OT October Chit Chat

[Sunshine]

Nuthatch, that is truly a cautionary tale about hospitals and the elderly. When my MIL was in hospital at @85, with kidney failure among other things, doc said it wasn't a bad way to go and told her that as well. My DH asked what intervention was possible and opted for it. Her kidney failure resolved. She peeked up when DH told her there were options for intervention.

Then there was the time staff forgot to put her into meal computer. We didn't know she had no meals. We worked and visited her in the evenings. She finally asked us, "what do u have to do to get a meal around here." , which is how we discovered the problem. She had mild dementia which may have accounted for her not complaining to us sooner.

[Virginia]

Thanks Nuthatch and BBS for the input re hospitals. I will try to clue family in when I hear from someone. I don't know what is taking place today. I figure they will not call until they know something.

[Jeanie Z]

:) I do not like the way hospitals are today. When I was nursing they were much more hands on and less dismal. Virginia I hope Grayson's grandma is better. Unnecessary tests were not done just to get more money. They jerked Jamie around every time she was in the hospital. Her bills were astronomical.

I read all the posts but can't remember what I wanted to respond to. AT&T is coming today to change my modem and it will give me better internet and for less money.

I only ever had one MRI and that was in 1987. I have refused any more. Because I had cancer three times with cobalt treatments, chemo, and radiation I don't want any,more things that damage my immune system.

I do everything I can to improve my immune system as I believe our immune systems are not strong enough to protect our myelin. I have been on LDN since 2000 and it boosts my immune system.

I think today is my friend's eye doctor appointment and I hope she gets the okay to have the Hoveround I got her. Jeanie :)

[agate]

The importance of sleeping well and enough becomes clear to me every time I don't sleep well.

Today I'm staggering around, bumbling and dropping things, because last night I slept badly. The power went out at midnight, just as I was about to go to sleep, and stayed off for nearly 9 hours. All night I was getting colder and colder and kept waking up.

At least I had my Talking Books player running on its battery and could listen to a book instead of getting all bothered about the power. I worry about how cold it might get and whether my food will need replacing.

The outage was at the same location as the last one a couple of months ago. That one was 12 hours.

At least my 94-year-old neighbor is in a rehab center at the moment and I hope the staff will be tending to her.

Just yesterday afternoon we'd had the monthly residents' meeting with a demonstration of what is in an emergency kit that is stored in the office: hand warmers, flashlights, bandages, etc.

A leaflet was distributed about emergency preparedness, listing supplies you have to have. I have all of them except for the recommended deck of cards. I'll have to supply myself with that.

The catch with the emergency kit stored in the office is that the office isn't open 2/3 of the time, and we'd have to break a window and reach down for the (heavy) emergency kit, but we can't do that because the window glass has chicken wire built into it so it can't be broken.

It was a nice thought.

[Virginia]

Agate, I have bad sleep problems and can really tell a difference. So I can relate to what you are saying about staggering around and not doing well today. I hope all your food was alright.

I have been taking care of calls and things today that I have put off for ages. I feel better that some of these things have been taken care of.

Where is Howie?

[Howie]

Where is Howie? As usual when I eat my pasta, a nap is soon to follow. I was awakened a while ago by a guy that was a neighbor, he got married, and moved. But they just dropped by for a little while.

When they left, Sam slipped out the door, so I have to keep checking when the little princess is ready to come back in.

[agate]

Glad you surfaced and nobody had to go looking into places like that nifty red car, where you might have been asleep.

[Jeanie Z]

:) Well I had looked at my calendar wrong and the AT&T is next Wednesday. So I took Lacy to get her nails done. I got dressed for nothing. Tomorrow is going to be a PJ day. Memory is not great. I think not sleeping good has an effect on it. Jeanie :)

[Howie]

I'll bet you could sleep well in a car of that era. BIG was the order of the day. And such heavy gauge steel.

Now the steel is so thin to make it light, you can dent it with your fist.

[Sunshine]

Yeah. I have so many doc appointments etc that I would be lost without my Month at a glance paper pocket calendar.

[Sunshine]

What's the cause of your power outage agate?

Are you allowed to store your kit in your room?

[Howie]

BBS, I have a laptop, and mark any and everything that is coming up for me to do for that month on the calendar. Things like doctor visits, but I have none until next year. I'm pretty healthy for a sick person!

[agate]

What's the cause of your power outage agate?

Are you allowed to store your kit in your room?

It was apparently a downed power line--at the same location where the last power outage was, the one that went on for 12 hours.

The kit I mentioned is for the whole building. It's the office's kit and is stored in the office. The residents are encouraged to develop their own kits. I have a first aid kit but it's small. This office kit is gigantic, an enormous toolbox containing, among other things, a blanket and ponchos. But since we can't get at it 2/3 of the time, it's of limited usefulness.

[Howie]

I was in an apartment once, and no power for days due to a snow and ice storm. There was a short hallway in front of the bathroom, so I used pushpins and blankets to cut that hallway off from the rest of the apartment.

I burned candles for heat and light. I always keep lots of candles. I decided early on, I was going to stay put until the power came back on. It was sort of a fun challenge, Howie against the winter weather.

[agate]

I used to burn candles and still have my supply of them but now "they" are saying not to use them--too much of a fire hazard. You tip one over and you easily have a problem.

Also, they get used up fast and aren't cheap....