Out of the hospital and on to memory care

tigersmom · September 9

DH left the hospital on Friday. His sister and I took him directly to the memory care I had selected, which was more than an hour’s drive thanks to our city’s always terrible traffic. Everyone made a big fuss over him when he arrived, and it was great to see him smiling again. He asked me once, “Why am I here?” And I told him the doctors at the hospital wanted him to regain his strength and start eating better. He has not asked about it since. I went to see him on Saturday. The facility has two long halls that he walks incessantly. On the way there, the activities director texted me to ask what he liked to do and I told her he loved animals, the outdoors and anything athletic. Bowling and beanbag toss were big hits at daycare. I found out when I arrived that they had gotten him showered and his hair washed that morning, which was a big win after three-plus weeks at the hospital with only wipedowns. He is still eating poorly, but I was told ate a lot of a PBJ sandwich for breakfast. While I was there,we walked a lot and I got him to take a short nap. He is still saying, “I’m scared” and “I’m crying” and while I’m sure he is scared he is not actually crying. The staff distracted him when I left so I could go around 4. Yesterday his sister visited. She reports that he is still not eating well and once again refused his meds. She got him to take them, as I had the day before. She also reported that on Saturday night,he went to carpet bowling and repeatedly set up the pins for everyone else. So that person clearly listened to me! There are issues with his eating that need to be resolved, and issues with hydration and medications. I will speak to the director about these when I visit today. But there is also this: as he napped on the couch beside his sister on Sunday, one of the aides told her about the bowling and added, “What a sweet guy he is. He always says thank you to people.” I am starting to be able to breathe again.

M1 · September 9

I am so glad to hear the generally positive update, I've been wondering how you were doing. keep us posted, i hope things continue on a positive note.