It’s day # 10 for Dorothy at rehab and it’s another beautiful hot, sunny day in Atlanta, GA. I walk in and she’s sound asleep- it’s 11:30 am. I stand silently for a few moments and wonder if I should wake her. I choose to let her rest, I quietly gather her dirty clothes and put away the clean ones brought with me. I’m almost done when I hear “Cheryl is that you”?
I turn around and greet her with a smile and a good morning! She throws off the blanket and starts to get up right away. This is a good! Yay! I replace her wheel chair with her walker and we take off down the hall. I am curious as to how far she can walk- she needs to be able to walk from her rooms to the dining hall at her Assisted Living Home before they will release her– and she needs to walk that distance here before she can break out. We walk up and down the hall with no problem, I stop to visit with her nurse for a quick update and mom keeps moving down the hall. When she gets to the end a PT stops her and asks her if she has been cleared to walk by herself. Busted! LOL !! I totally get it- they want all their patients to be safe and walk with a buddy- but mom was doing so well, and the nurse and I were right down the hall, I felt that she would be ok. (-: She has walked way longer than the distance needed for her escape.
We visit with the PT for a moment and head to the lunch room. As we walk in- mom turns to me and asks if I can take her “out” for lunch. Sure! Let me ask if that’s okay. The answer is yes, as long as I sign her out. So, I sign her out, grab my purse and we are out the door. She is so excited to get out the fresh air and Sunshine renews her soul.
We call Paul to see if he wants to join us and of course he does. We are in the car about 20 minutes she doesn’t say much- I don’t either- we just enjoy the ride. We get out of the car and she uses her walker to navigate up to the door. We make it to the table, and she is in pretty good shape- not winded or worn out which is happy news.
We have a nice, talkative visit with Paul and we all laugh a lot- we tell her about the hospital stay and she talks about her friends at Brookdale. She’s excited and ready to get back with them- that’s where all the fun is. (-:
I’m excited for her to get back there too- everyone knows that you do so much better at recovery at home. It’s so depressing and boring in the hospital and rehab. My call in the morning will be to the PT folks first- to get a report to see if I can get her moved back to her apartment- her safety is #1. Brookdale has PT 3 times a week t- so, I’m hoping she can continue her therapy there.
When we get back to rehab- she is worn out. I’m happy that she got her blood flowing and some fresh air and sunshine. She headed straight for the bed and a much-needed nap.
I headed to see my grandsons and some much-needed play time. (-:
Love and Light,
Cheryl Doreen
Dorothy's Dementia 