Rehab Recap: Wednesday Morning 8/3

In the middle of an extremely busy week, I finally got by to see Dad for a few minutes this morning on the way to the store.

Found him fully dressed and looking chipper walking down the hall on the way to the gym. Well, walking with his walker, a nurse hanging on to him and dragging a wheel chair. After a little bit he sat in the wheel chair, I took over the walker and we headed on down to the big gym.

A big room with half a real car, a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, produce department in addition to various exercise tables, motion resistance machines and a few scattered nurses and patients. We headed first to the bathroom area where Dad learned the safe method for getting in and out of the shower, from walker to chair and back to walker. Emphasis on steadiness, minimum turning, taking time and letting blood pressure adjust when changing elevation.

Then we headed to the bedroom where Dad turned down the bed and practiced the correct procedures for gettng in and out of bed. As much as he's hated the hospital beds, I thought he might just fall asleep, but he pronounced the mattress a little too soft, Again, the emphasis is on taking time for the blood pressure to adjust and a big emphasis on avoiding 'sternal' pressure. Any movement that exerts the chest needs to be avoided. Big arm movement, pushing, pulling, lifting.

A few notes: He will need to have a chair with a back and arms in the shower. Dad says his current chair is just a stool. The 3-way chair over his toilet will do. He will need a walker similar to the one he uses in the hospital for a few weeks for the stability. He tends to wander rather than walk a straight line and needs a stabler base than the wheels. We'll need to be sure he has clear path with the walker and does does not have to move anything out of the way to get around.  And I'm sure that's just the beginning. Yesterday he practiced picking up clothes with a grabber.

As I left they were headed for the arm/hand muscle manipulation table for some strengthening exercises. I asked if anything had been mentioned about timetable going home and the rehab nurse said his 'Committee' was having a conference today to discuss his timetable, so we need to be on the lookout for news on that front.