Carrie, the boys and I had a great visit with Grand Dad this weekend. On Saturday, we spent the morning with him, he lounged on his bed, was pretty animated, and looked GQ with a new haircut. It was a beautiful day outside and we tried unsuccesfully to get him to go outside with us and enjoy it. He was worried that it would be too cool and he doesn't want to try to wrestle his jacket on over his shoulder. We were getting concerned that he is just being a hermit in his room, becasue he is not eating in the dining room, and doesn't seem that interested in getting out, but he does get out twice a day for physical therapy, etc.
On Sunday, he was sitting in a chair fiddling with something when we arrived. We had a great visit and he even joked about us breaking him out of there. I told him we will send a cake with a file in it, but probably the easier way was for him to just complete his rehabilitation and that would be that. We discussed his next move and I told him that we weren't sure where it would be, but that we were looking at places and I explained that we will find the best one for him - he seems excited about living around native English speakers and I know that he has enjoyed not having to cook for himself at the Rehab facility - I really think that he is looking forward to being out of that apartment and into a new environment.
Saturday afternoon, Scott and I toured 5 new Assisted Living facilities, and each of them seemed very nice and the staff were genuine and caring. A couple of them has residents that seemed a little more aged, or debilitated than others, but they were all nice and would be a caring environment for Grand Dad. After looking at these facilities though, I feel that the best one was the one that Ken I toured 4 weeks ago - Peter's Creek - it was the most homey and did not feel institutional at all.
We still need to wait a bit to find out about his DSHS (Medicaid) status before any decisions on his next place can happen. We have heard back from DSHS about eligibility for the rehabilitation place that he is currently in, but have not heard from them about his eligibility for the Assisted Living. Scott has left messages with the DSHS case worker and we hope to find out this week. One of the challenges in finding an Assisted Living community for him is that very few AL's accept medicaid payment, or they have a limited number of rooms that accept Medicaid which are usually full. The buildings that Scott and I toured on Saturday were all private pay, or private pay for a year before roll over to Medicaid, or their Medicaid slots were all full.
We also discovered that Grand Dad may be eligible for a Veteran's Benefit called "Aid in Attendance" because he served during WWII. This benefit, if he truly does qualify would give him $1,600 per month and it would not affect his Social Security Payment, which means that he would be bringing in around $2,700 per month. This benefit does not work with DSHS, because if he were receiving the VA money, it would make his income too high to qualify for DSHS. I will be following up with the VA this week to make sure that he does qualify. So there are still some answers we need to get before Assisted Living options can be fully discussed.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Visit with Dad
Hello everyone!
Jim, Melissa and I went up Saturday evening to see Dad. This was on the tails of Scott, Jeff, Carrie, Owen and Wilson spending some time earlier with him. We tried to get him to come out to have dessert with us and just to get some fresh air...but he didn't want to go. He kept telling us how full he was and that they feed him well there at Manor Care.
Dad seemed very happy to see us, but of course kept telling us that we shouldn't have driven all the way up there to see him. We told him we WANTED to come see him and that was that!
He seemed mostly happy but really seems to miss most his freedom to just be in his own place and "tinker around". Jim, Melissa and I get the impression this environment feels like a hospital type of setting to him. He did mention his physical therapy folks and it seems that he is fond of a couple of them. He got a haircut and asked us how we liked his hairdo? LOL
Dad told us he thinks his shoulder is doing good, but that it reminds him between 3-5 AM when he stirs in bed to regain a position of comfort that he has a break. He said as he moves that his shoulder sends out pain that just about makes him want to use some colorful language.
There was some repetition by Dad while talking with us about what is going on with him but he seemed alert and oriented. Looks like he has lost some weight, but we thought he looked pretty good overall. His hand is very discolored still and he has been reminded by nursing staff to pull his hand into the sling so that it isn't just dangling. I told him that this will help resolve that discoloration too...because the gravity of it dangling is keeping it purplish looking. He also had some bruising on his right arm we noticed and one area looked like it had been marked with a sharpie.
Dad seemed excited for Barb's return home and is surprised at how fast the time is going by. He said he thought it was going to go by much slower.
