I took Bill to respite today. Let's keep our fingers crossed that all works out. I was there from 11-3. I think everyone there came to greet him. They would come up and say hi with a big smile and put their arm around his shoulder. At lunch time he gave me a kiss just as one of the girls serving the food walked up. She joked with Bill and said she saw that. She leaned over and put her arm on his shoulder. Bill turned to her and puckered up. She turned her head and told him to put it right there, pointing to her cheek. Bill gave her a quick peck on the check. he was all smiles while I was there. Really good to see him smiling. He did tear up a few times and reached out for me when I wasn't close to him. That was the only time I thought I didn't want to leave him.

I talke to the dietician, the nurse, the CNA on duty, the custodian, the social worker, the girls serving the food, everyone greated us.

When we first went to his room, I noticed they had a regular bed. I told them that it wouldn't work because he had fallen while trying to get out of bed last night. The nurse said that they had just taken the low bed out and switched them just before we got there because they didn't know he needed the low bed. Said they would switch them back. I took Bill for a walk to the nurses station and ten minutes later they came and told me that they
decided not to put the low bed back in his room. They were going to give him a bed that could raise high enough for them to change him and would also lower all the way to the floor. After lunch we went back to his room and again the nurse came in and ask if he wanted to lay down. They used the lift to put him in the bed to be changed and to check for any sores. After she ask if I wanted his cloths back on or just wanted to let him lay there and sleep for awhile.
I told her he would probably sleep right after he had his seroquel. She left and was back within five minutes with his meds.

If today was any indication of how they will care for him, everything will work out fine. I will stop by again tomorrow morning just to do one more check before taking the rest of the time off from caregiving.

He weighed in at 162. They had a scale on the lift they used and were able to weigh him while putting him to bed.

Don't forget, Keep your fingers crossed.

Fingers & Toes, Crossed! It sounds like a really lovely place? How did you find it? Who knows, I forget who's LO it was, but he became like the "Bell Of The Ball" at the NH. I know you don't want to 'share' him, Joyce, but perhaps if he is happy, with all his new 'lady friends' you can take a REAL break!

He can have all the lady friends he wants there, as long as he comes back home with me next Monday.
This place is less than three miles from home. I've seen it there since we moved here 36 years ago. Alway thought of it as a little nothing NH. Then I found it in the nursing home rating site. It was rated an overall 4 out of 5. When I went to see it, I found out most of the CNAs , nurses have been there anywhere from 11-15 years. That was enough for me just hearing that.
Now it's a wait and see.

Oh, the place sounds wonderful. I really hope this one works out for you and you can relax while he is there.

I'm hoping for the best too for you and Bill. Sounds like a nice place and very friendly. I just hope you can rest after all you have been through. I know you will be checking on Bill but please take the time to do for you. You are in need of some TLC yourself.

I'm sending the good vibes to the NH and to Bill. This really sounds like a nice place. I'm starting to see that I need to look beyond these palaces they build now and investigate the smaller places with long-term employees. Feeling like my mom is a real person to the staff is far more important to me than having a fountain in front of the building.

Praying for the best for both you and especially for Bill. It's nice to know that you've found a place close to home, too.

Bill went into respite on Wednesday. I went to see him at lunch yesterday. I knew as soon as I saw him that they had given him an ativan. They said he got ver agitated when they tried to clean him up that morning. I had no problem with that since I know how agitated he can get when the aide tries to change him.
I mentioned to them that he was use to having rails on his bed at hime and he liked to hold on to them when he rolled over. I ask if they could put half rails on his bed. This morning I walked in, he's again sleeping from an ativan. The bed had the rails I ask for yesterday, When I ask the nurse about the ativan, I said they should give him his seroquel when he woke up in the morning instead of waiting until 9 like they had scheduled. She ask when I gave it to him at home and I told her I always gave it first thing. She took his file and changed the time he was to receive the seroquel in the morning.
After he had his dinner tonight, I found his aide and told her she should give him his seroquel about a half hour before she tried to get him ready for bed. She thanked me for telling her and said she would give it to him a half hour before bedtime.

