The 5th article in the Dad’s Had a Stroke Series under our stories section.
Nice place…staff seems nice and you just need to park out front and walk in. And I mentioned before I am saving about 30minutes each way in travel now….yeah!
Dad is settled in his new room and optimistic that they will get him back to normal soon because he still just wants to go home and get back to work. I am thinking me, too!
So new assessments from the physio team will be completed and physio 2 times a day. Also the occupational therapists will be doing a series of cognitive testing. “Cognitive testing and assessment guidelines and guidance on detecting cognitive impairment symptoms in patients – www.alz.org
I didn’t know all of this before so in case you are wondering, cognitive skills or abilities are brain-based skills that help you to carry out any task, simple or complex i.e. brushing your teeth, getting dressed, driving a car all the things we learn from childhood until present.
Stroke patients have varying levels of damage done to their brain which may impact cognitive skills. But my Dad is one of the smartest men I know. He is well educated, has decades of corporate and entrepreneurial work, is very active in his community and his family. You can always ask Dad because he seems to know everything! Or the grandkids would say, “I’ll ask Granddad, he’ll know.”
With my sister and stepmom, I optimistically meet all the new team members that will be helping my Dad. We get a handle on his new routine, therapy sessions, best time to visit etc. But guess what? No wifi. How can that be in today’s day and age? How am I supposed to get work done if I am without wifi all day? A fellow patient’s daughter hears me asking about wifi etc. and expressing my concern that I wouldn’t be able to work from the rehab. She let’s me know that you can apply for a leave of absence to care for a parent through the government. https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/caregiver.php
That is great to know but not an option for me. (A great tidbit for anyone going through this though).
One thing I have learned is that the more you are around the hospitals and get to know the staff, the better for you and the patient.
I already have work commitments so time off is not an option. I will figure it out.
I will have to think this through. Maybe we can set up a schedule to have coverage and allow my stepmom to take some much needed time away. She is exhausted and Dad isn’t very nice to her now. She feels obligated to be here all the time but it isn’t good for her. She needs a break. I am grateful for what she is doing but I also need to worry about her well-being. She needs to be strong for when we get Dad back to normal.
My sister and I will get a family schedule going. I will just not come during the day as often as I have been. That way I can keep up with work. Come part days perhaps and try and bridge the gap for Dad when I can’t be there. I know he wants me there or I think so. But I can’t be in 3 places at once. Work, rehab and home for the family.
Once again, I am feeling that nagging sandwich generation thing.
I am driving home feeling sick, frustrated, exhausted, overwhelmed and helpless. We need to get Dad better for all of our sakes. ASAP!
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