April 20, 2003: Visiting My Mom at The Bentley

I have come over to The Bentley to visit with Mom today, and have taken a couple of pictures.

The first one, at left, shows her with her tablemates at lunch.

The second one, at right, shows her coming down the hall after lunch using her walker.

July 14, 2003: Visiting My Mom at The Bentley

As I often do when I am in town, I have come over to The Bentley to be with Mom at lunchtime. It was a pretty normal day, so I didn't take any pictures in the dining room, but I did want to capture the current state of Mom's apartment.

The first picture I took looks from the living room into the bedroom, and the second is of the living room and the door to the patio.

My Mom came out of the bedroom with her walker, carrying her purse and her bingo cards (see picture at right), and we headed on down to lunch. Just before leaving the apartment, I took one more picture of Mom in her apartment.

August 16, 2003: A Luau at The Bentley

Today, the residents are being treated to a luau, and everyone has been given some fake flowers to wear in one way or another, and they have all been encouraged to dress brightly. Mom has certainly done so, as the four pictures I took of her today will attest. To see the full-size images, just click on the thumbnails below:

(Click on Thumbnails to View)

August 30, 2003: Lunch with My Mom at The Bentley

As Fred and I often do on weekends, we have stopped by to see Mom at lunchtime at The Bentley, planning to go get our own lunch and see a movie in the afternoon.

There was nothing particular going on, but I did get one picture of my mom waiting to go down to lunch, and that is the picture that you can see at left.

October 8-12, 2003: Mom's Stay in RHD Memorial Hospital

On Wednesday morning, October 8, I got a call from The Bentley that my Mom had been found on the floor in her apartment after apparently having fallen out of bed sometime Tuesday night. She had, also apparently, been on the floor all night. When she did not come down to breakfast, they checked her apartment, and that's when they found her. They told me that she had been taken across the expressway to RHD Memorial Hospital to the emergency room, and that is where I found her midday on Wednesday.

We spent quite a bit of time in the emergency room before they finally figured out that she had a urinary tract infection that had raised her temperature and made her even less aware of her faculties than usual. They also said, by late afternoon, that although she had fallen on the floor, she had not damaged the hip replacement that she had last year. But, she would have to be admitted to the hospital so they could get the infection cleared up; she was certainly not making a lot of sense when I saw her most of Wednesday afternoon.

I waited until they figured out what room she would be in and we got all the paperwork done and then, went home for a while to let them get her settled in her room. I called Jeffie and Judy to tell them what had happened, and then returned to the hospital to see how she was doing.

October 8: Mom in Her Room in RHD Memorial

It was after six when I returned to the hospital. I found that there was dinner in Mom's room, but no one had helped her with it yet. Below are thumbnails for the four pictures I took of Mom when I got to her room that evening; click on them to view the full-size images:

(Click on Thumbnails to View)

I was only there about a half hour when I was very pleasantly surprised when Jeffie showed up, having come over pretty quickly after I called her. I thought I would record our visits this evening with pictures of Jeffie and her grandmother and my Mom and I.

We helped Mom eat some of her dinner, chatted for a while, and then left Mom to rest.

October 9: Mom in Her Room in RHD Memorial

Well, it's a day later and I have come back to RHD to see Mom in her room on the fifth floor, and she looks much, much better, as you can easily see by comparing her photo today at left with one of the photos from last night. The antibiotics have already begun to work, I guess.

To show you what Mom's room is like, I created a film that begins with me walking in the door and then doing a survey of Mom's room, and you can watch that film with the player at left. I concluded the film by approaching Mom and getting her to say "Hello" to everyone, and you can watch that film below:

After that, I helped Mom with her lunch.

Before I went home for the rest of the afternoon (to return at dinnertime), I filmed a series of movies in and around the hospital, and if you want to see what it was like, you can watch them:

Mom's floor at RHD Memorial RHD Memorial Entry

RHD Memorial Hospital Building RHD Memorial Emergency Room

RHD Memorial Rear View

I returned shortly before dinner to see how Mom was doing. On my way into the Hospital, I found this decorated horse; perhaps it was decorated for the wedding, I am not sure. Going on in to the hospital, I went up to Mom's room and found that her dinner tray was just then being delivered, so I helped her for a while. I pretty much had to feed her, but she was pretty cooperative. She was almost done eating when Judy called, so I let the two of them talk. Here is a picture of Mom talking to Judy; you can watch a movie of part of their conversation with the player at left.

