Going the Extra Mile

Today mom had Physical Therapy* - and she hates it!  Anything that requires effort - physical effort especially - she does NOT like.  I have all her exercises and I try to do them with her, but it has become a battle I just can't fight anymore.  It makes her angry.  It ruins her day, her appetite, her sleep and her routine.

Doing PT with someone else works out much better.  Mom will always be civil when there are strangers around.  If I can get her prepared, say the right things and get the visit off on the right foot - she is polite to a fault.  It's nice.  I think it's nice for her too.  She likes the attention.  She likes the "conversation" if you can call it that.

Today's conversational theme has been "How did I end up here?".  It started almost as soon as she opened her eyes and has carried through the entire day.  No matter how in depth the answer or how flippant - we even got out pictures to illustrate the point - she just can't get off that one question.

Anyway, today she had PT with Monica.  I adore Monica.  Monica knows how to handle mom.  When she is here - the exercises get done.  She can even get mom to leave the house to walk!  She's braver than I am - I am always afraid mom is going to shoot down the driveway and fall because it's so steep.  Not Monica - she has mom hold her hand brakes, grabs her by the back of her britches and off they go!  Monica rocks!

So Monica came and mom transferred her question from me ("How did I end up here/at this place?") to Monica.  "I wish I could figure out how I got here and when are they going to take me back?"

Obviously, Monica said "back where?" and they were off.  Mom told her where she was from, so M looked it up on her iPad and asked mom questions or told mom fun facts about her home town while mom "bicylcled".  Mom switched up the story somewhere in the middle of her exercises and started talking about Ohio and off M went again - time to look up fun OH facts. Mom really enjoyed this.  I guess I should have known - I keep mom's hometown on my phone's weather widget so I can tell her how the weather is where she was born.  She always gets a kick out of it.  She did her exercises without complaint.

After her "laps", mom needed a rest, so Monica got out the pictures that we had been looking at and started asking mom questions and complimenting her on how pretty her home was or her outfit or her hair.  It was all a clever way to give mom time to rest before her last series of exercises - but she enjoyed herself so much.

She didn't have to do that.  She never does, and yet - she is always prepared, friendly, motivating, smiling and professional.  How lucky we are that we found her.  How lucky we are that we know to request her when it's time for PT.  How lucky!

*my aside about physical therapy for Medicare patients is this (warning - this is me venting!):  It is crap that they won't fund Physical and/or Speech Therapy once they deem the patient has "plateaued".  ALZ patients, by definition, can't improve, particularly in Speech Therapy - they have limitations on what they can remember - but that doesn't mean the exercises aren't making them function better.  Mom is 86 and uses a walker - she is going to plateau quicker than a lot of people physically.  BUT - the therapy makes a difference - a BIG difference.   In her attitude.  In her overall health.  Making it less likely that she will fall or get so winded so quickly.  So after 8 weeks of great therapy, we have to let it go until mom falls or feels a new ache or pain.  Forget about Speech Therapy - it helped her most of all, but there is no shot at getting recertified the way the rules are written.  We have to go backwards to get the therapy she needs.  There are so many rules.  And it seems like they have been put in place to keep people from taking advantage of something (I have no idea what) instead of putting rules in place that show understanding of the disease and the patient and their needs.  Like I said - I think it 's a bunch of crap.  Sorry for the rant but thanks for listening!