Long month
It's been a long month.
Rosemarie spends less and less time out of bed. The staff will usually attempt to get her up at some stage but often it is early afternoon before she is awake enough, and after two to three hours in the wheelchair she is tired and leaning heavily to one side, or forward. This is increasingly used by the staff as a reason/excuse to put her back to bed. It certainly makes feeding her almost impossible, and when she stiffens her body and tilts her head back she is in danger of sliding off the wheelchair.
We thought we had found a solution. Good Nurse located an electrically operated reclining chair on another floor that was not being used and arranged to have it brought up 'for Rosemarie'. For a couple of days this was great. The chair supported her neck and shoulders (which the wheelchair does not) and although she had a tendency to hang her legs over the side she was sufficiently comfortable that there was no exaggerated leaning and it was possible to give her supper there in the lounge.
And then it seemed the Care Home Manager found out about it and ruled that it was a shared resource and not just for Rosemarie. Even though no other resident actually needs it. On a purely democratic allocation this would mean Rosemarie would get the chair about once every two weeks. In fact, because she is not taken out of bed usually until after the other residents have been moved from the dining room to the lounge where the chair is located, I have never seen her in it since that day. And sometimes the Sex Pest is sitting in it, usually with it configured as a normal chair(!).
We are trying to get her GP to refer her to Physiotherapy who may be able to supply another one specially for her. We live in hope.
And then a few days ago Rosemarie got a bad chest infection. Coughing, distress, bubbling noises when she breathes: not nice for her. She pretty much consigned to bed permanently until this is treated. She spends most of the day asleep, hardly eats at all and seems totally out of it when she is awake. She doesn't recognise me or anyone else.
Sometimes I try to wake her up to feed her supper. She shows no interest in the food and although she may let me feed her a small forkful she will chew it a couple of times, her eyes will close, her head will tilt, her mouth will open and most of the food will fall out. She will keep some food in her mouth for a long time - often hours - and it is very difficult to check her mouth or get the food out if it is visible.
And as usual it is impossible to comfort her. When she is awake she will lie there twisting and grunting and occasionally coughing ineffectually (she seems to have forgotten how to clear her throat). She seems isolated in her own private world; it is like watching through a soundproof window as somebody you love is tortured.
Rosemarie spends less and less time out of bed. The staff will usually attempt to get her up at some stage but often it is early afternoon before she is awake enough, and after two to three hours in the wheelchair she is tired and leaning heavily to one side, or forward. This is increasingly used by the staff as a reason/excuse to put her back to bed. It certainly makes feeding her almost impossible, and when she stiffens her body and tilts her head back she is in danger of sliding off the wheelchair.
We thought we had found a solution. Good Nurse located an electrically operated reclining chair on another floor that was not being used and arranged to have it brought up 'for Rosemarie'. For a couple of days this was great. The chair supported her neck and shoulders (which the wheelchair does not) and although she had a tendency to hang her legs over the side she was sufficiently comfortable that there was no exaggerated leaning and it was possible to give her supper there in the lounge.
And then it seemed the Care Home Manager found out about it and ruled that it was a shared resource and not just for Rosemarie. Even though no other resident actually needs it. On a purely democratic allocation this would mean Rosemarie would get the chair about once every two weeks. In fact, because she is not taken out of bed usually until after the other residents have been moved from the dining room to the lounge where the chair is located, I have never seen her in it since that day. And sometimes the Sex Pest is sitting in it, usually with it configured as a normal chair(!).
We are trying to get her GP to refer her to Physiotherapy who may be able to supply another one specially for her. We live in hope.
And then a few days ago Rosemarie got a bad chest infection. Coughing, distress, bubbling noises when she breathes: not nice for her. She pretty much consigned to bed permanently until this is treated. She spends most of the day asleep, hardly eats at all and seems totally out of it when she is awake. She doesn't recognise me or anyone else.
Sometimes I try to wake her up to feed her supper. She shows no interest in the food and although she may let me feed her a small forkful she will chew it a couple of times, her eyes will close, her head will tilt, her mouth will open and most of the food will fall out. She will keep some food in her mouth for a long time - often hours - and it is very difficult to check her mouth or get the food out if it is visible.
And as usual it is impossible to comfort her. When she is awake she will lie there twisting and grunting and occasionally coughing ineffectually (she seems to have forgotten how to clear her throat). She seems isolated in her own private world; it is like watching through a soundproof window as somebody you love is tortured.
posted by Other Kosh at 8:47 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home