Settling into routine

We are starting to get to know the various hospice workers and have a bit more sense of routine.
The nurse comes Tuesdays to check weight, blood pressure, eating, sleeping, etc.--basically to make sure the meds are still at the right level
The home health aid starts next week. She can do a bath if grandma wants, but since grandma likes Beza better (the private aide who comes Saturdays) we are just going to phase this aide in slowly doing things like foot care and lotion.
The companion volunteer comes Wednesdays to have lunch with Lil and maybe go for a drive
Elaine comes Tuesdays to visit and go for drives and things (she may not be a hair dresser but she does a good job playing one).
The "homemaker" comes Fridays to cook and clean
and the social worker doesn't have a regular schedule.
The only ones we haven't yet met are the end-of-life counselor or the "safe crossings" people to work with the kids, but there is time for that as we go forward.

We still have Thursday nights to figure out, but my evening class doesn't start for two more weeks.

Yesterday, grandma and I went down to the denturist to get her plate adjusted and now she is mostly able to get it out by herself (she had to learn a new way--to pull from the back and sides instead of the front, and it wasn't easy for her.) But at least now it feels good and she can manage it herself--independence is just as important as ever to her.

Still on the list is an appointment to get her eyes checked. She still reads everyday, but not as much as she used to because she is complaining that it is harder to see the print. It is possible that she may have had some TIA events around the time she was in the hospital (like a super tiny, transient stroke) and even when there don't seem to be lasting effects, we are told they can affect vision, so a check is in order. She doesn't like to try to watch TV at all anymore--it's too hard to see the closed captions. It makes me really glad that there are so many more people in her life these days because I worry about her being bored, even when I am here, since I am so often working. We are all really looking forward to Tana and Jason's visit, and we hear rumors that Mike is coming, and I know she will really enjoy that as well.

Anyway, over all, grandma has been in the best spirits this week since she left the hospital. The Metamucil wafers which the nurse recommended seem to be working better than the other things we have tried for the IBS, which goes a long way toward daily comfort and not having to get up at night. Here weight is back up to 95 and seems to be stabilizing there on a 40 ml dose of Furosimide. We've had good company too. Nurmi was here briefly over the weekend after helping Jamison move, and mom and papa came over for dinner after papa spent the day helping Marty and me at the Fall City place and mom took Avi, Oliver, Daniel, Disa, and Diana to Discovery Park. We were all exhausted by the end of the day so we just picked up a Papa Murphy's take-n-bake pizza and a couple of six packs. Grandma gamely eats anything we do, whether it's pizza or corn on the cob or Marty's creative concoctions with veggies and Asian sauces in the wok--in fact, I think those are her favorites--she and Marty both love their onions. Last night it was beets from the CSA box with onions and Gorgonzola. Yum.

I also want to say, in case folks haven't heard, that our hearts are with Elaine and Paul as they deal with the loss of his brother at only 45. 

Well, I gotta go to the clinic to see my clients.

The volunteer (Linda) is coming today to take grandma to the Essential Bakery and maybe a drive after that and I should be home around three.