The Imperial
Hi Friends,
Well, we did it...mom is now in her new temporary home, and the transfer went without a hitch, I guess. She got her PEG tube removed this morning, so that was the last remnant of any tubes or monitors or anything that were a result of the accident...yay!!! Quite a momentous occasion!!! She had lunch there, and Pam had offered to drive her to the new place instead of her having to ride in the Medicar, so Pam picked us up around 1:15pm or so...SO nice of her, especially since I was told insurance would probably not pay for the Medicar. She was so sad to leave all the people at St. Joe's, and there were definitely tears and hugs and promises to visit. They are really going to miss her there! Got to the new place, the Imperial, around 2pm, and went right up to her new room. She seemed to like the place well enough...we walked around and showed her the place, including downstairs where the therapy room is, the "Bistro" (a restaurant-like room where one can eat if they choose), the Library, the Salon (which was closed of course, but they have certain hours they are open), and of course the dining room on her floor. The people were very nice, and mom was already saying hello to everyone and they were very receptive to her sweetness.
The day tired her out, and she was ready for a nap by about 4:30pm, so Pam and I left for awhile to let her rest. Got some things for her for Christmas while we were out, and then Pam brought me back around 5:45pm or so. When I returned, mom was in bed but awake, and was quick to tell me her roommate is crazy and icky...oh dear. She is VERY hard of hearing so likes to keep the TV volume turned way up, and coughs a lot in a way that makes her sound like she is dying, and talks to herself. I can foresee that this will not work out well, and that we may have to request a change of venue. We spent dinner and a good amount of time after in the dining room so we wouldn't have to be in the room, but visiting hours are over at 8pm and they are very strict on this rule, so we headed back to the room to get her ready for bed at around 7:30pm before I had to leave. When we came out of the bathroom, the roommate asked us to turn the overhead light on because she doesn't like it to be "so dark" (she already had her own overbed light on), and when we tried to introduce ourselves, we were literally shouting at her and mouthing mom's name very slowly and precisely, and despite our efforts, she still had NO idea what we were saying so we finally just gave up. We ended up just putting mom's TV on the same channel as what the roommate was watching because it was so loud she couldn't have heard any other channel anyway above the noise. Mom is definitely planning to say something and complain...I told her to try to give it one night because maybe once it is time for bed, this lady will quiet down...we'll see, but I'd hate for mom not to be able to get any sleep. :( Oh dear.
Am very anxious tonight, as this is her first night in the new place and I worry about every little thing, but I'm trying my best to chill out...I think she's doing much better with the move than I am! They don't have phones in the rooms (if we want to get one we have to set it up with the phone company ourselves), so I brought her cell phone and charger to keep at her bedside. So for those of you who would like and who have her old cell phone number, it is the same number as it has always been so feel free to give her a call. I put myself on speed dial, and not only taught her how to call me but also put up a sign near her bed that tells her the steps to call me...we practiced once before I left, and she did it on her own without my help at all, so I'm looking very forward to the first time she calls me on her own...I hope it'll be soon!
Okay, will try to get a better sleep than I did last night...tossed and turned all night...wish me luck. Thanks all for your thoughts and love. Peace.
Well, we did it...mom is now in her new temporary home, and the transfer went without a hitch, I guess. She got her PEG tube removed this morning, so that was the last remnant of any tubes or monitors or anything that were a result of the accident...yay!!! Quite a momentous occasion!!! She had lunch there, and Pam had offered to drive her to the new place instead of her having to ride in the Medicar, so Pam picked us up around 1:15pm or so...SO nice of her, especially since I was told insurance would probably not pay for the Medicar. She was so sad to leave all the people at St. Joe's, and there were definitely tears and hugs and promises to visit. They are really going to miss her there! Got to the new place, the Imperial, around 2pm, and went right up to her new room. She seemed to like the place well enough...we walked around and showed her the place, including downstairs where the therapy room is, the "Bistro" (a restaurant-like room where one can eat if they choose), the Library, the Salon (which was closed of course, but they have certain hours they are open), and of course the dining room on her floor. The people were very nice, and mom was already saying hello to everyone and they were very receptive to her sweetness.
The day tired her out, and she was ready for a nap by about 4:30pm, so Pam and I left for awhile to let her rest. Got some things for her for Christmas while we were out, and then Pam brought me back around 5:45pm or so. When I returned, mom was in bed but awake, and was quick to tell me her roommate is crazy and icky...oh dear. She is VERY hard of hearing so likes to keep the TV volume turned way up, and coughs a lot in a way that makes her sound like she is dying, and talks to herself. I can foresee that this will not work out well, and that we may have to request a change of venue. We spent dinner and a good amount of time after in the dining room so we wouldn't have to be in the room, but visiting hours are over at 8pm and they are very strict on this rule, so we headed back to the room to get her ready for bed at around 7:30pm before I had to leave. When we came out of the bathroom, the roommate asked us to turn the overhead light on because she doesn't like it to be "so dark" (she already had her own overbed light on), and when we tried to introduce ourselves, we were literally shouting at her and mouthing mom's name very slowly and precisely, and despite our efforts, she still had NO idea what we were saying so we finally just gave up. We ended up just putting mom's TV on the same channel as what the roommate was watching because it was so loud she couldn't have heard any other channel anyway above the noise. Mom is definitely planning to say something and complain...I told her to try to give it one night because maybe once it is time for bed, this lady will quiet down...we'll see, but I'd hate for mom not to be able to get any sleep. :( Oh dear.
Am very anxious tonight, as this is her first night in the new place and I worry about every little thing, but I'm trying my best to chill out...I think she's doing much better with the move than I am! They don't have phones in the rooms (if we want to get one we have to set it up with the phone company ourselves), so I brought her cell phone and charger to keep at her bedside. So for those of you who would like and who have her old cell phone number, it is the same number as it has always been so feel free to give her a call. I put myself on speed dial, and not only taught her how to call me but also put up a sign near her bed that tells her the steps to call me...we practiced once before I left, and she did it on her own without my help at all, so I'm looking very forward to the first time she calls me on her own...I hope it'll be soon!
Okay, will try to get a better sleep than I did last night...tossed and turned all night...wish me luck. Thanks all for your thoughts and love. Peace.
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