April 29 Visit - Minor problems resolved

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Today was a routine visit, but I found a few minor issues to address. Lillian was expecting me when I arrived and she gave me an update on Michelle. Michelle's hip surgery was successful and she will be discharged from the hospital Thursday or Friday this week. Michelle will do rehab here at Jefferson Creek, which is nice because Lillian will be able to visit her easily.

We looked through the mail and I found a bill for the cardiology appointment last month. I think Retta gets the notices from these online, but nevertheless, I put the bill aside. Retta, please let me know if you would like me to mail it to you. I can send it to you at our next meeting.

We hadn't spent any time on her calendar/date book lately so we took a look through it. I noticed that there was no book club meeting on the calendar in May or June. She said that she's missed the last meeting because it wasn't on her calendar. We added it for May, June, and July.

Next, I noticed there were more dishes in the sink than usual. Lillian said the dishwasher wasn't working, and she keeps forgetting to call in a work request. I took a closer look at the dishwasher - the child lock-out was set. I unlocked it and did a trial start of the dishwasher. Sure enough, it worked!  Funny how such a simple thing can become an obstacle! We loaded the dishwasher and got it started. I wrote down dishwasher detergent on her grocery list.

We did a quick review of her pill box and all looked good. Our visit time sped by this week!

Our next visit will be next Wednesday May 6 at the usual time.

April 22: Visiting at the Hospital

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Yesterday, Lillian called me and explained that her friend from Jefferson Creek, Michelle, had had a fall and was at the hospital. She asked if we could use our visit to to go visit Michelle. Since we had nothing else planned for today, I agreed.

Picked up Lillian at about 1:00pm at her apartment. Before we left, I did a quick look through the mail and checked her hearing aids. Then I drove over to the hospital. On the way in, we stopped at the gift shop and Lillian purchased a card and a small flower arrangement for Michelle. We asked at the hospital information desk where Michelle was staying and they let us know the room number and gave us directions.

When we arrived, Michelle was in bed watching television. I did not participate much in the visit, since I had only met Michelle briefly once before.  Nevertheless, it's good I was there with Lillian (and she didn't try to drive by herself) because the hospital is so busy and confusing to navigate, and the parking is really a challenge.

We stayed for about 20 minutes. Michelle had some pain and she seemed to tire quickly. We found our way back to the car, and headed for home. Lillian was upset at seeing Michelle in the hospital, and I assured her that the visit was a kind and thoughtful thing to do, even if it was short.

I walked Lillian back to her apartment because she still seemed a little distracted and upset. I asked if she wanted to talk about it more, but she said she didn't.

This visit was a little longer than usual, and Lillian paid cash for the (nominal) parking fee at the hospital. Our next scheduled visit is next Wednesday, April 29.

April 15: Tax Day visit

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Even though it's tax day, we didn't do anything tax related!  Today was a typical visit, no urgent needs or things to be addressed right away.

When I arrived we sat down to go through the mail. The pile was relatively small and there wasn't anything unexpected in the mail.  Next, I took a look at Lillian's pill box and checked the compartments. Everything looked fine - that she had taken the expected pills up until today and the compartments for the rest of this week had the expected pills in them.

It was such a nice day today that we decided to take a walk outside. Spring is certainly underway! We walked all the way around the pond on the property, and stopped to watch the ducks and ducklings. Lillian told me a story about reading the children's book "Make Way for Ducklings" to Kathy's kindergarten class many years ago as a part of a parent reading program in the school. She said ducklings always make her think of that book!

We walked for about 30 minutes and she kept a good pace. By the time we returned to the apartment, we were both quite warm. She sat down at the kitchen table and I got her a glass of water before I left.

I will visit again next week on Wednesday, April 22.

April 8: Visit at home after spring break

Reminder: This website is a demo and does not contain real information about Care is There clients or situations. Please see the About this site... page for more information. 

It was so nice to see Lillian after spring break!  She looked well and happy, and she was excited to tell me about her vacation with Retta's family last week. When I asked about her birthday last Saturday, she said that they had a special dinner and a homemade cake - chocolate cake with white frosting, her favorite!  She said that Chelsea and Megan had baked it for her.

First, I checked her hearing aids, and we cleaned them up and put in new batteries.

There was a pile of mail on the desk; much of it had accumulated from last week. We looked through everything and threw most of it away. There was a renewal notice for Ladies Home Journal, and I asked if she wanted to continue it. She said she didn't read it any more, so we threw the notice away. She also received a co-payment bill for the ER visit charges from back in February. Boy, that seems like a long time ago! We tucked it in another envelope to mail to Retta to pay.

Since there was nothing else that needed to be addressed immediately at the apartment, we took the ER bill down to the front desk and put it in the mailbox. While we were there, we stopped in the little library. Lillian spotted a new Kellerman mystery novel and signed it out. Then we met Alma in the hallway and visited with her for a little while. My hour visit was just about up, so I left Lillian visiting with Alma in the library. Before I left I made sure she had her apartment key with her.

