Howard Update 3/17

By Kevin, based on conversation with Pat (any errors are mine)

Friday night (3/15) about 9 pm Pat had a call from Dad's assisted living center (El Cerrito Royale) that Dad had fallen. He was found on the floor on his hands and knees during a regular check (about every 2 hours). He had been put to bed earlier. Royale called the hospice nurse center, and a hospice nurse would be visiting Saturday morning. Pat, Karen, and Fiona planned to visit Dad around noon on Saturday and take Dad to lunch.

Pat and company arrived around 11:30 to find Dad having lunch sitting in his wheelchair, though Pat had called to say he was taking Dad to lunch. Dad was using his left hand to eat, and complained about his right shoulder hurting, so he must have fallen on his right shoulder. The hospice nurse hadn't arrived.

They asked him if he wanted to go out to lunch at the nearby Mexican restaurant, and Dad said why not. They told Royale they would be gone for about an hour. They asked Dad if he wanted the walker or wheelchair, and he said the wheelchair. But when they tried to get Dad from the wheelchair to the car, Dad couldn't get up and pull himself into the car. When Pat and Karen tried to help, Dad said his shoulder was hurting. They all agreed to walk to the restaurant with Dad in his wheelchair.

At the restaurant, Dad couldn't decide what to order so Pat ordered nachos for him. Before the nachos arrived, Dad said to Fiona, "You know, this is Japanese food." Pat was able to get Dad to eat a couple of bites of nachos, but Dad said that he just didn't have any appetite. Fiona told Dad about school and the family's upcoming trip to Japan. Dad didn't ask any questions. He couldn't hold a conversation though they all tried to talk with him.

When they got back to Dad's room, Dad asked Pat if this was his home. Pat said yes, this is where is staying. Dad said that was good to know, as though it was something he had been thinking about, and just remembered to ask. Pat asked Dad if he wanted to go to the house, and Dad said no.

Back at Dad's room, Pat fixed the TV which wasn't playing sound, and had frozen images. After more work, he was able to get subtitles working, so Dad could watch a movie while they took his hearing aids to Costco to be cleaned. Pat was able to get one working, but not the other. I had called Costco earlier in the week and was told we could bring the hearing aids in for cleaning any time without an appointment, and that Dad didn't need to be there. But when Pat, Karen, and Fiona arrived at Costco, they were asked if they had an appointment, and told they couldn't have the hearing aids cleaned. I will try to have them cleaned next weekend.

Back at Dad's room, the hospice nurse arrived (not Dad's regular hospice nurse), and examined Dad. She couldn't find any broken bones on his hands or arms or bruises on his arm or shoulder or cuts or bruises on his knees, but did notice that his right shoulder was painful. She recommended just anti-inflammatory medication. Her records showed that Dad was only getting one dose of morphine, but the regular hospice nurse had told us he was getting a second dose. She didn't recommend him getting more since it would make him groggy.

Pat, Karen, and Fiona needed to leave, so they said goodbye to Dad.