Saturday Update

August 16, 2008

On Friday, Carl had traveled to Progressive Hospital with good friends Dorotha and Joe Fry Mason. One of the positive aspects of the trip was that the doctor who had given such a gloomy prognosis several days before made a point to talk to Carl and say that he felt Doreen was doing very well and was making good progress. Carl wasn’t sure how much weight to put on that statement, but he appreciated the effort.

Judy and Dick traveled to North Manchester on Saturday to see Carl and to take him to see Doreen. They spent some time in the apartment to help get things arranged in a helpful and useful way and also did some shopping to get some helpful aids. After 3 ½ days in the apartment, Carl had an idea of some things that worked well and some other things that felt more awkward. It is challenging for someone who has not lived alone for decades to figure out how to manage schedules and spaces. Staff members at Timbercrest and all the family members have worked to find ways to accomplish that goal. And now that Carl has a phone, he feels that he can have contact with the people who are important to him. Contact a Myers family member if you would like his number. (And he has an answering machine, too.)

The trip to Ft. Wayne brought some new and welcome surprises. First, Doreen was behind the nurses’ station in a wheelchair when the family arrived. They said she had been singing for them. Apparently, she was singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Jesus Loves Me, Amazing Grace, and some other selections. Although therapists do not come to the hospital on the weekends, this adventure served a therapeutic function. Singing exercises the vocal cords, and those muscles are closely related to muscles that control swallowing.

Another surprise was that Doreen had eaten two bowls of soup overnight. She couldn’t tell the family what kind of soup it was, though, because she didn’t remember eating it, but the accomplishment was clearly documented by the nurses. They also told the family that Doreen is now at the “one-person assist” level when getting in and out of bed and when using the bedside facilities. They said that she could almost do that alone if her balance was better. So she is getting stronger and we are moving ahead!

The family helped Doreen with supper, and the eating was not as good, although one nurse challenged her to eat two more bites after she thought she was full. This was a step up from the old challenge to eat one more bite. Actually, Doreen ate three more—of apples with peanut butter. And the wit was still sharp. When Judy asked the question she used to ask her children—“Do you want me to cut your sandwich into triangles or rectangles?” Doreen answered “Hexagons.” No, Judy did not do that.

One of the things that Judy and Dick had brought along was in response to an earlier request. She had asked if they could bring a copy of a video of Aaron and Amanda (Judy and Dick’s children) singing “The Prayer.” They had done that as a duet at Amanda’s senior recital at Manchester in 2003. After Doreen watched the DVD on a laptop computer, she said, “I will use the same statement my father used [after his great-grandchildren gave a Christmas program for the family]—It’s as close as you can get to heaven without being there.” Family means so much to Doreen, and so do friends. Thank you for being there for her and for Carl.