Select Specialty Hospital
Phoenix, Arizona
You may have noticed from the “Lisa Today” heading that Lis
a is still in Phoenix. You remember, I told you she was, pretty-much, expected to come home last week. The hospital’s discharge intentions and the coming home to Tucson plans have not changed. What happened? The nursing facility in Tucson informed the folks at Select Specialty Hospital in Phoenix that they did not have “bed space” for her on Friday as we thought. Hey, the on again-off again really doesn’t bother or stress us because SNAFU has been the norm for the past year, and we all have gotten used to living with it. You know, to be fair to all concerned, getting a reservation at a nursing facility for Lisa is quite a bit more complex than booking a motel room; I’m sure you would agree. I know it is self serving for me to say; but, we all have been extremely sensitive that we “not kill the messenger” when bad news comes our way. It’s fair to all concerned and worked pretty well in keeping everyone’s blood pressure down and lines of communication open.
For the trip back
home to Tucson, Lisa she will be transported by ambulance. Her specialized wheel-chair will accompany her in the ambulance. The wheelchair is so heavy because it is made to become motorized, with additional equipment modification; hence the heavy weight of the chair.
Then late Friday afternoon, we learned Lisa’s transfer on Monday was also ruled out; so we’re now on a “runway alert” situation, as we used to say in my old Air Force days. Anyway, with the transfer delayed it gives Richard an opportunity this weekend to say thanks, and say goodbye to everyone at the hospital again. And another thing, I know that strong attachments were formed during the past year so it’s really bitter sweet for everyone at the hospital and for Richard, Lisa and Michael. I wanted Richard to take a lot of pictures to share with you so you can get a sense of how it is in Phoenix.
Late afternoon las
t Monday, Ruben, the contractor, who will make the necessary modifications to the residence, met with Richard to review the plans for Lisa’s lift, and establish the work schedule. After meeting with Ruben, we’re thinking it’s about 45-days to completion. How realistic this is, well is anyone’s guess at this time.
On another front, finding the right caregiver for Lisa’s continues to be the number one priority. We have had high hopes in finding some, but with caution—and caution was justified as so far nothing has come to fruition. At the moment, Richard is discussing the caregiver position with a physical therapist. According to her resume, she has good experience working with patients who’ve had similar diagnosis as Lisa. She seems very qualified. Correspondence is flying between her and Richard now. She is our best prospect to fill the bill.
Ri
chard took the pictures shown here when the family was resting in the beautiful Healing Garden at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Michael, until just recently, has not tolerated any sort of head cover. The ball cap does a nice job of shading his eyes. In the third picture (from the top) Lisa joins Michael for a nap. In the last picture, you can see what nice garden it is.
That’s all the news for now. Hope you have a great week!
Phoenix, Arizona
You may have noticed from the “Lisa Today” heading that Lis
a is still in Phoenix. You remember, I told you she was, pretty-much, expected to come home last week. The hospital’s discharge intentions and the coming home to Tucson plans have not changed. What happened? The nursing facility in Tucson informed the folks at Select Specialty Hospital in Phoenix that they did not have “bed space” for her on Friday as we thought. Hey, the on again-off again really doesn’t bother or stress us because SNAFU has been the norm for the past year, and we all have gotten used to living with it. You know, to be fair to all concerned, getting a reservation at a nursing facility for Lisa is quite a bit more complex than booking a motel room; I’m sure you would agree. I know it is self serving for me to say; but, we all have been extremely sensitive that we “not kill the messenger” when bad news comes our way. It’s fair to all concerned and worked pretty well in keeping everyone’s blood pressure down and lines of communication open.For the trip back
home to Tucson, Lisa she will be transported by ambulance. Her specialized wheel-chair will accompany her in the ambulance. The wheelchair is so heavy because it is made to become motorized, with additional equipment modification; hence the heavy weight of the chair.Then late Friday afternoon, we learned Lisa’s transfer on Monday was also ruled out; so we’re now on a “runway alert” situation, as we used to say in my old Air Force days. Anyway, with the transfer delayed it gives Richard an opportunity this weekend to say thanks, and say goodbye to everyone at the hospital again. And another thing, I know that strong attachments were formed during the past year so it’s really bitter sweet for everyone at the hospital and for Richard, Lisa and Michael. I wanted Richard to take a lot of pictures to share with you so you can get a sense of how it is in Phoenix.
Late afternoon las
t Monday, Ruben, the contractor, who will make the necessary modifications to the residence, met with Richard to review the plans for Lisa’s lift, and establish the work schedule. After meeting with Ruben, we’re thinking it’s about 45-days to completion. How realistic this is, well is anyone’s guess at this time.On another front, finding the right caregiver for Lisa’s continues to be the number one priority. We have had high hopes in finding some, but with caution—and caution was justified as so far nothing has come to fruition. At the moment, Richard is discussing the caregiver position with a physical therapist. According to her resume, she has good experience working with patients who’ve had similar diagnosis as Lisa. She seems very qualified. Correspondence is flying between her and Richard now. She is our best prospect to fill the bill.
Ri
chard took the pictures shown here when the family was resting in the beautiful Healing Garden at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Michael, until just recently, has not tolerated any sort of head cover. The ball cap does a nice job of shading his eyes. In the third picture (from the top) Lisa joins Michael for a nap. In the last picture, you can see what nice garden it is.That’s all the news for now. Hope you have a great week!
Michael
mlwintory@msn.com
mlwintory@msn.com
