Monday, July 9, 2007

More questions from Cathy; more answers from Doug

Cathy, and everyone else,
I offered to Bri to move to a single room but she declined. I didn't have Blue Moon, not even dinner. I just vegged and answered the phone.
Yes, I met with the social worker this morning and suggested McAuley Manor and Wellsville Manor; she's just starting the application process to places near home, and I signed the authorization for her to do so. I gave her info. about our ambulance so they can be lined up to take Dad home when he's ready.
Carol and Barb came late morning, so we've split up the time with Dad and we had lunch together.
When I called Jeanette she told me she was taking Ian and Rein to James St. Park in Hornell and a deer jumped out in front of her. She had a garage check the car, filed the police report, took the boys to the pool, went to State Farm and filed a claim, and then went to Maple City Garage for an estimate. I don't blame her for saying "if one more bad thing happens, I'm going to lose it".
We consulted with Dr. Suresh Vemula who took over Dad's case from Dr. Priya Joseph, and he spoke of Dad's heart condition and how they can't really fix that, so we can try to help him get some strength back and have some good days, but not expect a lot. He told us how he's trying to balance all the medicines to minimize all of Dad's complicated problems, but feels he's 85 to 90 percent ready to move to a rehabilitation facility. So it could be in only a day or two.
Carol wondered about in-home hospice, so I tried to contact Mary Gardner at Allegany County Office for the Aging, but she's not in the office today.
Jeanette is feeling like we can't take care of Dad, so maybe he was more right-on about a nursing home than I realized. I don't know how we'd pay for that, even with help, however. I am not yet sure how we're going to handle the expenses from the two hospitalizations, as it is. I would like to have the stocks be an interest-earning principal against which money can be borrowed for family and house (33) contingencies, etc.
I just had dinner with Barb and Carol. Barb thinks that if we apply for in-home hospice, they take Medicare as paid in full, and that they don't look at asset transfers retroactive 3 years if you go for nursing home care. So maybe we can work something out.
Anyway, I'll deal with today's troubles before I try to deal with all of tomorrow's.

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