A Practice Trip with Dad

Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. Ephesians 6: 2-3

Since we found out that Dad was able to go visit his cousins after all, we decided that we needed to practice getting him in and out of the car. The last time we made a trip to see his cousins, we had a really difficult time getting Dad into the car from his wheelchair. Dad has Parkinson's Disease and his body gets very rigid, which makes it difficult for him to enter the car.

We decided that we would take Dad shopping in the town where the Veteran's Home is located. We found out that all the extra physical therapy he had gotten had really paid off. Dad was able to push off of his wheelchair some and help us assist him into the car.

We went shopping and Dad's stamina was pretty good. We were very pleased with how well the practice trip with Dad went. When we got him back into the car after shopping, Dad got very short of breath. We were worried, but knew were only a couple of miles from the Veteran's Home, so he could get his oxygen, which he used, as needed. We realized that when we took Dad on the trip to see his cousins, we'd need to make sure we had oxygen with us, in case he should need it.

Since these are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my experience, they may not reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

I'm including You Tube Video clips on caregiving that I found interesting, inspirational, or might be helpful to others, but am not responsible for the content in the videos. Always check first with a physician before trying any suggestions mentioned.



Informed, but It Backfired

Hearken unto they father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. Proverbs 23:22
  
Dad had been wanting to go visit his relatives, but we explained that he couldn't make a trip until 90 after his last hospital stay to be in compliance with Medicares Part A ruling. They feel, and rightfully so, that if someone is well enough to go on a vacation, they are well enough to not get Part A services. We explained to Dad that he needed to continue his physical therapy, etc. to get stronger, first.

About a month before Dad's 90 days were up, I was talking to the physical therapist about the gains Dad had been making. I told him how glad we were, because we were planning to take Dad on a trip to see his cousins when his 90 days were up for Part A. He was confused. He told me that Dad wasn't getting Part A Medicare services, because Dad didn't have the qualifying amount of nights in the hospital. I explained that Dad was in the hospital 5 days. He said that he would look into it further.

The physical therapist explained to me the next week that Dad had not be admitted all of those days, but had been listed as under observation. I further explained that I had read in the AARP Magazine to be wary of letting hospitals put seniors under observation, because Medicare doesn't pay for it and neither do the supplemental insurances, sometimes costing seniors thousands to hundreds of thousands of out-or-pocket dollars. The article had noted that some less scrupulous hospitals may keep from admitting seniors and keep them there under observation, because Medicare pays so little. When senior have to pay for being there under observation out-of-pocket, it's financially lucrative for the hospital, of course, at the senior's expense.

I knew that and when the hospital said that they wanted to put Dad under observation, I told the person that Dad could not stay unless he were admitted, because Medicare wouldn't pay. The person contacted their supervisor, because I wouldn't sign to admit Dad unless he were admitted. The supervisor told her that she was pretty sure that Dad was admitted, but it's just called admitted under observation. I told her that I needed to know for sure, so the supervisor called someone else. That said that Dad was being admitted into the hospital, but under observation and Medicare would pay for their portion of it. I had assumed that was accurate.

Finding out months later that the hospital personnel told me that Dad was admitted into the hospital, just under observation, but didn't really admit him, threw me for a loop. How could they tell me they admitted him and not do it? It defies all my Christian ethics. Next time, I plan to refuse to sign until they take me to the person in charge and have them write down that Dad is officially admitted and not just there under observation and have them sign it. I shouldn't have to do that, but obviously, I do. 

Since these are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my experience, they may not reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

I'm including You Tube Video clips on caregiving that I found interesting, inspirational, or might be helpful to others, but am not responsible for the content in the videos. Always check first with a physician before trying any suggestions mentioned.


Some Things Are So Different From the Dad I Knew Growing Up

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Colossians 3: 21

Dad keeps calling one of the hefty aides at the Veteran's Home a boy or man. I keep telling him that it's a lady, and he shouldn't call her that, because she'll get her feelings hurt-she's just stalky. Fortunately for Dad, she's there to support him. It takes someone strong to be able to lift him out of his wheel chair and onto the toilet or the bed.

I try to explain to Dad that he's got to quit calling her that. When he tells me that he's been short with her, he almost sounds proud of that. It's so different from the Dad I knew growing up. He went out of his way to teach us to be sensitive to the needs of others, to be polite to everyone, no matter who it was or how much they weighed.or their ethnicity.

Here is this young woman, who is risking her back every time she lifts him, and he's sometimes rude to her. Although he's not a mean spirited person, he doesn't realize that he might be hurting her feelings. Every time I go there, I look at her to see if I pick up on her being disgruntled, but I don't see that. She still comes to get him when he pushes the buzzer. Maybe she doesn't understand what he's saying, which would be a blessing unto itself, or maybe she's just a very gracious young woman who takes pride in what she does for the veterans.

Regardless, I have to stop worrying about it, because I can't change it. I am very blessed, because the staff at the Veteran's Home are outstanding! They treat Dad with respect, even when he may be in a cranky mood. I guess it's unrealistic of me to think he wouldn't feel cranky from time to time. I know that sometimes I feel that way, so I just need to be more understanding and pray that this nice lady is never hurt by his comments. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Colossians 3: 21

Since these are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my experience, they may not reflect the whole meaning of the verse.
I'm including You Tube Video clips on caregiving that I found interesting, inspirational, or might be helpful to others, but am not responsible for the content in the videos. Always check first with a physician before trying any suggestions mentioned.
By: Wood County Committee on Aging, Bowling Green University, Jennifer Hover, BG Montessori, Sentinel Tribune Video via You Tube





A Nice Problem

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Colossians 3: 20

When we went to see Dad at the Veteran's Home last evening, he said that he needed new pants. His previous ones had gotten too small. Now, of all the problems I've had in my life, this may have been one of the best!

Less than a year ago, we had the opposite problem. My dad had gotten down to 128 pounds. I thought we were going to lose him for sure, because he continued to keep losing weight. The more he lost, the more feeble he got, so they started feeding him ground and pureed food. He was even more reluctant to eat food like that, especially in front of his peers. We ended up signing a waiver, so that he could have regular food, but they would had cut thicker foods for him.

What a miracle God's done through this. My dad has steadily gained his weight back to a normal weight. About two months ago, I had a request to get him medium sweat pants, because the smalls were getting too tight. Last night, the request for for large sweat pants, because the mediums were too tight. What' wonderful news. My dad still weighs less than he did most of his adult life, but it's a good healthy weight and he's looking good and feeling good. It's especially significant, because my dad had a doctor in the hospital about six months ago that wanted to put him on Hospice Care. Fortunately for my dad, God gave me the instincts that Dad didn't need Hospice Care. He wasn't in any pain and has gotten increasingly better over time. I have been truly blessed by having this extra time with my dad. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Colossians 3: 20

Since these are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my experience, they may not reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

I'm including You Tube Video clips on caregiving that I found interesting, inspirational, or might be helpful to others, but am not responsible for the content in the videos. Always check first with a physician before trying any suggestions mentioned.
By: Tim Bartos, Baptist Health, Liz Bishop, CBS 6 News via You Tube


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