Because this was dad's last night in the hospital, the Doctor agreed to allow us to take dad out to eat. We took dad to Bob Evan's for dinner. He was very excited to be stepping outside and leaving the hospital. He was surprised by the cold, but didn't care too much about it because he was getting out. Mom, Amber, Nathan and I all had a very nice dinner with dad. We talked about work, home, the dogs, etc. Although dad was having a good time, you could tell he was very tired. I am not sure if he was overwhelmed by being in a new place or if he was just tired. At one point during dinner he took his glasses and hat off and put his head down. By 6:30/7:00 p.m. he was ready to go to bed.
We asked dad what he wanted to do for his first day home... he said that the first thing he was going to do was to take Benny for a walk in the field behind his house. The next thing he wanted to do was to celebrate Christmas. So, this is exactly what dad is going to get to do. All of us kids are getting together tomorrow with food, presents, Christmas decorations, etc. Tomorrow we finally get to celebrate Christmas. I cannot wait!!
So...whats the plan for dad when he gets home?
1. Getting dad on a routine/schedule. The doctor said that this is going to be the biggest help for getting dad adjusted to home life. Chantel helped to organize a daily routine/schedule for dad. He has a "Non-therapy day" and a "Therapy Day" schedule. These schedules will be put on a white board for dad to see each day.
2. Out Patient Therapy. Dad will start out patient rehabilitation on Tuesday. He will be driven to Chelsea Hospital for this out patient therapy. On Tuesday we will find out how many days a week/hours a day he will need to be in Chelsea for rehab.
3. At home therapy. We have spent a lot of time meeting with dad's therapists, getting activities from them, researching and creating therapeutic activities for dad to do at home. Today, I received a copy of all of the therapists' notes so we know exactly where dad left off with therapy. This will help us to know what to work on with him at home to help him to continue to grow.
4. 24/7 Supervision. Dr. S. stated that Dad still needs 24/7 supervision in the home. This is temporary and dad will need less supervision as he continues to improve. To help mom and Tom (who live in the house now), Nathan and I will moving in to help with the supervision and in home therapy for dad.
Ways to pray for Dad:
- Pray that we continue to see huge improvements in his cognitive functioning.
- Pray that he transitions well to being back at home.
- Pray that the out patient/home therapy help dad make big steps forward.
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