We enjoyed visiting with Dad and think he enjoyed our visit too. We will try to get up there again in a couple of weeks (I think Jim has to work this coming weekend)...maybe we can get him to come to dinner or dessert with us this next time.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Thanks
Ken thank you for the update from your visit last week to see Dad.
Jim, Melissa and I are going to try and go up Saturday...but probably won't be until after a couple things we already had on our calendars for that day.
Jim, Melissa and I are going to try and go up Saturday...but probably won't be until after a couple things we already had on our calendars for that day.
Monday, March 1, 2010
My visit this week - Ken
Hi all,
I went and visited Dad on Thursday & Friday. We spent about 8 hours together and he is doing really quite well. He continues to have trouble with his left hearing aid which I picked up on Thursday and delivered it back on Friday for more adjustments. Overall his spirits are good and he is appreciative and complimentary of the staff, nurses and physical therapists. He especially likes a PT named Sharon, who I was able to sit in a therapy session with her & Dad. She has taken a real liking to Dad and is providing a very compassionate and caring attitude toward his care. He also likes a PT named Russ and speaks highly of them both.
The bruising of his shoulder is greatly reduced and is returning to his natural color. He left hand is still bruised and swelled, but improving too.
I delivered the cards sent from Barbara, and Jim, Tesssa & the kids. He was happy to receive them and I think helps to boost his spirit.
Matt & Kelli also visited GGPa on Thursday and together with Scott are seeing him regularily during the week. Thanks for your great support and Love!
Dad is sharing his room with a guy who worked at Boeing, so they have been getting along well. Dad said "you build em, we'll break em." Gil was due to be released today (Sunday) so hopefully he will be lucky on his next room partner.
I will share a funny story that just made me laugh out loud.....Gil's (his room mate) TV kept switching channels and every once in a while Dad would look up at his TV and say "I never know whats on the TV, it keeps changing channels", of course I had to let him in on the secret that Gil is a channel surfer with his remote and continuously flips through the commericals.
When I got to the facility on Thursday, I saw Dad sitting in a wheelchair in the hallway through the building's side window from where I parked. By the time I walked around the building, signed in with the front desk, all of about 90 seconds he had disappeared. I went to his room and then headed around the halls to find him already at the physical therapy room. I figured he had to cook in that thing to beat me meeting him in the hallway. That old dude was quick!
About the cellphone - It is really quite funny to watch him when the phone rings. He is not wearing his reading glasses and seems to want to know who is calling rather than just answering the dang thing. Then he moves it from ear to ear and misses half the conversation, then says "what?" So if he doesn't pick up right away, he is probably screening his calls:)
I came home feeling upbeat and positive that Dad is in the right place at this time. He is getting the care he needs and deserves. I feel he is motivated to do well and strive for rehabilitation.
Keep the calls, cards and literature coming! Ken
I went and visited Dad on Thursday & Friday. We spent about 8 hours together and he is doing really quite well. He continues to have trouble with his left hearing aid which I picked up on Thursday and delivered it back on Friday for more adjustments. Overall his spirits are good and he is appreciative and complimentary of the staff, nurses and physical therapists. He especially likes a PT named Sharon, who I was able to sit in a therapy session with her & Dad. She has taken a real liking to Dad and is providing a very compassionate and caring attitude toward his care. He also likes a PT named Russ and speaks highly of them both.
The bruising of his shoulder is greatly reduced and is returning to his natural color. He left hand is still bruised and swelled, but improving too.
I delivered the cards sent from Barbara, and Jim, Tesssa & the kids. He was happy to receive them and I think helps to boost his spirit.
Matt & Kelli also visited GGPa on Thursday and together with Scott are seeing him regularily during the week. Thanks for your great support and Love!
Dad is sharing his room with a guy who worked at Boeing, so they have been getting along well. Dad said "you build em, we'll break em." Gil was due to be released today (Sunday) so hopefully he will be lucky on his next room partner.
I will share a funny story that just made me laugh out loud.....Gil's (his room mate) TV kept switching channels and every once in a while Dad would look up at his TV and say "I never know whats on the TV, it keeps changing channels", of course I had to let him in on the secret that Gil is a channel surfer with his remote and continuously flips through the commericals.
