General Update #82

Dusty and Jess called to check in with Joyce on the evenings of June 28 and 29 but did not get posts created due to schedule conflicts. Joyce reported that she was doing well on both occasions and was feeling better on pain levels overall with most pain spikes occurring during initial movement from resting position to standing or transitioning back into her room's recliner following physical activities such as walking and physical therapy exercises with staff. She is continuing her cognitive exercises. She misses being out at the farm but still understands why she has to remain at Aspen Park. She's started reading her Redwall book. Her pain levels are low and only spike up when she initially rises up from her recliner chair to go walk or use the bathroom, then numb back down, only to spike up again when she re-seats herself or shifts too much or too quickly in her chair. She is still sleeping in the recliner overnight. She did not see the thunderstorm on the 28th or the double rainbows it generated but did see the wonderful warm hues of color in the northwestern sky juxtaposed against the inky black northeastern storm cloud banks. She lamented that the bushes were so tall in front of her window as it limits what she can see and prohibits family from arriving to talk through the window to her as was possible in her previous room. 

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Dusty attempted to call Joyce on 6/30 at 10 a.m. but she was apparently out of the room doing physical therapy. Dusty contacted the main desk and reserved some time tomorrow to meet with Joyce in the Aspen Park outdoor space. 

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Dusty got a hold of Joyce at 12:50 p.m. Joyce reported that lunch today was lasagna and green beans with a strawberries and cream yogurt for dessert. She reported that she will have apple juice for an afternoon snack later.

Breakfast was unable to be recalled when Dusty asked about what was served. Joyce thanked Dusty for always asking her about her meals as he was "one of her helpers" in remembering things. She recognized that he was probably asking about her meals as a trick to get her to engage her memory. Dusty confirmed but also asked for general information as part of asking about her day.

 

Joyce said that she did not have physical therapy this morning but that she did have a shower yesterday. 

Later in the conversation she then amended her statement after Dusty asked again if she had physical therapy this morning. Joyce finally began recalling that they had her working with a piece of elastic ribbon to work her upper body and arms out. She figures that they will do more in the afternoon with her. 

Joyce said again that she had started reading her Redwall book. When Dusty asked why she had taken so long to get around to reading the book, she said that she had not been in the mood to read as her mind had been too focused on wanting to return home, and that she was frustrated with herself for falling down the stairs at the farmhouse. She revisited what she had been thinking after the fall, that she had asked herself why she had gone downstairs in the first place and was mentally irritated with herself for placing herself in the situation she now exists within. "Why did you put yourself in here?" she said, expressing some of the internal conversations and berating she had been giving herself. She attempted to explain herself for a half minute, seeming to combine several thoughts at once into a momentary indiscernible stream of consciousness style ramble, then she then stated that there was no use being mad over it and so was working on changing her attitude toward being more positive. 

Joyce said that she remembered that Craig had been in the house earlier in the day of the accident and that he had been shocked that she'd fallen down the stairs so soon after he had left her as the ambulance came to collect her. Joyce remembered that Carol stayed with her all through the check-in process at Gritman. She stated that she is lucky to have children who care about her.

Joyce asked Dusty if he knew when she would be released from Aspen Park as she did not think anyone had told her yet and Dusty confirmed that at the moment it looks like July 15 is the date she will be discharged from Aspen Park and allowed to return home. Joyce said that she suspects that is dependent upon her making the doctors and physical therapists happy. Dusty confirmed that was most likely a factor. She then stated that it was a good thing she has been behaving and doing everything that she is asked to do by the nursing staff as she thought that any refusals or personal misbehavior might negatively affect her ability to return home. Dusty agreed that refusing to work with the therapists or nurses might cause problems. 

Joyce reported that her pain levels were low to almost non-existent when she was not moving significantly, and so she thought that was a good sign of her progress on healing. 

During the course of the phone call Joyce had a squirrel arrive to sit on her window which entertained her with its antics before it moved along. 

As Joyce's arm was getting tired, she ended the call.