Monday, June 30, 2014
June 30th
Just a quick update. We were able top move Mom to another floor into a private room. She spent her first night there last night and the attention she received was wonderful. There are only 9 other patients in the Rabid Rehab section so the response time and care has improved tremendously. We are grateful.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
June 29th
I am sure I will sound like the many "Helicopter Parents" I sometimes deal with but man, The Commons Orlando Lutheran Towers is not the place you want when it comes to the well being of a loved one. I am appalled by the lack of proactivity and the follow through by the majority of staff and this includes the administrative and management staff as well. Promises are made and never delivered. The most common thing you will here on this floor is "Let me get someone" I promise it is no exaggeration when I tell you the call buttons are useless. We have timed them on a few occasions at over a half an hour. Nurses and aids sit at the desk while the alarms beep and when asked if they are going to respond to it they say "I will get someone"
Yesterday it took us all we had just to get a couple of pillows. Patient charts seem to exist but are rarely read. People come and go and seem to have little idea of a patients needs or concerns. The lady in the bed next to us begged for some relief from her heartburn and was told that the soup she requested was not available. Nothing was done until an hour later when she threw up all over herself. This morning her meal was cold. Someone actually answered her call within 5 minutes and said she would "get someone", then left and nothing was done.
I hit the call button for someone to help Mom to the bathroom, after 5 minutes went to the desk where the nurse was standing there over a cart while the alarm sounded and asked her if she heard the alarm. Her reply, I just got here, "Let me get someone". I asked her why she herself couldn't respond to the call and after a 10 second look of complete puzzlement she walked with me to help Mom.
I know I am not a health care professional and I appreciate those that are. There are things happening here that I am not aware of and I know that there is no way someone will have their own personal assistant but there seems to be problems here that are beyond incompetent staff. The Asst Mgr. of the floor promised three things yesterday and only one was ever followed up on. Even the pillows she said she would get for us were never delivered. When we moved rooms the recliner we had to fight for was not moved with us, when I asked for it I was told we can't get one until Monday when maintenance is here. Thankfully the Housekeeper took charge and went and got one for us. We didn't even get a Let me get someone from the aid we asked but was basically told we are out of luck. No one here is willing to do anything that strays them from their routine or turns them away from whatever task they are involved with at the time.
Thankfully the Coble family remains strong and we have been here with Mom to make sure she is comfortable and has everything she needs. We allow 5 minutes for an alarm response and if no one comes we go get them. I feel bad for the people without local families that can ensure the well being of their loved one. We are doing what we can to help our room mate Venus Williams (no kidding) who unfortunately has had to fight for most anything she requests.
Tomorrow morning we are starting the long and bureaucratic struggle to transfer Mom closer to home. It looks like no matter what the outcome of her biopsy Thursday she will need therapy for a couple of more weeks and we just do not feel comfortable leaving her here. I am sure there is nothing we can do to bring to the attention of whomever the abhorrence that is this facility but we are going to do what we can to make sure that at the very least our experiences are well known by those who are considering sending a loved one to these facilities.
Mom woke up this morning like the last few and dressed and put on some makeup. Her appetite has been small lately and we attribute it to the CDIV virus she has picked up which we are told is pretty common amongst patients on IV's. Her stomach has been a bit upset but all in all she is doing pretty well physically. Mentally she wants the heck out of here.
Yesterday was a good day. She was up and dressed for the majority of the day and we had a lot of laughs. Susan and I stayed with her all afternoon and Dad once again stayed the night in the recliner. He is home today resting. A visit from Jan yesterday really cheered her up. Currently at 10:30AM she is taking a little nap. Tomorrow will be another big day as we navigate getting her moved but it will be good to have her closer to home instead of downtown here in Orlando. I am told that all rehab facilities are the same but I am hoping we find that the next will be more like our experience at Florida Hospital where the patients needs seemed to be priority number one not an inconvenience.
Thanks for letting me vent. Our next big hurdle after the move tomorrow is the biopsy Thursday. Your continued prayers, comments, calls and well wishes are appreciated and we love you all.
Yesterday it took us all we had just to get a couple of pillows. Patient charts seem to exist but are rarely read. People come and go and seem to have little idea of a patients needs or concerns. The lady in the bed next to us begged for some relief from her heartburn and was told that the soup she requested was not available. Nothing was done until an hour later when she threw up all over herself. This morning her meal was cold. Someone actually answered her call within 5 minutes and said she would "get someone", then left and nothing was done.
I hit the call button for someone to help Mom to the bathroom, after 5 minutes went to the desk where the nurse was standing there over a cart while the alarm sounded and asked her if she heard the alarm. Her reply, I just got here, "Let me get someone". I asked her why she herself couldn't respond to the call and after a 10 second look of complete puzzlement she walked with me to help Mom.