When I got to the facility on Thursday, I saw Dad sitting in a wheelchair in the hallway through the building's side window from where I parked. By the time I walked around the building, signed in with the front desk, all of about 90 seconds he had disappeared. I went to his room and then headed around the halls to find him already at the physical therapy room. I figured he had to cook in that thing to beat me meeting him in the hallway. That old dude was quick!
About the cellphone - It is really quite funny to watch him when the phone rings. He is not wearing his reading glasses and seems to want to know who is calling rather than just answering the dang thing. Then he moves it from ear to ear and misses half the conversation, then says "what?" So if he doesn't pick up right away, he is probably screening his calls:)
I came home feeling upbeat and positive that Dad is in the right place at this time. He is getting the care he needs and deserves. I feel he is motivated to do well and strive for rehabilitation.
Keep the calls, cards and literature coming! Ken
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
How to Post
Ken,
You are right, but you only get to see the "New Post" Tab once you have set up an ID for the blog which is pretty easy to do, just go to the "sign in" tab in the upper right hand corner. It will ask you to put in you re-mail address and pick a password. Once you have done this, you can sign in to the blog instead of just looking at it. This will allow you to post comments.
I talked with Grand Dad last night as well and it seems like he is making good progress. They had him do physical therapy twice yesteday, so that is a positive step. I think the exercise is really god for him, even if it doesn't target his shoulder, it will help keep the rest of him from atrophy.
On a visit to Manor Care, we noticed that there was a Physical Therapist doing Nintendo Wii with one of the residents as part of their program. I don't think they have an Airport Ramp Manager game, but I can see Grand Dad setting some pretty high scores on the Bowling and Dance, Dance revolution games.
I have been able to get through on Grand Dad's cell phone, but the reception is not great and it takes him a while to answer it from when he first picks it up. I think it is a combination of spotty reception, not using the hearing aid, and difficulty finding a good position to hold the phone while favoring the left shoulder. It can be hard to understand him a bit with 2 TV's in the background blaring Bill O'Rielly.
I talked to the Social Worker at Manor Care today to find out the status of his DSHS application for the Rehab Care and Assisted Living, but she siad she has not heard back from them yet, but that it typically takes a couple of weeks. We have a list of other Assisted Living facilities in the area that will be good to check out once we confrim what his eligibility is. In the meantime, I exchanged e-mails with the Administrator at Peters Creek to let her know we are interested in thier facility, but want to check out some others before committing to anything.
Jeff
You are right, but you only get to see the "New Post" Tab once you have set up an ID for the blog which is pretty easy to do, just go to the "sign in" tab in the upper right hand corner. It will ask you to put in you re-mail address and pick a password. Once you have done this, you can sign in to the blog instead of just looking at it. This will allow you to post comments.
I talked with Grand Dad last night as well and it seems like he is making good progress. They had him do physical therapy twice yesteday, so that is a positive step. I think the exercise is really god for him, even if it doesn't target his shoulder, it will help keep the rest of him from atrophy.
On a visit to Manor Care, we noticed that there was a Physical Therapist doing Nintendo Wii with one of the residents as part of their program. I don't think they have an Airport Ramp Manager game, but I can see Grand Dad setting some pretty high scores on the Bowling and Dance, Dance revolution games.
I have been able to get through on Grand Dad's cell phone, but the reception is not great and it takes him a while to answer it from when he first picks it up. I think it is a combination of spotty reception, not using the hearing aid, and difficulty finding a good position to hold the phone while favoring the left shoulder. It can be hard to understand him a bit with 2 TV's in the background blaring Bill O'Rielly.
I talked to the Social Worker at Manor Care today to find out the status of his DSHS application for the Rehab Care and Assisted Living, but she siad she has not heard back from them yet, but that it typically takes a couple of weeks. We have a list of other Assisted Living facilities in the area that will be good to check out once we confrim what his eligibility is. In the meantime, I exchanged e-mails with the Administrator at Peters Creek to let her know we are interested in thier facility, but want to check out some others before committing to anything.
