Out of the blue, I got a call from Dad this morning, on the phone in his room. He's had a room phone in all of his facilities since the stroke, but this is the first time he's used one. We talked for 20-25 minutes. It was a slow conversation, but a long one, and notable that he did it on his own, without assistance.
I asked Dad about being able to answer the room phone; I think he said that he could, but I'm going to test that (and his cell phone), before announcing that he'd like to receive a lot of calls.
This morning a friend sent me some questions about Dad that you might also have. And as he might be calling you next, I thought I'd share some answers.
Q: How aware is your dad of what has happened; what his condition is?
A: Pretty aware. He certainly knows that he's had a stroke and how it's affected him. One disconnect is that he wants to "go home". If someone talks with him about specific tasks that he finds challenging (eg, getting around a room), he will acknowledge the challenges and that they would be obstacles to going home. But when they try to put it all together, he still wants to and thinks that he can go home. According to his last speech therapist, a reasoning breakdown like this is more likely to be a consequence of the damage to his right frontal lobe than inherent stubbornness. He also seems to forget that he is in Dallas. (Admittedly, there aren't a lot of visual cues - no life-sized JR Ewing cut-outs - inside his room.)
Q: How aware is he of the pandemic?
A: Not sure. I've mentioned it on the phone and in writing. I've not wanted to dwell on it, but a) I want him why no one has come to see him in almost two months, and b) it's kinda hard to talk about our lives without mentioning it. He has expressed no curiosity about it and has never brought it up on his own.
A: Not sure. I've mentioned it on the phone and in writing. I've not wanted to dwell on it, but a) I want him why no one has come to see him in almost two months, and b) it's kinda hard to talk about our lives without mentioning it. He has expressed no curiosity about it and has never brought it up on his own.
Q: Is he able to read/comprehend a lengthier note (a typed letter...and should it be in larger print if he is?)
A: Yes, he can understand longer letters. My notes to him have typically been 1 to 1-1/2 pages, and by all accounts he's read and understood them. Typed is probably better than hand-written, unless your handwriting is much better than mine. But I'm just using 12-point font, nothing wildly big. And way back in March, when he started reading The Hobbit, that was an old edition with little print, so I don't think the visual part of reading is a challenge.
A: Yes, he can understand longer letters. My notes to him have typically been 1 to 1-1/2 pages, and by all accounts he's read and understood them. Typed is probably better than hand-written, unless your handwriting is much better than mine. But I'm just using 12-point font, nothing wildly big. And way back in March, when he started reading The Hobbit, that was an old edition with little print, so I don't think the visual part of reading is a challenge.
No comments:
Post a Comment