I know I am not a health care professional and I appreciate those that are. There are things happening here that I am not aware of and I know that there is no way someone will have their own personal assistant but there seems to be problems here that are beyond incompetent staff. The Asst Mgr. of the floor promised three things yesterday and only one was ever followed up on. Even the pillows she said she would get for us were never delivered. When we moved rooms the recliner we had to fight for was not moved with us, when I asked for it I was told we can't get one until Monday when maintenance is here. Thankfully the Housekeeper took charge and went and got one for us. We didn't even get a Let me get someone from the aid we asked but was basically told we are out of luck. No one here is willing to do anything that strays them from their routine or turns them away from whatever task they are involved with at the time.
Thankfully the Coble family remains strong and we have been here with Mom to make sure she is comfortable and has everything she needs. We allow 5 minutes for an alarm response and if no one comes we go get them. I feel bad for the people without local families that can ensure the well being of their loved one. We are doing what we can to help our room mate Venus Williams (no kidding) who unfortunately has had to fight for most anything she requests.
Tomorrow morning we are starting the long and bureaucratic struggle to transfer Mom closer to home. It looks like no matter what the outcome of her biopsy Thursday she will need therapy for a couple of more weeks and we just do not feel comfortable leaving her here. I am sure there is nothing we can do to bring to the attention of whomever the abhorrence that is this facility but we are going to do what we can to make sure that at the very least our experiences are well known by those who are considering sending a loved one to these facilities.
Mom woke up this morning like the last few and dressed and put on some makeup. Her appetite has been small lately and we attribute it to the CDIV virus she has picked up which we are told is pretty common amongst patients on IV's. Her stomach has been a bit upset but all in all she is doing pretty well physically. Mentally she wants the heck out of here.
Yesterday was a good day. She was up and dressed for the majority of the day and we had a lot of laughs. Susan and I stayed with her all afternoon and Dad once again stayed the night in the recliner. He is home today resting. A visit from Jan yesterday really cheered her up. Currently at 10:30AM she is taking a little nap. Tomorrow will be another big day as we navigate getting her moved but it will be good to have her closer to home instead of downtown here in Orlando. I am told that all rehab facilities are the same but I am hoping we find that the next will be more like our experience at Florida Hospital where the patients needs seemed to be priority number one not an inconvenience.
Thanks for letting me vent. Our next big hurdle after the move tomorrow is the biopsy Thursday. Your continued prayers, comments, calls and well wishes are appreciated and we love you all.
Friday, June 27, 2014
June 27, 2014
It's 4 PM on Friday and its been a long week. Mom has been doing well with her rehab and they say she is regaining her strength. She looks and sounds a lot better too. Only problem is that she doesn't want to be here. No surprise there. I am happy to report that in spite of everything Mom remains stubborn as a mule. I love her so much.
It's unfortunate that the place they need to send you to in order to get rest and get stronger is a cacophonous bevy of activity 24/7. She shares a room with a very nice and sweet woman who is extremely kind and only turns on the TV at night for an hour or two to watch game shows. However, right outside the door is the main corridor of bright fluorescent lights and much traffic. Patients are allowed to watch TV at all hours and last night at 2AM our neighbor next door took full advantage. Late night cop shows have not improved over the years.
Mom's spirits are a bit down but hopefully improving. She wishes she could be home but is still not strong enough to do the basics which would allow her to care for herself. She is still prone to falling and needs help getting around. I think on top of everything else her mind is filled with worse case scenarios and she is bored. She hasn't been interested in TV or reading at all. Her appetite comes and go's but for the most part she is eating well.
Yesterday she went to see the Doctor that will remove the lump for a consultation about the procedure. She is scheduled for the biopsy on Thursday July 3rd. After which it will be 24 -48 hours before we get the results. The Dr does say that no matter the outcome she should most likely be able to keep her appointment at Shands in Gainsville for treatment of her Parkinsons. The hardest part of everything is the day to day waiting and uncertainty of not knowing what's next. Each day is contingent on the previous so we sit and wait and try to make sure Mom is comfortable.
Dad has not had a lot of time for himself these past two weeks so thankfully we convinced him to go fishing with Randy tonight. I am glad that he will be able to get out and get some fresh air and have a diversion. Tonight BC and I have brought her some of her favorite wings and we plan on living it up here in room 259. I am thankful for wi-fi, my laptop and my Samsung but most of all I am thankful for my wife who has been nothing but a saint these past two weeks. Randy and I are fortunate to have wives like BC and SC who have helped so much. All in all we are all doing pretty well.
I will try to keep you up to date here on this blog. Thanks so much for the calls, posts, cards, flowers etc. Mom sends her love to everyone and mentions every day how fortunate she is to have so many great people in her life. Keep those prayers coming, we need to flood God's inbox and spam his twitter feed with good vibes for Mom. God bless you all.
