Commonality

Hi all, Friday pm mom had the parade of children, John and Lisa (and Kirby) overlapping, Lisa and Karla overlapping, and Karla and Kris. We found her in better spirits earlier, and as the night wore on, she just got too tired to concentrate. She does the word puzzles in her red bag with relative ease. Dinner was indeed lame as Lisa would say. Her chicken was ground, completely dry on a white bun. We asked for mayo,(everyone at the table rejoiced) and we made a chicken salad with her lettuce and tomato, which she preferred on a cracker (a lame saltine is better than a lame white bun). She commented on how much she loves crackers. This is a good thing to bring for a treat. She prefers whole wheat, crunchier types. I brought some chocolate silk and she had about a cup of that. Her sugars are well within range, as she gets them taken every night right before eating. We should stay aware of this, as Sara has warned, a really low number (below 80?) is not good. She has been around 100-130 ish for several weeks. They have stopped bringing yogurt with dinner. I will call Amy in dietary to request yogurt again and soy milk. She has been really responsive in the past.

I apologized to mom for getting tough with her on Thursday night regarding all "the poor girls" who work there and how bloody hard they work. I emphasized that they have CHOSEN this work, that they are GETTING PAID, and that we are NOT AN INCONVENIENCE TO THEM! I was rather a bit too emphatic, I think. She said that's ok, she's not mad at me, etc.

Commonalities: she is eating poorly at dinner, losing weight, and avoids protein. She would benefit from homemade tuna and crackers, crackers and cheese, buona beef, and beans, soy milk, etc. She loves all of them. We would also do well to make an extra effort for meals on the weekend, when there's more time to fuss, and less therapy sessions. She also needs to drink MORE WATER. she always asks for hot tea with dinner, I make it, and it never gets drunk.

We might also find some reading re: stroke success stories. Sara had a good response to reading with her and taking turns (her janet ivanovich book is there).

We need to stick together, keep our eyes open, and keep the staff aware that we are watching them. Most of the nurses there are really nice, and she likes them.

What do you think about a day pass for a weekend day to go out? Maybe she needs a change of atmosphere? Her roommate got a four hour pass to go get her nails done! The weather has been beautiful, too.