I will see her next week on tax day, April 15.

March 25: Scheduled visit - Packing

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I visited Lillian yesterday at our scheduled time. She looked good and was excited to tell me about her upcoming trip with Retta's family. Next week is spring break and the family is going to the North Carolina Outer Banks beach for a week's vacation. On the drive from Alexandria, Retta and family will pick up Lillian.

First, we went through the mail as usual, and found no unusual letters or bills. Since Lillian will be gone for a week, we used my computer to put in a mail hold with the post office. Mail service will resume automatically on Monday, April 6.

Next, I asked Lillian if we should start packing for her trip. At first, she said she didn't want to, but then I asked if we could get her suitcase, at least. She thought that would be a good idea. We went to the storage area in the basement but, whoops, forgot the key for her locker! Back to the apartment. We found it in the kitchen junk drawer. It was unlabeled; we went ahead and put a simple label on it (using a slip of paper and some scotch tape).

We brought the larger suitcase upstairs and gave it a quick wipe down (dusty!). There wasn't a lot of time to pack, but we picked out a few warm weather clothes, sunscreen, and her sun hat. This will help her get ready to go on Saturday.

It sounds like it will be a wonderful getaway for the family! I will see Lillian again on Wednesday, April 8 for our next scheduled visit. I am looking forward to hearing all of the stories!

Tuesday March 17: Cardiology and "Selfie!"

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This week, Lillian and I had a scheduled cardiology appointment with Dr. W. I gave Lillian a call to remind her in the morning, and when I picked her up, she was ready. She even had her care notebook with her!  We had a few extra minutes before we had to go, and we checked her hearing aids. They looked good (she was wearing both of them!) and we put in fresh batteries.

We arrived at the cardiology office and checked in. No new paperwork to fill out. In short order, we were in the examining room and since it was a simple check up after a medication change, I stayed in the room with her. Lillian has lost 2 lbs. and her blood pressure is lower. We talked with the nurse about the Emergency Room visit in February.

When Dr. W. came in, he asked about any more symptoms, and Lillian said she hasn't felt light-headed or faint since that one day. Dr. W. was pleased with the lowered blood pressure, said he was sorry that she had the problem with the Toprol. He said that that kind of problem is not unusual, but Lillian was also dehydrated. That probably made her symptoms worse on that day.

Lillian scheduled another follow up appointment in 12 weeks, on June 2.  There were no medication changes from today's visit.

The appointment was pretty short, and we felt like celebrating the good results. We stopped on the way home at the Caribou Coffee. While there, we noticed some young ladies talking and laughing with each other. Lillian noticed they were taking pictures of themselves with their phones. It inspired us to do the same! Here we are, on a bright sunny afternoon at the coffee house!

We headed for home. I accompanied Lillian back to her apartment and returned the care notebook. I also wrote the June cardiology appointment in her calendar.

Lillian says that she is spending the week after Easter with Retta's family because it's also spring break. Looks like we'll cancel our planned visit in 2 weeks.

We will meet as usual next week, on Wednesday, March 25.

March 11: Visit at apartment - New Clothes!

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I arrived for our scheduled visit with Lillian this morning and all was well. We did our usual hearing aid check and review the mail. I noticed a large unopened box by the desk from LL Bean in the kitchen. Lillian said that sometimes Retta orders clothes for her and she thought that's what it was. She doesn't remember what day it arrived.

We opened the box and found several items. On the invoice, we could see that Retta did order it.

So we had a little "fashion show" at the apartment trying on clothes. There were two short sleeve pullover tops, a pair of canvas espadrille shoes in navy blue, a cream-color cardigan sweater, a nicer spring blouse (like for church), and two pairs of light fabric slacks with elastic waists. The items matched the invoice exactly.

Retta must know Lillian's style and size well! Everything fit nicely.

We clipped off the tags and put the clothes in the hamper. Lillian said she prefers to wash new clothes before wearing them. We put the shoes in her closet (no washing necessary).

I asked if she thought there were any other clothes she might need (underwear, hose, socks, etc.) she said no, but I did a quick closet and dresser check, just in case. At least for underwear and hose, she seems to have enough but I didn't look too closely at their condition. Maybe next time Retta is in town, she can check them and take her shopping. Underwear is something that maybe is better shopped for in person!

If you would prefer we take care of it, I'd be happy to arrange a shopping trip with her.

I noticed her swimsuits that she uses for water aerobics. One of them is looking a little thin and it has lost some elasticity. That might be a good item to replace, in your next order.

Finally, I reminded Lillian that our next visit is on Tuesday (3/17) next week, when we go to the Cardiologist for a check up. I will call her that morning to remind her.