It's unfortunate that the place they need to send you to in order to get rest and get stronger is a cacophonous bevy of activity 24/7. She shares a room with a very nice and sweet woman who is extremely kind and only turns on the TV at night for an hour or two to watch game shows. However, right outside the door is the main corridor of bright fluorescent lights and much traffic. Patients are allowed to watch TV at all hours and last night at 2AM our neighbor next door took full advantage. Late night cop shows have not improved over the years.
Mom's spirits are a bit down but hopefully improving. She wishes she could be home but is still not strong enough to do the basics which would allow her to care for herself. She is still prone to falling and needs help getting around. I think on top of everything else her mind is filled with worse case scenarios and she is bored. She hasn't been interested in TV or reading at all. Her appetite comes and go's but for the most part she is eating well.
Yesterday she went to see the Doctor that will remove the lump for a consultation about the procedure. She is scheduled for the biopsy on Thursday July 3rd. After which it will be 24 -48 hours before we get the results. The Dr does say that no matter the outcome she should most likely be able to keep her appointment at Shands in Gainsville for treatment of her Parkinsons. The hardest part of everything is the day to day waiting and uncertainty of not knowing what's next. Each day is contingent on the previous so we sit and wait and try to make sure Mom is comfortable.
Dad has not had a lot of time for himself these past two weeks so thankfully we convinced him to go fishing with Randy tonight. I am glad that he will be able to get out and get some fresh air and have a diversion. Tonight BC and I have brought her some of her favorite wings and we plan on living it up here in room 259. I am thankful for wi-fi, my laptop and my Samsung but most of all I am thankful for my wife who has been nothing but a saint these past two weeks. Randy and I are fortunate to have wives like BC and SC who have helped so much. All in all we are all doing pretty well.
I will try to keep you up to date here on this blog. Thanks so much for the calls, posts, cards, flowers etc. Mom sends her love to everyone and mentions every day how fortunate she is to have so many great people in her life. Keep those prayers coming, we need to flood God's inbox and spam his twitter feed with good vibes for Mom. God bless you all.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
June 25th 2014
In the midst of chaos and strife it is easy to forget the gratitude so let me start by saying how grateful I am to have the family that I do. Without Dad's strength and the support and love of Brenda, Randale, Susan and the rest of our mazing family and friends I don't know how we would manage.
I am sorry that it has been difficult for us to keep everyone informed of Mom's recent health issues and I thank everyone for their understanding. It has been difficult at best just to keep the immediate family up to date so I thought perhaps creating this blog would provide a place where you can all check in on a regular basis for updates. We certainly appreciate all of the calls, texts and Facebook posts and apologize that we haven't been able to spend more time with you individually. Our hearts are filled with all of the love and we all appreciate and respect the power of your prayers and concerns.
Mom is currently gaining her strength back at a rehabilitation facility in Orlando called The Commons Lutheran Towers. The staff has been very good there as well as a brilliant staff that helped us at Florida Hospital North during her recent stay. We are grateful to them for their passion, knowledge and compassion.
Mom was diagnosed with a slight pneumonia and respetory infection that was brought on my her parkinsons. Apparently this is a common thing with parkinsons patients and is know as Aspiration. Basically the act of eating and drinking takes on a whole new meaning due to the deterioration of muscles and a bit of the food particle seep into her lungs causing weakness, difficulty breathing and coughing. She has been on antibiotics and has made great progress with this. In fact she is able to resume her normal eating and drinking with minor changes to her daily habits. At the start of all of this back on June 16th she was extremely weak and admitted into the hospital for evaluation and treatment. She spent a week in the hospital before being moved to the rehab facility.
She is currently undergoing treatment and physical therapy to regain her strength but is still pretty weak. She is learning to walk again with the aid of a walker but still requires a lot of attention. We are working towards getting her healthy so we can move on to phase two which brings up another concern.
Three weeks back we discovered a lump of her left breast which is pressed against the sternum which makes it very difficult to perform a routine biopsy. We are meeting with Doctors on Thursday this week to see how she is progressing so we can schedule the biopsy. They will need to perform an out patient procedure to remove the lump in order to do the biopsy. Our Doctor cannot not yet predict the outcome but said it is cause for concern. Until she is healthy enough to perform the biopsy we are all in a hurry up and wait mode and will not know anything more until the procedure is completed.
She is currently scheduled to go to Shands Hospital in Gainsville for treatment regarding her parkinsons but this too is contingent on her progress with the previous mentioned issues.
Mom's mood comes and go's. Needless to say she is frightened and concerned and anyone that knows Mom knows how much she likes to worry. We laugh at times when her concern turns to house cleaning and as usual she is always thinking about others before herself.
