Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2007. That weekend we took Mattie to Glen Echo Park in Maryland. I loved this park because they had this old world Dentzel carousel and theatres for children. Mattie loved the puppet theatre, which used marionettes. It was a great company and Mattie loved every show he ever saw there! I will never forget this children's theatre, mainly because it had NO seats. The children sat in the center of the room on the floor and the adults sat on a step around the periphery of the room. Typically this set up would be bad for Mattie's sensory issues, but he really wanted to be there and see the show. So miraculously he would sit still and would not be troubled by all the kids around him.
Quote of the day: Sometimes, only one person is missing, and the whole world seems depopulated. ~ Alphonse de Lamartine
This morning, I drove my parents to the hospital, so my dad could attend his physical therapy session. I have been so impressed with my dad's therapy team, unlike the team who is working with my mom (at a different hospital). I have been so impressed with my dad's OT, Speech therapist, and PT, that I wrote the letter below last evening and sent it to the directors of the outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Here it is.............................................................
Dear Sandy and Elaine,
In December of 2021, I moved my 86-year-old parents from Los Angeles, CA to Oakton, VA. They both live with me, and I am their full-time caregiver. My life has changed dramatically as managing their daily needs is a full-time job. Both of my parents struggle with dementia and physical issues that impact their ability to function independently.
My dad was introduced to your Center in March of 2022. He was admitted through the ER, with a second-degree heart block, requiring the placement of a pacemaker. This admission was a big physical setback for him, which landed him in the hospital's acute rehab program for a week. It was through this program we met Dr. A, who then introduced us to your outpatient services.
I am writing to you to let you know how impressed I am with your outpatient rehabilitation department. My dad has experienced OT (with Christine and Elyse), Speech (with Maria), and PT (with Cassidy and Laura). Each of these women have been incredibly helpful and what stands out to me is the curtesy, inclusion, and professionalism these therapists have for the family caregiver. I always feel like my voice is heard and that I am valued as part of the team. I can speak with great confidence about this because when I compare my dad’s PT sessions to my mom’s (which are received at a different hospital) it is a night and day experience.
I am grateful for the whole team approach with my dad, because he needs a lot of support as we try to improve his posture, strength, and develop cognitive strategies. It brings me great peace of mind knowing that your department is a resource for me and my family, and I have witnessed great improvements with my dad thanks to the dedication of your staff.
I wanted to specifically call out our connection with Cassidy. I first met Cassidy while in the therapy room. She was working with a different patient while my dad was working with Elyse. At the time, Elyse asked me when my dad would be starting PT and I mentioned his first appointment would be in August with Cassidy. Elyse pointed Cassidy out to us in the room. What I immediately noticed about Cassidy was she was working with a difficult patient. A patient who was saying inappropriate things to her and trying to distract her from the goal of her work. The patient was relentless. I felt uncomfortable for Cassidy, but knew it was not my place to intercede. What impressed me was she remained professional, did not seem flustered by his behavior, and continued to provide him quality care throughout the entire session. Given my own professional background, I absorb a great deal about people through observation and their actions. So, I felt a level of respect for Cassidy even before personally working with her.
Moving forward to August 2022, when my dad had his first PT evaluation with Cassidy, I would say that her presence, energy, and passion for what she does comes shining through. She exudes positivity and her can do attitude inspires her patients and gives hope to their caregivers.
With each session, Cassidy greets us and does a check in. Specifically, she asks my dad and me about anything new to share or whether there are issues we feel she needs to work on. This may seem trivial, but I think it is a crucial part of the therapy process. My dad has moderate stage dementia and cannot recall anything from one minute to the next, therefore for the sessions to be productive and for exercises to be effectively done at home, I need to be involved. Cassidy has understood this right from the beginning, and she is also sensitive to not overloading me with too many exercises, which would make my daily caregiving routine overwhelming.
Our experiences with Cassidy have been so positive that I am hoping to transfer my mom from her current physical therapy facility to yours. I have seen a lack of progress within my mom’s therapy sessions, and I am hoping with her upcoming neurology appointment that another script for PT will be forthcoming and that I can transfer my mom’s care to your facility, specifically to work with Cassidy. If you can provide me with any insights or guidance on how to make this happen more efficiently, I would appreciate the assistance. I feel like my mom is a fall risk and her current therapy facility is not taking this problem seriously nor providing me with strategies to help her.
Thank you for taking the time to read about my experiences and for allowing me the opportunity to share my reflections on your therapy team. I think Cassidy, Laura, Christine, Elyse, and Maria represent your hospital beautifully.
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The directors of the clinic were thankful for my letter and called me immediately yesterday. I then scheduled a meeting while my dad was in therapy today, so I could meet with the director and find out how to transfer my mom's care to her clinic. The director was very helpful! She let me know that Medicare no longer has a cap on the number of PT, OT, or speech therapy sessions a patient qualifies for. The only thing that matters now is that there is medical necessity and the patient is deemed to be making progress. If progress is observed then a patient can re-qualify for more services. Which is why my dad has been in therapy at this clinic for five months so far! This was extremely helpful information, because my mom's therapist keeps talking about the fact that my mom won't qualify for more services, because she has met the cap. Needless to say, I am working now on getting one of my mom's doctors to write a script for PT. The director told me that a diagnosis is NOT needed (as my mom's therapist said!), all that is needed is a stated need, like gait instability! I am very grateful I reached out to this director, because I know with healthcare, you have to understand the system, so that you can get the system to effectively meet your care needs!
After therapy, I took my dad back to the hospital atrium and met up with my mom. She was sitting, having tea and listening to the live piano music. We have gotten to know the atrium greeter, Gwendolyn. Each time we visit, we say hi to her and today she came over to us and she said that I am doing a great job. She said that my parents always look wonderful. Meaning that they look clean and put together. It was very nice of her to give me this feedback because I work around the clock to manage their care, without much regard for myself.
Before leaving the hospital to take my parents to lunch, my mom and I went to use the restroom. I left my dad in the atrium at the table my mom was sitting at. Given he isn't mobile and has no interest in moving, I never fear he will wander. However, after I got my parents in the car, my dad proceeded to tell me that he recognized someone in the lobby, sitting right next to him. My dad said he leaned over to say hello twice, but the man did not respond. My dad's interpretation was that this man/friend blew him off! My dad was angry! It never crossed his mind that he really did not know this person and was confused. This level of confusion was a new one for my dad. I saw the man sitting next to my parents and I did not know or recognize him. But this man may attend or work at my dad's memory care center. It is possible, but highly unlikely. I then asked my dad why he did not just say... you look familiar to me. Do we know each other? I told him typically talking to strangers is a bad plan, but in the hospital atrium, I feel this is a safe space. I tried to rationalize with my dad twice and then dropped it
When we finally got home, I tried to catch up on things all around me. I had just settled at my desk to return emails, when I heard arguing. My mom came downstairs and found that Peter and my dad were watching the Carol Burnett show together. I have tried to record fun shows for my dad because more complex shows are hard for him to follow. He and Peter were enjoying the show until my mom walked in and started screaming. She did not like that show and did not want to hear it. Rationally we have many TVs in the house, if you don't like something, go watch something else in another room. But my mom can be incredibly difficult, bordering on toxic at times. Peter left the room upset, and I shut off Carol Burnett and turned on what she wanted to see. She has no regard for any one else's needs or issues and dealing with this behavior 24/7 takes its toll. Which maybe why I couldn't fall asleep last night. I was up until 2:30am, feeling stressed out, and anxious.
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