October 12: Mom in Her Room in RHD Memorial

As it turned out, today, Sunday, was the last day I'd visit Mom at RHD. I had to go down to Austin for most of the week, and when I returned Mom was being transferred to a rehabilitation place- the Treemont. But, today, Fred and I have stopped by to see how she is doing. We found her being fed by a nurse.

We asked some questions about Mom's medications and about when she might be released, but the nurse, who had talked to the doctor earlier in the day, said that there was nothing imminent. So, we stuck around for a little while and I took a couple of more movies, movies that you can watch below:

October 18, 2003: Mom Moves to The Treemont Rehabilitation Facility

Mom has finished her stint in the hospital after her infection and fall at The Bentley, and has been moved to The Treemont, which is a combination assisted-living and nursing facility that happens to have a rehab center as well.

The Treemont is located near the intersection of The Dallas North Tollway and I-635, in the southeast corner of that interchange. Getting there is quite easy for me- not nearly so time-consuming as the Heritage Gardens where Mom spent some time last year up in Carrollton. All I have to do is go south on Inwood to Mockingbird, go east to the Tollway, take the Tollway north to Harvest Hill (about five miles), then take Harvest Hill to Noel and Noel south to the entrance to the parking area for the rehabilitation facility.

This is what Secure Horizons is doing for Mom. She will be here to get some rehabilitation therapy before she goes back to The Bentley and is able to function pretty much on her own again.

Secure Horizons moved Mom here yesterday, but this is the first chance I have had to bring my camera and get some pictures. When I arrived, I found Mom eating lunch in her room- a little late because they are still integrating her into the routine. There is a dining room, and after Mom gets acclimatized, she will start taking her meals there.

I also took a few movies, mostly to send to Judy so she can see what the Treemont is like. In the first movie, Mom is talking me while eating lunch about the shower she had earlier in the day, and I am letting the camera wander to show you the side of the room that the beds are on, the doorway in and the window that looks north out over a courtyard. You can watch that movie with the player at left.

I then got over on Mom's side of the room, sitting on the empty bed next to her, and made a movie of the other side of the room (while Mom talked to me). You can watch that movie with the player at right.

Finally, I filmed another movie of Mom telling me about her trying to use the phone to call me, and you can watch that movie with the player at left.

After that, I went off to find out about using the phone and to do some paperwork in the office regarding Mom's stay. Most of her costs will be picked up by Secure Horizons; she is liable for the same fee each week that she would pay were she to be admitted to the hospital- $600. That sounds like a lot, but I am sure that the Treemont is billing Secure Horizons for quite a bit more, counting all the rehab that she will be getting shortly.

October 26, 2003: Mom in Rehabilitation at The Treemont

Mom has been at the Treemont for a while, now, recuperating from a fall on the hip she had replaced last year and an infection that actually caused the disorientation. The hospital sent her here for some therapy before she goes back to The Bentley and resumes her routines.

Mom looks pretty bad in many of these pictures and movies; but then no woman can look her best who lies in a hospital bed most of the time, so you have to give her some allowances. It is Sunday, and I have returned from Fred's house to stop by here this morning and through lunchtime. Mom has some rehab sessions today, and I want to see how those go.

A Quick Tour of The Treemont

I am doing these pictures a little out of sequence, but that shouldn't matter. The Treemont rehab facility is shaped like a "T," if you can imagine that. The rehabilitation room is at the bottom of the ascender, and the front door to the facility is a short ways up from the bottom of the ascender on the left. The main nurses' station is at the intersection of the ascender and the crossbar. To the left on the crossbar, there is the back door (leading out the top of the "T"), the dining area a short way to the left and then rooms down the rest of the hall. There are more rooms to the right, plus an activity room.