Speaking of others the rest of the Coble Family is doing pretty well. Dad is perhaps the strongest man I know and has been by Mom's side throughout. One of us has been able so far to be by her side throughout however she is now sleeping alone at night since there is no space for us to join her. I think Mom would be pleased by how our family has pulled together and we are making sure she knows she is not alone.
Today they resume her physical therapy. She will be in and out of her room at times but when she is strong enough she does like to talk on the phone or listen to us tell her stories of all the family and friends that have been checking up on her. She does have some trouble with motor skills so will not be on line but you can feel free to post here or on her Facebook page and we will make sure to pass along your love and prayers. It means a lot to her as well as us.
We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. I can't express enough how much it means to us all to have your love. Mom, Dad, Brenda, Randy and Susan I love you all so much and I love all of you out there as well. Here is a link to the facility she is currently staying at if you would like to send a card or say hello. http://www.orlandoseniorhealth.org/
If anyone feels they need to reach me for anything text or Facebook works best. I stay connected at all times and can respond quicker than via phone calls.
We have a battle ahead but our resolve is strong. We will continue to move forward one day at a time and I will do my best to keep you all posted through this blog. God Bless and I will talk to you soon.
I am sorry that it has been difficult for us to keep everyone informed of Mom's recent health issues and I thank everyone for their understanding. It has been difficult at best just to keep the immediate family up to date so I thought perhaps creating this blog would provide a place where you can all check in on a regular basis for updates. We certainly appreciate all of the calls, texts and Facebook posts and apologize that we haven't been able to spend more time with you individually. Our hearts are filled with all of the love and we all appreciate and respect the power of your prayers and concerns.
Mom is currently gaining her strength back at a rehabilitation facility in Orlando called The Commons Lutheran Towers. The staff has been very good there as well as a brilliant staff that helped us at Florida Hospital North during her recent stay. We are grateful to them for their passion, knowledge and compassion.
Mom was diagnosed with a slight pneumonia and respetory infection that was brought on my her parkinsons. Apparently this is a common thing with parkinsons patients and is know as Aspiration. Basically the act of eating and drinking takes on a whole new meaning due to the deterioration of muscles and a bit of the food particle seep into her lungs causing weakness, difficulty breathing and coughing. She has been on antibiotics and has made great progress with this. In fact she is able to resume her normal eating and drinking with minor changes to her daily habits. At the start of all of this back on June 16th she was extremely weak and admitted into the hospital for evaluation and treatment. She spent a week in the hospital before being moved to the rehab facility.
She is currently undergoing treatment and physical therapy to regain her strength but is still pretty weak. She is learning to walk again with the aid of a walker but still requires a lot of attention. We are working towards getting her healthy so we can move on to phase two which brings up another concern.
Three weeks back we discovered a lump of her left breast which is pressed against the sternum which makes it very difficult to perform a routine biopsy. We are meeting with Doctors on Thursday this week to see how she is progressing so we can schedule the biopsy. They will need to perform an out patient procedure to remove the lump in order to do the biopsy. Our Doctor cannot not yet predict the outcome but said it is cause for concern. Until she is healthy enough to perform the biopsy we are all in a hurry up and wait mode and will not know anything more until the procedure is completed.
She is currently scheduled to go to Shands Hospital in Gainsville for treatment regarding her parkinsons but this too is contingent on her progress with the previous mentioned issues.
Mom's mood comes and go's. Needless to say she is frightened and concerned and anyone that knows Mom knows how much she likes to worry. We laugh at times when her concern turns to house cleaning and as usual she is always thinking about others before herself.
Speaking of others the rest of the Coble Family is doing pretty well. Dad is perhaps the strongest man I know and has been by Mom's side throughout. One of us has been able so far to be by her side throughout however she is now sleeping alone at night since there is no space for us to join her. I think Mom would be pleased by how our family has pulled together and we are making sure she knows she is not alone.
Today they resume her physical therapy. She will be in and out of her room at times but when she is strong enough she does like to talk on the phone or listen to us tell her stories of all the family and friends that have been checking up on her. She does have some trouble with motor skills so will not be on line but you can feel free to post here or on her Facebook page and we will make sure to pass along your love and prayers. It means a lot to her as well as us.
We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. I can't express enough how much it means to us all to have your love. Mom, Dad, Brenda, Randy and Susan I love you all so much and I love all of you out there as well. Here is a link to the facility she is currently staying at if you would like to send a card or say hello. http://www.orlandoseniorhealth.org/
If anyone feels they need to reach me for anything text or Facebook works best. I stay connected at all times and can respond quicker than via phone calls.
We have a battle ahead but our resolve is strong. We will continue to move forward one day at a time and I will do my best to keep you all posted through this blog. God Bless and I will talk to you soon.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)