June 8, 2006 (7:30pm)
Gary had another class this afternoon – the second of the “Wellness and Leisure” classes. Unfortunately it was just as boring and lacking in useful information as the first one; again, the person could’ve said what she’d had to say in about five minutes. Fortunately I haven’t had this reaction to anything else that has gone on here.
This time the presentation listed (and little more than listed, rather than going into details) what areas the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) covers: public places, government places, employment, public transportation, telecommunications. Then people were asked what accessibility issues they thought they might run into when they leave the hospital (door widths, bathrooms, etc.). And the above is just about all that was accomplished in the hour, except to tell us that Shepherd has an Advocacy Department should we need to get in contact with them.
After getting Gary re-settled in his room, I realized I had once again forgotten about the orientation meeting that family members are encouraged to attend soon after their loved one comes here. It is offered every Thursday, and each time I’d missed it – the first time because I didn’t notice the message about it up on the case manager’s door until some days after (I’m lucky I noticed it at all), the second time because I forgot and was in a class with Gary. I decided to go this time, even though I was about twenty minutes late. Turned out I hadn’t missed that much, and at the end the SCI Program Director, who was giving the presentation, filled me in on what I’d missed.
This was a very good meeting. First we were given a sheet of paper listing all the important contact information – the numbers for the nursing manager on our floor, for the charge nurses, the TR manager, the recreation supervisors, the case managers, the patient/nurse educators, the post-Shepherd program managers, the director of SCI research. Next we got a list of all the Shepherd physicians and their areas, as our loved one may see more than one kind of doctor (for instance, Gary seeing not only his rehab doctor, but the plastic surgeon). Next we were given a general time frame for what happens when during our loved one’s stay. Here is some of it:
• Admission day: meet primary doc, start going through an assessment (taking up to three days)
• Within the next couple of weeks: have medical conference, have goal-setting conference, get schedule of family training dates, receive tentative discharge date
• Two weeks before discharge: The final seating clinic (finalizing the choice of custom-made wheelchair), post-inpatient recommendations for further rehab, etc.
• Last week: Discharge training for family member (though since I am here all the time, they are spreading out my training – the full day of lectures (which I’ve already had), and the two days of hands-on learning – throughout my stay), family outing to a dinner (read, “Gary and I go out to eat”), one night “on our own” simulation (we behave as if at we’re home – we are left to ourselves in a special room in the hospital and we simulate being at home by ourselves, running through a 24-hour period of Gary’s routine – the staff is available to us if we run into trouble), loaner wheelchair obtained for use until custom-made one can be delivered (it takes up to six weeks), prescriptions for day program/outpatient services completed, medication prescriptions obtained and filled, discharge supplies obtained, family attends discharge conference with patient and all the members of patient’s team (the primary doc, case worker, and all one’s therapists).
• Day of discharge: nurse reviews discharge instructions.
The last thing covered was the kinds of passes we can apply for: push pass, which will let us take our loved one off of Shepherd property but not by car (a little stroll down Peachtree Street ;-)); and day pass, which lets us drive our loved one off Shepherd property. As you can guess, quite a lot of training, for both Gary and me, has to be accomplished before such passes are given out – I’d hate to have him go zooming down the steep hills of Peachtree on his wheelchair, for instance. He and I would have to be able to satisfactorily show that we can take care of all his bodily needs, that we can handle the architectural structures we might encounter (for instance, curbs), that we can do the appropriate transfers, that we know how to handle dysreflexia – in short, that we pass the course on the classes we are taking here. In additon, we will have to have already gone on one of the TR supervised outings so our safety/judgement/problem-solving abilities can be assessed. This sounds like a lot to learn in a short time, but I suppose if 315 patients per year go through this place, they must feel confident that people can become proficient enough to handle such things in such a short time.
After I told Gary what I’d learned, we checked out our heap of mail. Another avalanche today! (Gary got to look at the cards, I got to look at the bills ;-)) Thanks to Thelma West, Dimitrina Stavrova, Juanita Meschke, Dave Sieh, Mom Gruenhage of course ;-), Rod Becher, Jerry and Theresa Vaughan and their latest supply of tapes ;-), Bruce Noda, and Stew Schneller.
One of the things we got in the mail was a satisfaction survey from UAB Hospital. You can bet Gary will be filling it out, and not with glowing praise all around.
In the evening we started “Capote.” I found it interesting to watch the character; Gary wondered what Capote had seen in the murderers about which he wrote “In Cold Blood.” Neither of us have read that book or seen that movie.