Jeff
Thursday, February 18, 2010
How to post
Ok, that seemed to work, so to post a comment - in the upper right hand corner there is a tab that says New Post. Click it and start typing.
It would be great that if all who communicate with dad would post it for all to see. I think with the cellphone problem, those of us who are distant may not always get through to him and be wondering what is happening.
Thanks, Ken
It would be great that if all who communicate with dad would post it for all to see. I think with the cellphone problem, those of us who are distant may not always get through to him and be wondering what is happening.
Thanks, Ken
Dad update 2/18/10
Hi All,
I spoke to Dad tonight and he told me he was on the treadmill today getting a little exercise. He says he is feeling well, but a little tired out from todays workout. He has been eating in the dining area, so that is good that he is exercising his legs. Unfortunately, he has very limited cell phone reception in his room so if you like me have been calling him it may have been hit or miss. I only got bit's & pieces in our conversation tonight, but overall he sounded in good spirits.
Maybe on Scott's ot Matt's next visit they can see if there is an alternative point of communication.
I'm kind of figuring out this blogging, and with Brian's help hopefully this message will post for all to see. Please let me know.
Love, Ken
I spoke to Dad tonight and he told me he was on the treadmill today getting a little exercise. He says he is feeling well, but a little tired out from todays workout. He has been eating in the dining area, so that is good that he is exercising his legs. Unfortunately, he has very limited cell phone reception in his room so if you like me have been calling him it may have been hit or miss. I only got bit's & pieces in our conversation tonight, but overall he sounded in good spirits.
Maybe on Scott's ot Matt's next visit they can see if there is an alternative point of communication.
I'm kind of figuring out this blogging, and with Brian's help hopefully this message will post for all to see. Please let me know.
Love, Ken
Monday, February 15, 2010
Moving Day
2-15-2010
Today was moving day for GGPA. This morning, Scott, Ken, Jeff and Owen met GGPa at Virginia Mason to coordinate the big jail break. After talking with the Doctor's, Nurses, and Social Worker's, and getting the paperwork straight, we helped him into his best looking sweat suit, grabbed a wheel chair, and headed for the exit. Scott chaufferred GGpa to the Manor Care Rehabilitation Center in Lynnwood. There was a lot of paperwork and information sharing, but they quickly brought him a nice lunch and site Doctor was right on the heals of lunch to do a full patient history and exam. Dr. Brieghton gave him solid marks.
The place is nice and the staff very welcoming. One drawback was that he was admitted on to the second floor which is the skilled nursing floor and has the look, feel and smell of a nursing home instead of a rehabilitation center. We talked with the Administrator and he will be moved down to the first floor tommorow which is the floor that Ken and Jeff toured originally and is filled with people that are working to get better as oppossed to residents who seem like they are the final stop on the line. It will be a much better environment, filled with people that are motivated to get better and move out.
Tomorrow we hope to find out more about his DSHS eligibility and who will pay for what. We are confident that DSHS will pay for his stay at Manor Care, but we are also lobbying for the Doctor at VM to change his stay staus there from "Observation" to "Acute" status, which would confirm that Medicare will pay 100% for at least the first 20 days. Either way, we are 99% sure (as is the facility) that his stay at Manor Care will be covered.
Matt came over at 5:00 PM and stayed with GGpa through dinner. Now he is home here with us at Scott's and GGpa is mellowing out at Manor Care watching the Olympics and healing up.
More to come later.
Today was moving day for GGPA. This morning, Scott, Ken, Jeff and Owen met GGPa at Virginia Mason to coordinate the big jail break. After talking with the Doctor's, Nurses, and Social Worker's, and getting the paperwork straight, we helped him into his best looking sweat suit, grabbed a wheel chair, and headed for the exit. Scott chaufferred GGpa to the Manor Care Rehabilitation Center in Lynnwood. There was a lot of paperwork and information sharing, but they quickly brought him a nice lunch and site Doctor was right on the heals of lunch to do a full patient history and exam. Dr. Brieghton gave him solid marks.
