Re: [gardeners] Friday in the garden
Margaret Lauterbach (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sun, 13 Jul 2003 07:17:16 -0600
>Jim can walk with a walker (and an aide behind him dragging the
>wheelchair) for about 130 ft before he tires out. His posture is a
>problem -- he sits upright in a chair, but stares at his shoes when
>on his feet. He'll fall into a manhole the first time he walks
>outside of the nursing home!
No, that's why he looks down at his shoes, Penny. I do the same thing.
>Wednesday he could not climb down the therapy steps, altho he
>could climb up them. Thursday he could not go up or down.
>Friday he successfully climbed both up and down! If he can
>continue using the stairs, life will be MUCH more satisfactory
>for all of us at home, since we have 3 steps up to our bedroom
>and shower, and also at the front door.
If you don't have a banister for him to hang onto, both going up and coming
down, see if you can't get one installed, Penny. Or failing that, a grab
bar installed so he can hang onto something solid while he's going up and
down.
>He can feed himself, but it is so difficult that he finishes a meal
>soaked to the skin from effort. Nevertheless, he does it all by
>himself. It takes about 2 hours for each meal.
>
>His outlook is incredibly positive -- Bless him for that! I know that
>everybody wishes him well, and he will need all the good vibes he
>can gather up to make this transition to home.
>
>So will I.
>
>I actually saw Jim eat some yellow and green squash for dinner
>tonight -- and I did see him eat the fish last night! Maybe he has
>learned to increase his food acceptances, I hope-a-hope-a-hope...
>
>Penny, NY
Maybe he's encountered one of the rehab dietitians who put drill sergeants
in the shade, Penny. "Eat your squash" gets to be a matter of life or
death, for them. I do hope Jimmie continues to progress as well as he
has. And that you get some rest, even if only to hire an adult sitter (or
better yet, if a friend offers to relieve you) for a few hours per
week. Margaret L