Mom's Rehab Update, Week Three

Good news! Mom's discharge date is set for January 1, 2014. Yay! We are excited and hope things will work out smoothly for everyone involved.

This week's therapies are pretty much similar to last week's. So, I'm going to just include short notes of activities during each session.

Speech Therapy-- Worked one syllable words, identified objects from a flashcard, practiced counting numerically, practiced days of the week, practiced moving her tongue up and down.

Occupational Therapy-- Worked on tasks that she will eventually do daily, such as get dressed, shower (with assistance), comb hair, etc. Also worked on releasing muscle tension in her right arm and stretching/straightening the fingers. OT also did a short session that involved electro convulsion therapy on the right arm ( there were some muscle movements in knuckle joints but not so much in the upper arm).

Physical Therapy-- Worked on transferring from bed to wheelchair, and vice versa. Did strengthening of the leg exercises (leg lifts and bicycling), scooting left and right, standing for about a minute at a time, walking across the parallel bars with assistance, and practiced standing up on her own.

 Along with working on her movements and speech, learning to move around in her wheelchair is another task. So, during her free time, we would go out into the hallways and have her practice "driving" her wheelchair. 

Overall, things are looking good for Mom. Just a little less than two weeks and we can head home!

Mom's Rehab Update, Week Two

Mom is continuing to improve on a daily basis.  With practice and encouragement, she has become more independent.  For instance, she's been able to get most of the food onto the spoon and into her mouth, reach longer to grab something, and push the "call" button when she needs assistance from the RN and CNAs.

Mom have also been able to maneuver her working arm (left arm) and get herself partially dressed, hold onto a bedrail so she could push herself from side to side with ease, and move her wheelchair backward and forward (even though right now all she's been able to do is go in circles with it). In addition, she is able to sit up in bed for longer period of time without any assistance. Also, by just looking into the mirror in front of her, she knows when to wipe away any food particle that land on her chin. And she does a pretty good job at it the first time around.

The therapists suggest we continue to work with Mom on self-care, such as getting dressed, combing her hair, feeding herself, etc. Also, we should continue with helping her identify objects and improve her speech.  A method that the Speech Therapist suggested was to have only one person speak slowly to Mom, as well as have Mom speak slowly to us.  Furthermore, when having a conversation with Mom, try having her finish the sentence.  For example, say something like "My name is ..." or " His name is...".

Reflecting back on therapy sessions and whatnot this past week, I believe Mom have made great improvement. Not only has she been able to pronounce some words clearer than last week, but she is more aware of what is expected of her, in terms of feeding herself and taking medications.  In short, she is getting the hang of things. I think consistency in daily routine is key to her moving one step closer to a quick recovery