And that’s today’s report ;-)
Gary had another class this afternoon – the second of the “Wellness and Leisure” classes. Unfortunately it was just as boring and lacking in useful information as the first one; again, the person could’ve said what she’d had to say in about five minutes. Fortunately I haven’t had this reaction to anything else that has gone on here.
This time the presentation listed (and little more than listed, rather than going into details) what areas the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) covers: public places, government places, employment, public transportation, telecommunications. Then people were asked what accessibility issues they thought they might run into when they leave the hospital (door widths, bathrooms, etc.). And the above is just about all that was accomplished in the hour, except to tell us that Shepherd has an Advocacy Department should we need to get in contact with them.
After getting Gary re-settled in his room, I realized I had once again forgotten about the orientation meeting that family members are encouraged to attend soon after their loved one comes here. It is offered every Thursday, and each time I’d missed it – the first time because I didn’t notice the message about it up on the case manager’s door until some days after (I’m lucky I noticed it at all), the second time because I forgot and was in a class with Gary. I decided to go this time, even though I was about twenty minutes late. Turned out I hadn’t missed that much, and at the end the SCI Program Director, who was giving the presentation, filled me in on what I’d missed.
This was a very good meeting. First we were given a sheet of paper listing all the important contact information – the numbers for the nursing manager on our floor, for the charge nurses, the TR manager, the recreation supervisors, the case managers, the patient/nurse educators, the post-Shepherd program managers, the director of SCI research. Next we got a list of all the Shepherd physicians and their areas, as our loved one may see more than one kind of doctor (for instance, Gary seeing not only his rehab doctor, but the plastic surgeon). Next we were given a general time frame for what happens when during our loved one’s stay. Here is some of it:
• Admission day: meet primary doc, start going through an assessment (taking up to three days)
• Within the next couple of weeks: have medical conference, have goal-setting conference, get schedule of family training dates, receive tentative discharge date
• Two weeks before discharge: The final seating clinic (finalizing the choice of custom-made wheelchair), post-inpatient recommendations for further rehab, etc.
• Last week: Discharge training for family member (though since I am here all the time, they are spreading out my training – the full day of lectures (which I’ve already had), and the two days of hands-on learning – throughout my stay), family outing to a dinner (read, “Gary and I go out to eat”), one night “on our own” simulation (we behave as if at we’re home – we are left to ourselves in a special room in the hospital and we simulate being at home by ourselves, running through a 24-hour period of Gary’s routine – the staff is available to us if we run into trouble), loaner wheelchair obtained for use until custom-made one can be delivered (it takes up to six weeks), prescriptions for day program/outpatient services completed, medication prescriptions obtained and filled, discharge supplies obtained, family attends discharge conference with patient and all the members of patient’s team (the primary doc, case worker, and all one’s therapists).
• Day of discharge: nurse reviews discharge instructions.
The last thing covered was the kinds of passes we can apply for: push pass, which will let us take our loved one off of Shepherd property but not by car (a little stroll down Peachtree Street ;-)); and day pass, which lets us drive our loved one off Shepherd property. As you can guess, quite a lot of training, for both Gary and me, has to be accomplished before such passes are given out – I’d hate to have him go zooming down the steep hills of Peachtree on his wheelchair, for instance. He and I would have to be able to satisfactorily show that we can take care of all his bodily needs, that we can handle the architectural structures we might encounter (for instance, curbs), that we can do the appropriate transfers, that we know how to handle dysreflexia – in short, that we pass the course on the classes we are taking here. In additon, we will have to have already gone on one of the TR supervised outings so our safety/judgement/problem-solving abilities can be assessed. This sounds like a lot to learn in a short time, but I suppose if 315 patients per year go through this place, they must feel confident that people can become proficient enough to handle such things in such a short time.
After I told Gary what I’d learned, we checked out our heap of mail. Another avalanche today! (Gary got to look at the cards, I got to look at the bills ;-)) Thanks to Thelma West, Dimitrina Stavrova, Juanita Meschke, Dave Sieh, Mom Gruenhage of course ;-), Rod Becher, Jerry and Theresa Vaughan and their latest supply of tapes ;-), Bruce Noda, and Stew Schneller.
One of the things we got in the mail was a satisfaction survey from UAB Hospital. You can bet Gary will be filling it out, and not with glowing praise all around.
In the evening we started “Capote.” I found it interesting to watch the character; Gary wondered what Capote had seen in the murderers about which he wrote “In Cold Blood.” Neither of us have read that book or seen that movie.
And that’s today’s report ;-)
posted by Peg Daniels at 9:40 AM
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