I took four movies, beginning at the rehab studio and going all the way into Mom's room, and you can watch those movies using the players below:

Rehab Studio to Nurses' Station This movie begins at the door to the rehabilitation room and proceeds up the hall to the nurses' station, looking at the various rooms on the left and right. Nurses' Station to Mom's Room This movie makes the left turn at the nurses' station and goes down the hall, past the dining area, to just outside Mom's room.

Carla This movie introduces Carla, one of the more animated aides here, who often is assigned to Mom's room. Mom's Room This movie enters Mom's room from the hall, passes her roommate, and then shows you Mom's bed and the other stuff in the room.

When Mom goes down to the rehab room, of course, she follows the same path but in the opposite direction. She is still not very quick in her wheelchair, and needs some supervision if she tries to move around by herself. I took a good many movies of Mom moving around in her wheelchair, and you can watch a representative one with the player at left.

Exercise time in the Rehabilitation Studio

This was a typical exercise session, with the exercise leader taking four or five residents through some simple stretching and limbering exercises.

I made some movies of the different exercises that Mom did, and you can watch any of those movies you wish using the players below:

Leg Raises Leg Stretchers

Mom Doing Leg Stretchers Mom Doing Hand Pedaling

I also took a couple of still pictures while Mom was exercising. You can see her doing a leg stretch and also see her doing her hand pedaling.

Also, when the group had broken up, Mom got some individual attention as the exercise therapist helped Mom do some "supported walking" using the parallel bars. You can watch a movie of part of this process with the player at left.

Lunch

I stayed around to help Mom with lunch, and to keep her company. It was Sunday, so they had a pretty nice lunch, and someone had "Lonesome Dove" playing softly in the background. You can use the player at right to watch a movie of Mom eating lunch. And here is a still picture of Mom at her dining table.

October 30, 2003: Mom at The Treemont Rehabilitation Facility

My Mom has been recuperating from her latest hospital stay, caused by an infection and fall at The Bentley earlier this month, here at The Treemont, a facility connected to an assisted-living place up near the intersection of the Tollway and I-635. I have come up to visit her today, and see how she is doing.

I visited with my Mom in her room before lunch and then, while she was being gotten ready to go down to the dining area, I filmed a movie showing the route from her room to the dining area. Then, I came back to her room to get her and wheel her down to the dining area and, before they got served, took a movie showing my Mom and her tablemates. You can watch both these movies with the players below:

Mom's Room to the Dining Area Mom and Her Tablemates

---

 

November 1, 2003: Mom Returns to The Bentley from The Treemont

Well, my Mom has finished her rehabilitation at the Treemont Nursing Facility and is now back at The Bentley. She went to the Treemont after her stint in the hospital after an infection and a fall in her apartment here. Other than the still picture shown at left, what I did this Saturday afternoon was just take movies of my Mom as she segues back into her routine here.

I have put players for and descriptions of these movies below; you should feel free to watch the ones you want to:

Fred and I spend some time with Mom in her apartment prior to dinner My Mom maneuvers her wheelchair to her makeup table in the bedroom

My Mom adjusting her makeup before dinner My Mom arrives at her table in the dining room

Mom and her seatmates in the dining room Evening announcements while Mom has her Jell-O

Some well-wishers stop by after dinner I explain my movie-making to Mom's seatmates

Mom talks with Jane Cawthon after dinner

---

 

November 17, 2003: My Mom's Physical Therapy at The Bentley

Well, my Mom has been back to The Bentley for a couple of weeks now, and she is at the point where she needs to begin a program of physical therapy. She also needs some instruction in the safe and not so safe ways of getting in and out of bed from her wheelchair. She can do the transfer from her walker without much problem, but she will be going back and forth from now on between the wheelchair and walker. So today, Secure Horizons has sent over a fellow named David, who is going to help Mom with some instruction and some exercises.

 

Transferring Between Wheelchair and Bed

One of the things David wanted to work on today was an evaluation of my Mom's ability to transfer between the wheelchair and the bed. I did not try to help; David is the expert here. And so all I did was to take a series of movies of their interaction as David follows Mom through the procedure.

