Oh how things can change. Yesterday I stated "we're okay" that was before I knew what the day held. Usually on Monday morning I wait until about 9am to go checkin with dad. A bit after 8 a friend texted to say she'd been talking with him and he was having a rough morning. He'd spilled his coffee and then his water and trying to clean up was exhausting him. When asked he couldn't remember if I was planning on seeing him or not. I gather myself and headed down. When I got there he was in his recliner with his O2 on and was visibly worn out. When I went through the usual routine prepping morphine sryinges, etc. I noticed he'd not taken his breakfast time meds. I took them to him and he said he wasn't taking those anymore as he didn't want to go through another morning like the one he was. He knew that's not what I wanted to hear but he just wanted it to be over. I reminded him that the meds he was taking were intended to keep him comfortable not alive. He aquiesced and took them. He asked if he could have something to drink. I gave him some cranberry juice. That was when it became obvious something more was going askew. Most of what he tried to drink dribbled back out and done the front of him. He got upset but I assured him we could clean that up and he promptly spilled a bottle of water. He speech became slurred, the left side of his mouth didn't move in concert with the right and his coordination was obviously off. Because he is under hospice care there are some constraints on simply calling EMS in an emergency. I made the first call to Hospice and explained what was going on and asked for a nurse visit. I went and explained to dad what I'd done. His speech was now nearly incomprehensible. I knew there was a problem. I asked dad if I called EMS and they thought he should go to hospital would he go. He said yes. I called Hospice again and told them his condition was worsening. A nurse couldn't reach us for nearly an hour. I told them in that case I was calling EMS. I was told okay and to call back once we knew more. I made the call. Meanwhile a neighbor arrived to see if she could help and the delvery for dad's first day of Meals on Wheels came. The ambulance arrived, they made their assessment and off dad went to the hospital. To complicate the issue I could not go along because I needed to take mum to the local retina specialist for injections in both eyes. Her injections are routine and can be adjusted slightly but because of us travelling next week and the doctor's schedule had to happen yesterday. Because she is dilated she is left highly visibly impaired. Fortunately the friend who texted me at the start of all this was able to meet dad in the ER. She was already at the hospital because her husband had a micro stroke the day before. I got a call after a neurologist examined dad in the ER. Tests show a small area in the right side of his brain that would correspond with his symptoms. Because of circumstances dad could not safely come home. It was decide to admit him until a safe treatment plan could be developed. Now the complications of hospice care came into play. If dad was admitted to hospital we would need to revoke the care agreement with Hospice. Leaving him without support as well as ending all the efforts they'd begun to find dad a placement in a senior care facility. I wanted to cry. Mum and I were leaving in 10 days and suddenly things went from complicated to disasterous. Time to go to the eye doctor. In route I got two phone calls. The first from a Hospice caseworker telling me they were working on transferring dad from the ER into emergency Respite care at the Hospice facility. They were midway thorough the approval process. If approved dad would stay there until a placement could be found. The second was the hospital pharmacy asking if I could confirm dad's meds. Apparently EMS kept the med list I'd sent along. I explained I was actually driving (I have bluetooth so hands free) and that things were in the works to move dad. I would call her later if that did not happen. We arrived at the retina specialist and mum was checked in. I worked on completing a generic placement application. My phone buzzed in my pocket (I try to be considerate in waiting rooms, etc. by turning the volume down) it was the caseworker. I told mum I'd be right back and slipped out to return her call. Approval was given to transfer dad. There was a form I needed to sigh. We could do it via email. Back to the waitingroom to wait for the email. Mum had been collected and was in the examroom. In I went, all went well. The form came I signed and returned it. By early evening dad was comfortably settled in a room at the Hospice facility. Meanwhile I'd gone to his house collected all his meds some pj's and some other things. Settled the house. Before mum and I went to see him. The day ended when we returned home just before 8pm and I had breakfast.
We're okay.
