Gramma's back home again

Gramma's back from the nursing home!
Those of you who know me may have heard that Gramma has been in the nursing home for some time now (just about a month). At the end of January she went to the hospital with bronchitis, then was moved to the nursing home for her rehabilitation. She worked really hard at her therapy with the goal of becoming strong enough to come home. Tuesday was her first day back home, and she did pretty good. It was hectic, but she didn't seem to get too stressed out. We had a new hospital bed delivered to replace her very old Craftmatic Adjustable bed. The hardest part was taking apart the old bed. Those things have a ton of screws and bolts! The new bed is smaller, and much easier for me to move around it. The delivery guy had it put together and set up in no time. It has locking wheels, so I can move it whenever I need to. It also seems to be easier for her to get in and out as well. Then the medical supply company dropped off a machine for oxygen, which I think will be temporary. She's never been on oxygen before, and it was just prescribed to use at night. Gramma said she hasn't noticed any difference when she's not using it. When the nurse came to the house and checked her oxygen it was 97%, and Gramma had me turn the machine off about 9am, so she had over 5 hours without any additional oxygen. The nurse said if Gramma felt she didn't need it, she didn't have to use the machine. Gramma's mood and attitude are pretty good too, which is nice to see. It's good to see her smile and hear her laugh. We'll have all sorts of nurses, aides, and therapists coming to the house for a while. So far they've all been very nice and answered all our questions and concerns. I was so proud of Gramma for getting herself in and out of bed today (I could see how bad she wanted to do it by herself). She also walked up and down the hall (with the walker) about 5 times. I hope she remains this motivated. I think it will help that spring is coming and she can sit out in the living room and see the sunshine, animals, and flowers. Winter in NE Ohio is enough to depress anyone!
I just wanted to update everyone on how Gramma was doing. I may not be able to spend as much time online now that she's home, but don't worry, I'm still here!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Gramma's coming home

As some of you know, I've been taking care of Gramma for quite a few years now, and about a month ago she went into the hospital with bronchitis. She's been improving slowly but surely. She's been in the nursing home for almost a month doing her rehabilitation. This is actually a pretty nice place- not really fancy, but clean, friendly, and focused on the patients. Most of the nurses, therapists, and aides I've met since Gramma got in there have been really nice people. Of course Gramma's got a few complaints (she can be pretty picky about her food), but overall I'm quite satisfied with the care she's received. She's got a few "favorites" there- the ones that laugh and joke with her, the nurse that bought lotion just for Gramma, and the therapist who's also her cheerleader. Gramma's worked very hard to regain her strength, and is actually in a better frame of mind now than she was before she went to the hospital. Having my mother come visit from out of state really raised Gramma's spirits as well. We've done all we can to let Gramma know that she is loved and we all care very much about her.
The house hasn't been quite the same without her here. Even Cedric kitty misses Gramma. Every so often he'll go upstairs and jump on her bed looking for her. She'll be coming home Tuesday, though, so we'll all be together again. I'll need to get her a few things before she gets home, and a few things will have to wait until after she's back. She needs a new hospital bed and a new chair, and I'm hoping to get the bed covered by her insurance. Then of course we'll have to get our schedules figured out again. Given a choice, Gramma is a night owl. In the nursing home they've been getting her up much earlier than she's used to, so she'll probably start getting up later once she's home. I let her set her own schedule and just try to work around it. It will be nice to have her back home where she belongs though. I'll try to keep everyone posted on her progress, if life doesn't get too crazy- LOL!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters