Bookblog of the Bristol Library: We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman: Reviewed by Kristin Ash and Edi have been best friends for 42 years. From feeding the nursery school class Venus flytrap together, to ma...

Six Years Later

This has been a very tough day...... six years ago today Sandi came home her final time just after six in the evening. It was the beginning of hospice ... and the beginning of the end. I did not want her here as I was very afraid of what was coming and not being able to care for her as she needed and deserved. That turned out to be the reality as after about a week they lost pain control and she suffered horribly before lapsing into unconsciousness those last few days. It was hell for her and for us too.

Sandi, on the other hand, did not want to die in the hospital. She desperately wanted to be at home here with us. I agreed as that was what she wanted and there was no way I could tell her no. In a sense she is still here as her urn sits here in the den.

I wish for so much that can't be......and I miss her so much. Every day is hard....some are worse than others....and then there are days like today. I turn 62 Monday and she is not here to tell me not to be grumpy about another birthday and to have fun.

Then we have Thanksgiving, Christmas, and her birthday in January. What should be a great time of year is instead a hard, painful slog. Six years later, nothing has changed. At least she is not here to watch me slowly get sicker as what little I inherited vanishes like sand through the hourglass.

The Rap Sheet: Crider’s Tough Path

The Rap Sheet: Crider’s Tough Path

Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: Update

Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: Update: Things could change, but I suspect this will be my final post on the blog.  I met with some doctors at M. D. Anderson today, and they sugges...

Update

This has been a tough weekend. After perking up a little bit yesterday morning, by early afternoon Sandi was sliding back downhill and that has continued today. She might be worse tonight than at any point since she came home. Hard to tell.

It has suddenly hit me tonight that if you have Sandi's cell phone number, you may not be aware that her phone has been broken for a couple of months and does not work. If you have our old apartment phone number, you may not know that the number has not worked for weeks. So, if you had either number and want the landline phone number here at the house, email me for the number.

Hospice Update

The first of what will be many visits by hospice staff just finished. The nurse spent an hour and a half with us assessing Sandi and our needs. The meds that were supposed to be here this morning won't be here until Monday or more likely Tuesday as they were not ordered yesterday as promised. Fortunately, most of the drugs she is still on I already have and the nurse had some stuff to give us in their "comfort kit" for pain and support.

The nurse also showed me a couple of tricks to make moving Sandi a little easier while she helped me change her and clean some things up. That should help as I had really been hurting myself trying to do things the way I was used to doing them.

It appears right now she will have an aide here four times a week to help with a shower and other things. Nurses will be here twice a week.

I am still overwhelmed, but not as much as I was last night.

The Education of a Pulp Writer: Ron Scheer

The Education of a Pulp Writer: Ron Scheer: From Lynda Scheer: Ron left us early yesterday morning. A blessing to know that he has flown high--like the hawk Anne recently watched in...

Review: "From Hospital to Home Care: A Step by Step Guide to Providing Care to Patients Post Hospitalization"

Published by Home Care Assistance, Inc., From Hospital to Home Care: A Step by Step Guide to Providing Care to Patients Post Hospitalization is designed to provide readers the information they need for a variety of situations when a loved one needs help to stay in his or her home. This book is designed for readers who are totally unfamiliar at any level with the process so readers with this knowledge will find little in the book to assist them. The book is in sections that relate to those involved in the discharge process, dealing with various diseases, and resources available to you from the company publishing the book.

After an opening chapter outlining a typical scenario involving an elderly man and his fall requiring hospitalization, it is on to Chapter 2 where the various people who play a role in what happens next are discussed. Whether it be the patient, family members, doctors, nurses, discharge planner, social worker, therapist, etc. everyone has a role and the various roles are covered here.

A key competent of this is the discharge planner who is the subject of “Chapter Three: Helping the Discharge Planner.” The need for communication by all is stressed as is the need to verify everything with the discharge planner.

“Chapter Four:  Where Do Discharge Patient Go?” follows with brief explanations of what is a skilled nursing facility, hospice, etc.

Chapters Five through Ten cover various situations and concerns “Post-Discharge.” This can be pain for the patient, safety issues such as falls, burns, etc. or mental health issues such as depression, anger, anxiety, etc.  Dealing with these issues as well as exercise and mobility and personal hygiene are covered here in simple to read short chapters. Like the entire book, a lot of what is in these chapters reflects various situations where the names have been changed to prove anonymity for the patient being discussed.

“Chapter Eleven: Acute Medical Problems” begins on page 74 and covers such issues as Pneumonia, shingles, dehydration, bowel-related problems, among others.  Each situation is explained in detail before advice is rendered in short sub-sections titled “Home Care Considerations” and “Emotional Considerations.”

Things can just happen and that is the theme of “Chapter Twelve: Accidents and Surgeries.”  Soft tissue injuries, fractures, knee replacement, and abdominal surgery, are covered here.

Chapters Thirteen through Twenty-Three (pages 94-154) go through various specific diseases and their unique situations. Whether it be Cancer (Chapter 14, pages 99-104), Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (Chapter 17, pages 115-123), Kidney Disease (Chapter twenty-One, pages 140-145) and others are covered here. Like the other chapters the information presented is of a general nature giving readers a wide overview of the situation.

“Chapter Twenty-Four: Transition from Hospital to Home” returns to the early pages of the book by outlining 7 steps to make things as successful as possible. Communication with everyone, preparing your home, having medical equipment delivered, etc., are just a few of the helpful suggestions in this chapter.

“Chapter Twenty-Five: Summary” is a two page chapter that follows with a strong point made throughout the book. The home care giver must take some time for him or her. Taking care of yourself is vitally important and some suggestions as to how to do so are included here. As this reviewer well knows from direct personal experience on multiple occasions, this is way easier said than done. But, vitally important, especially in long term situations.

The book closes with a one page ad for the company that had the book published and brief bios of the three company members who wrote this book. There are also six blank pages for “Notes” at the very end.

Written in very general terms From Hospital to Home Care: A Step by Step Guide to Providing Care to Patients Post Hospitalization prepares those who have never gone through any situation like this for what will happen when it is time to discharge the patient who still needs help.  Chapters are short and general in nature designed for readers who have never been through any of this experience. Readers who have a need for deeper knowledge will need to look elsewhere.

From Hospital to Home Care: A Step by Step Guide to Providing Care to Patients Post Hospitalization

Kathy N. Johnson, James H. Johnson, and Lily Sarafan

Home Care Assistance, Inc. (Home Care Press)

http://www.hospitaltohomecare.com

January 2012

ISBN# 978-1-4675-0180-4

Paperback (also available as e-book)

166 Pages

$17.95

Material supplied by the publisher in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2012

Author of the e-book short story collection Mind Slices available at Amazon and Smashwords in a variety of formats. Contributor to the Carpathian Shadows, Volume II anthology available in print and e-book.