The place is nice and the staff very welcoming. One drawback was that he was admitted on to the second floor which is the skilled nursing floor and has the look, feel and smell of a nursing home instead of a rehabilitation center. We talked with the Administrator and he will be moved down to the first floor tommorow which is the floor that Ken and Jeff toured originally and is filled with people that are working to get better as oppossed to residents who seem like they are the final stop on the line. It will be a much better environment, filled with people that are motivated to get better and move out.
Tomorrow we hope to find out more about his DSHS eligibility and who will pay for what. We are confident that DSHS will pay for his stay at Manor Care, but we are also lobbying for the Doctor at VM to change his stay staus there from "Observation" to "Acute" status, which would confirm that Medicare will pay 100% for at least the first 20 days. Either way, we are 99% sure (as is the facility) that his stay at Manor Care will be covered.
Matt came over at 5:00 PM and stayed with GGpa through dinner. Now he is home here with us at Scott's and GGpa is mellowing out at Manor Care watching the Olympics and healing up.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Feb. 13th, 2010
Thank you everyone for being on the phone call this morning. Today, Ken and I were on a voyage of discovery. We spent a good deal of time with GGPA at Virgina Mason, met with his team of Doctor's and then shared some laughs. While waiting for the the Social Worker to show up, Grandad managed to suggest his roomate was a lesbian, and then later suggest he was Mahatma Ghandi - probably a common mistake this fellow faces day to day. Many laughs ensued.
Once the Social Worker showed up we found out that Grandad is at Virginia Mason under an "Observation" appointment, as oppossed to an "Acute" status. What this means, benefit-wise, is that he is not eligible for Rehabilitative care under Medicare, because he must have been in an "Acute" status to be eligible.
We also shared with the Social Worker that he has a User ID in the DSHS system, and she seemed to think that this was a big discovery, potentially that he has already been vetted by the system and may be eligible for Rehabilitation servies under DSHS without too many hoops to jump through. Still, she could not confirm what he was eiligible for because it was the weekend and we cannot confirm anything until Monday. So, the more we learn, the less we know.
Ken, Owen, and I went to two Rehab facilities tonight to check them out - one in Bellevue and one in Lynnwood. We agreed that the one in Lynnwood was the better facility (but not by much, they both seemed very nice) for Grandad, and there is a possibility that he could have his own room depending on the benefits.
Ken, Owen and I will go to the Peter's Creek Assisted Living Facility tommorow as well as one additional Rehabilitation facility for tours tommorow to take a look.
The big picture is that Monday is a critical day to determine what GGPA's DSHS eligibility is, and where we want him to go. Monday should prove to be a challenging day because GGPA will probably be released from Virgina Mason on Monday and we need to have a place for him to go, but we will not know what his benefits will allow until Monday.
The learning curve is steep, but we are trying to navigate it as best we can.
Once the Social Worker showed up we found out that Grandad is at Virginia Mason under an "Observation" appointment, as oppossed to an "Acute" status. What this means, benefit-wise, is that he is not eligible for Rehabilitative care under Medicare, because he must have been in an "Acute" status to be eligible.
We also shared with the Social Worker that he has a User ID in the DSHS system, and she seemed to think that this was a big discovery, potentially that he has already been vetted by the system and may be eligible for Rehabilitation servies under DSHS without too many hoops to jump through. Still, she could not confirm what he was eiligible for because it was the weekend and we cannot confirm anything until Monday. So, the more we learn, the less we know.
Ken, Owen, and I went to two Rehab facilities tonight to check them out - one in Bellevue and one in Lynnwood. We agreed that the one in Lynnwood was the better facility (but not by much, they both seemed very nice) for Grandad, and there is a possibility that he could have his own room depending on the benefits.
Ken, Owen and I will go to the Peter's Creek Assisted Living Facility tommorow as well as one additional Rehabilitation facility for tours tommorow to take a look.
The big picture is that Monday is a critical day to determine what GGPA's DSHS eligibility is, and where we want him to go. Monday should prove to be a challenging day because GGPA will probably be released from Virgina Mason on Monday and we need to have a place for him to go, but we will not know what his benefits will allow until Monday.
The learning curve is steep, but we are trying to navigate it as best we can.
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