Below I have put a series of links to the movies that I took during this process. Please feel free to watch as many of them as you wish:

David and Mom Discuss the Transfer Procedure Transfer to Bed - Part 1

Transfer to Bed - Part 2 Transfer to Bed - Part 3

David's Evaluation; Transfer to Wheelchair - Part 1 Transfer to Wheelchair - Part 2

Transfer to Wheelchair - Part 3 Transfer to Wheelchair - Part 4

Transfer to Wheelchair - Part 5 Transfer to Wheelchair - Part 6

Evaluation by David

David was pretty helpful for the transfers, and when they were done in the bedroom, he got Mom back out in her living room to do some exercises. You can watch their progress to the living room with the movie players below:

 

Exercises

What David did now was to lead Mom through a series of exercises that she could do sitting in her wheelchair. I know that movies of someone doing exercises is pretty boring, but I want to show at least a few repetitions of each of the exercises that she did. So you can use the players below to watch movies of these exercises:

Elbow Bends Chest Pushes and Arm Raises

Flying Arms and Chest Presses Arm Circles and Toe Taps

Heel Raises Leg Raises

Knee Raises Leg Slides

Leg Rotations Knee Spreads and March in Place

 

Using the Walker

Next up is for David to take Mom on a jaunt down the hall to the elevator and back using the walker. David is going to use a safety belt that will keep Mom from falling should she lose her balance, and he spent a bit of time to secure the belt around her. Next, David wheeled her out into the hall so they could begin their walking exercises. I have a series of movies detailing the preparation and their walk, and you can use the players below to watch them:

Securing the Belt Mom Stands Up Into the Walker

Walking Down the Hall - 1 Walking Down the Hall - 2

The Turnaround Walking Down the Hall - 3

Walking Down the Hall - 4 Arriving Back in the Apartment

 

Finish-up and Evaluation

When David had Mom back in the room, they spent some time talking about what the next appointment would do, and they talked about the occupational therapist who will also be coming to help Mom with the "activities of daily living." And then David took his leave. If you would like to see the movies I took of these discussions, please use the players below:

Evaluation and Planning 1 Evaluation and Planning 2

Evaluation and Planning 3 Evaluation and Planning 4

Evaluation and Planning 5

 

Mom and I Talk About Her Therapy

Once David had left, Mom and I chatted for a bit about what the next steps should be, but there is little that we can say for sure. I tried to get Mom to talk to Judy through the movies, but that didn't work too well. Anyway, at about that time I ran out of battery power anyway, so my filming was done for the day. You can watch these final movies using the players below:

Mom and I Talk - 1 Mom and I Talk - 2

Mom and I Talk - 3 Mom and I Talk - 4

---

 

November 22, 2003: I Visit Mom at the Bentley

Today I have brought my camera with me to The Bentley to visit my Mom at lunch. I arrived in her room a bit beforehand, and then followed her slowly down the hall in her walker until she reached the elevator and we came down to the dining room. She seems quite recovered from her last infection and fall, and that is good to see.

Today, I have just taken two movies of her with the other ladies at her lunch table, and you can watch those movies with the players below:

---

 

December 15, 2003: Visiting Mom at the Treemont

Mom is in the Treemont Nursing Home just off the Tollway and south of LBJ up in North Dallas following her release from the hospital after her stay a week ago. She had another infection after Thanksgiving, and fell again in her room at The Bentley, and so she spent a few days in the hospital. She has returned here to the Treemont, a place she has been before, for some rehabilitation. It seems as if she will be using her wheelchair more often now.

I have come up here today just to see how she is doing, and I found her in her shared room having some lunch. (Soon, she'll eat down the hall in the dining area.) Anyway, I have made three movies while I am here, two during lunch and one a bit after lunch when Mom has gotten back into bed for part of the afternoon.

You can watch those movies with the players below:

---

 

December 23, 2003: Judy Visits Mom at the Treemont Rehab Facility

My sister, Judy, has come to Dallas for Christmas to see her daughter, Jeffie, and our Mom. She arrived on the morning of the 23rd, and after I picked her up at the airport, we went directly to the Treemont to visit. In the one movie I took today, you can see Judy pushing Mom's wheelchair down the hall from her room to the dining area for lunch. You can watch that movie with the player at left.

---

You can use the link below to return to this year's index.

---

Return to Index for 2003