Plateaus
03.09.06 (10:51 am) [edit]
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 I went into Francis’s room last night; as usual for that time of the evening he was laying down. He is on oxygen permanently; he uses a concentrator, two or three liters when he is in bed, and when up and about in his wheel chair, he has to have a large tank with him at all times. I sat with him for awhile and we talked about some things. He brought up that he is looking forward to going back to his assisted living quarters after he gets better. Since this is his first time at having to stay where he needs full time care, it has not yet dawned on him that this is it for him. It id difficult to approach this topic with the ones being cared for, each is unique in how they process information, and some really can’t due to dementia, no short term memory. If the person being cared for has short term memory, I usually just go along with them since in a few minutes the conversation will be forgotten anyway; why upset them for nothing? In Francis case this is not an issue. His mind is still sharp and he is a reasonable person, very easy to take care of, and to talk to; even if from time to time I think he would like to hit me over the head with his tank. We talked about his living in the assisted section, and how hard it was for him to adapt to that arrangement, but in time he got used to it, and became comfortable with our checking in on him a few times a day to make sure everything was alright. Well he was on that plateau for a few years, and now because of his age, and his need for oxygen for 24 hours a day, he has now entered into a new phase of his care. Now we need to be able to watch him and to make sure he is all right, that this tank is full, that he takes his medicines etc. So he will have to adapt to being with us full time. He asked me about his walker, should he try to use it; he is a fighter this one. I said yes, the therapist who comes in three times a week is trying to get him to walk some with the walker; he should still try to be as independent as possible with the knowledge that slowly he will become more dependent on us. Since he has always adapted to new situations in his life no matter how difficult he should be able find peace in his new situation. After I said my peace, he was silent, looking off in the distance and thinking; he then looked at me and said “yes I understand I will be ok". I know this is not easy for him, yet he continues to amaze me with his ability to change even at his advanced age. I only hope I will be half as gracious when I get his age, if I live that long. |