I seems like all I have to do is suggest something and they do it. I watch them with the other patients and they are so caring for all of them. I think I have found a good place that I can feel comfortable to leave him.

Wow, it sure sounds like you have hit the jackpot with this place. Not only do they say they will do what you want but they actually follow through and do it.

I sure hope you are getting some rest while Bill is there.

Keeping the good thoughts!

I'm not sure if I'm getting a lot of rest Lori, but I am enjoying myself.
I can't believe these five days have gone by so fast.

Today I will visit Bill and feed him lunch, then I am going to a girlfriend's house (we've been friends since 1966). We'll spend the day either shopping or just sitting around talking about the old days, then she is cooking dinner for us.
We were joking last Friday that if we lived together we'd both be 300 lbs. She would be the cook because she loves to cook. I couldn't clean or do laundry because she is too picky. We decided I could just be the food taster. Sounded good to me.
Except I don't think I could live with her 24/7. Too many little things. I think Bill was/is the only person I could handle on a daily basis day after day. After 47 years, I've pretty much got him trained to my way of doing things.
He learned a long time ago not to argue with me. He never complained about my cooking except one time. That was shortly after we were married. I had made chicken n dumplins. He had never had them, can you believe that?
He made some negative comment about them and I just quietly removed everything from the table, before eating, and dumped it in the garbage. No dinner that night, but that was the last time he ever complained about something I cooked. Maybe I wasn't that quiet when I removed everything from the table. But it was quiet for me when I'm mad.

Oldest daughter and I decided last week that we must be very healthy people. I've heard it's unhealthy to keep everything bundled up inside you. If that's true, we have to be healthy because we sure don't hold anything in.

Guess I should get moving so I can see Bill before I start my day of running around in the real world.

I'm so glad you are having a good time. You deserve it.

Glad to hear you don't hold anything in either.

Joyce,
It's so nice to hear that they are treating Bill so well. It takes alot off of your mind I'm sure to know he's is getting good care while you are getting a much deserved rest.

I know what you mean about five days going by fast. The most I've been away from Mom is two, and it felt like an hour. I cried when I had to come home. Hubby and I are going on an overnight before I go for my surgery, and as much as I want to go, I don't. I get too spoiled being away from all the things I have to do for mom and I just don't want to start again. But the few days at least gives him an away from it all. He's so good to Mom, and takes every change we've made in our lives so well. I don't know if I would have been as understanding if it was HIS mother that was here.

Have a ball with your friend, and eat eat eat!!!! That's the Italian way to make one feel better!!!

Jackie

Joyce, I hope you had a nice day with your friend and are enjoying a good meal. Am thinking about you this evening.

I will pick Bill up this morning. Have to get a handicap van to bring him home, but I will go earlier to gather up all of his things. Can't afford to forget something there because once Bill's home I won't be getting out much.

I didn't accomplice much while he was gone. I did load up on groceries so I don't have to worry about food for awhile. The store probably wondered what that old lady was buying two 120 loads of laundry detergent and three gallons of bleach for. Little do they know how fast it goes when you're washing three loads of clothes every day.

The only creative thing I did this week was to alter some of Bill's t shirts. I have trouble getting them over his head and his arms in the sleeves because he refuses to bend his arms or at times refuses to unbend them. What I did was to cut the shirts up the back then finish off the raw edges and added velcro to fasten it. I had previously just cut them up to the neck and all I had to do then was to slip the neck over his head and it was easy to get his arms through the sleeves. Even that worked but since I had sooooooooo much free time, I decided they needed to close down the back I only did this to three of them. The first one left a lot to be desired but the third one didn't look bad at all. I may be an expert by the time I do three more.
When I feel comfortable doing those, I may try my had at doing the same thing with a few of his sweat shirts and maybe a couple of his casual dress shirts.

I'm going to be a seamstress in my old age.