg.

The facility wants him to go to exercise class they offer, but every time Al goes  he complains for a day or two of great pain. I don’t know if this class hurts him or helps him in the end. I just hate having his doses upped every time we turn around.

He gained one pound last week from the seven pound weight loss he had. I am anxious to see what he does this week. He has big red rashes on his skin where the pain patch is so powerful that it leaves like a burn mark on his skin. Then he scratches it as it tries to heal. It looks nasty but I am not going to worry as of right now it is scabbed over. Every three days they switch his pain patch to a different spot and also the new antidepressant patch he is wearing.

I am also getting ready for a yard sale this Friday. The money is nice but doing the prep work is not fun at all. My living room is a mess right now. I will be glad when the sale is over. Back to tidy tidy for me. I always hated messes. Guess I will never change.

I finally got Al’s scooter moved from his room out to the shed. He says he doesn’t want to ride it anymore. I have to wonder if he is strong enough to even run it, although it is battery operated, it still has some umph to it. He leans so bad I am afraid he will wreck and hurt himself. I am not going to get rid of it for at least now.

You never know, he may come home and perk up from being here. Maybe some things will change and I will see more smiles, or maybe I am just hoping. But either way, they are too expensive to just sell so easily.

Tomorrow I am going to work more on the yard sale prep work, and call the doctor to start getting the list of things started that Medicare and Medicaid will pay. I know that I need a hospital bed. I am so hoping that one of these two programs will pay for an XL commode. I think I can get bed pads, and briefs through RX. If you think of something I haven’t let me know. I want the better part of it here when Al gets here.

My son is going to install a shower grab bar in Al’s bathroom. I have changed the ceiling light in his bathroom also so it is much brighter. I have all  his summer clothes put in his drawers and the winter clothes out. I have some hospital gowns too. He may not want them now, but they may come in handy later on.

I am excited and nervous about him coming home, but in the end, it will be me that spends quality time with him instead of the nursing home. I think with all the hours of help that are being provided, and the fact he will go to Day Program M-F I will be alright.

Like I said, it has been a busy week. Well, I better get back to work because it is almost time for supper. I cooked two chicken breast and shredded it. I boiled some eggs just now. They are cooling, and then I am having steamed broccoli and a chicken salad sandwich for supper tonight. The weather is 80 degrees today. The windows are open. Fresh air is finding its way of clearing stale winter air out. The sun is shining. Al is coming home, and life is good for today.

Related articles

• Lifestyle | Organize + Energize: 10 Ways To Have The Best Yard Sale Ever (golocalprov.com)
• Help for Al (brianwilliamsen.wordpress.com)
• Yard Sale Madness! (studyabroadadventure.wordpress.com)
• Yard Sale Results (ignitestumin.org)
• My semi-permanent make-up experience! (foxyburlesque.wordpress.com)
• Trade-Offs (caregiving.com)