Summer Update

It goes without saying that it's been a long time since we've posted anything about Doreen and Carl. While the changes are not nearly as dramatic as they were a year ago, we continue to see improvement. Here are some tidbits to get you up to date.

What hasn’t changed:

1. Doreen is still living in the health care wing of Timbercrest, and Carl is living in an apartment in the Manor, although they regularly eat the noon and evening meals together in health care, and Carl spends most of his day in Doreen’s room. Carl eats breakfast in his dining room and then goes to Doreen’s wing. Mostly because he is an early riser and she likes to sleep in!

2. There has been no return of appetite or eating problems. (The photo below includes Darell and Liz Bowman (Clay's parents), Cameron, David Bowman (Clay's brother), Karen, Doreen and Carl.)

What is improving:

1. Doreen needs less and less help with eating. She still has a lot of challenges with steadiness of the hands, but she spills things much less often, and she can prepare much of her food without help.

2. She is using a walker more frequently and often goes to meals, to therapy, and to the bathroom using the walker instead of the wheelchair. Her left leg can be a challenge, though, and she needs to be reminded to slow down. A video of Doreen walking to therapy with Karen is posted below.

3. Alertness is no longer an issue most of the time. She does not seem to get as exhausted when she attends events, listens to stories told by family and friends, or watches television or movies.

4. She can read and follow the lines of the text, although it is tiring. She still feels like her eyes are not working quite right.

5. A few weeks ago, Judy attended church with Doreen and Carl, and Doreen was able to sing the hymns, follow the verses, and sing alto in tune! Let’s all sing Hallelujah!

6. Doreen and Carl are trying to resume some of their practice of sending cards to friends and family. It may be a little haphazard, but this desire shows a move away from an exclusive focus on themselves and Doreen’s recovery. They do care about you!

Difficult changes:

1. Being in a retirement community and living life as "eighty-somethings" has meant that there are many times of grief and loss. A friend who sat close to them in the dining room died several weeks ago. Last week their table companion in health care died. Recently Doreen’s roommate Jeanette died. An especially difficult death to accept was when Jim Garber died last week. He was a very good friend who was very supportive in the last year. He coordinated the transportation for Carl’s many trips to Ft. Wayne before Doreen moved to Timbercrest. We will all miss him.

2. For a while after Doreen’s roommate died, she was the only resident in her room. When she did get a new roommate, it was a person with a lot of needs that made it difficult for Doreen to sleep. So she moved across the hall with Ruth, a 94-year-old woman whom she likes very well. Both of them were offered a single room after they moved in together, but both decided to stay where they were. It's clear that they both enjoy each other’s company.

Please accept our apologies for the long gap in updates. Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks for your support! (Below is a video from the Myers-Bowman family's recent visit to Timbercrest.)