OT/PT

I always forget the difference between OT and PT so I looked it up.

OT=Occupational Therapy=a form of therapy for those recuperating from physical or mental illness that encourages rehabilitation through the performance of activities required in daily life. 

PT=Physical Therapy=the treatment of disease, injury, or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery. 

So generally speaking, OT has to do with getting back life skills and PT has to do with helping injury or discomfort.

I have noticed that whenever Gregory is "off" as in not feeling well, having a cold or flu, having his meds out of balance, having emotional highs or lows ... his neck is the first to go. It lists to the right with chin to chest and looks very uncomfortable and painful.

When you try to help him move his head back to "normal" he winces and/or "ouches." So both Manny and I give Gregory lots of back rubs and use pillows to help support his head when watching TV or eating or whatever.

I made this a priority because I know that good posture has always been important to Gregory and having back/neck problems myself, I know how painful having your body out of alignment can be.

Medicare has strict guidelines for when they will pay for OT/PT and only for a certain amount of time and if the patient shows continued improvement. Gregory has had several sessions since last January which eventually expired for one reason or another.

Periodically I approach the head nurse and ask her to ask for a re-evaluation by the OT/PT staff to see if therapy would be right again for Gregory and if he again meets Medicare requirements. 

A few weeks ago, he once again qualified and after three sessions a week, his neck has been looking much better. 

Following are a few videos that Manny took with his iPhone (a gift from Gregory and me) of today's treatment. You can see how comfortable and relaxed Gregory gets during these treatments. 

His therapist, Pam, is quite wonderful and Gregory has come to trust her with electro stimulation, massage, and using special support tapes on his neck.

Pam asks, "Does it feel good?"

Gregory replies, "Yes. I love it!"

Gregory is resting after electro-stir, massage, and heat pack.

Manny is singing gently in the background.

Progress

Gregory, looking good and feel in' fine!

 On the stationary bicycle for 15 minutes! Wow.

A "selfie" of Gregory walking down the hall.

Quite an accomplishment!

Call It Progress

I guess you could call it progress that now I have to put his Medic Alert necklace on his neck and tuck it under his shirt because he doesn't know how to do it.


I guess you could call it progress that now I have to monitor his electric shaver because after only one day of new $40.00 blades he nicked and ruined them.


I guess you could call it progress that now I have to make sure his bed side drawer is closed at bedtime because he forgets to close it and the cats like to play with his stuff.


I guess you could call it progress that now I have help him zip up his coat because he doesn't know how to do it.


I guess you could call it progress that now I have to butter his toast because he doesn't know how to do it and tries dipping it into the butter tub.


I guess you could call it progress that now I have to select his clothes for him each morning because he not able to do it for himself.


I guess you could call it progress that now I have to put his chocolates out each night because he cannot figure out how to do it.


I guess you could call it progress that now I have to put his hat and gloves in his coat pocket when we arrive at a destination because he doesn't know how to do it.


I guess you could call it progress that now I have to fasten his seat belt in the car because he doesn't know how to do it.

I GUESS YOU COULD CALL IT PROGRESS THAT HE KNOWS HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT OR THAT "SOMETHING IS WRONG."

At least I am beginning to know more consistently how to help him.

Art from The Dementia Plague

From the article The Dementia Plague

By Stephen S. Hall. 

In MIT Technology Review. Vol. 115 No.6
(Thanks to Joan & Robert for sharing this article.)

ABOUT THE ART WORK: When he learned in 1995 that he had Alzheimer's disease, WIlliam Utermohlen, an American artist living in London, immediately began work on an ambitious series of self-portraits. The artist pursued this project over an eight year period, adapting his style to the growing limitations of his perception and motor skills and creating images that powerfully documented his experience of his illness. The resulting body of work serves as a unique artistic, medical, and personal record of one man's struggle with dementia. Mr. Utermohlen died in 2007.

• • •

1995 Blue Skies - The first self-portrait completed after the artist's diagnosis shows a man whose world has become untethered. The artist clings to a table as if to anchor himself within a flattened, featureless space.

1996 Self-Portrait (Yellow and Green)

1996 Self-Portrait (Red)

1997 Self-Portrait (with Saw)
The artist learned that his doctors would be unable to definitively diagnose his disease until autopsy. The saw depicted here is an open allusion to this fact.

1998 Self-Portrait (with Easel)

1999 Erased Self-Portrait

2000 Head

Have a Good Day

In some ways this is true for the person with Alzheimer's and for the one who loves that person. By letting go of the past you can live in the now and try not to worry about the future. Today is all we really have. Maybe the comment from the store clerk has a greater meaning than we know, "Have a good day."

Progress or Progress? Mine or Alzheimer's?

Today I was able to automatically say, "If you don't know what to do with the hanger, leave it on the bench. I'll take care of it." I automatically did so in an even, loving manner.

Lately Gregory has been getting "middle age spread." Interesting that he took until 64 to begin. So a lot of his clothes, especially pants, no longer fit. Actually a while back I had though about getting rid of most of his clothes so his choices would be fewer. He is taking care of that himself now.

He will have two pair of kaki's, two pair blue jeans, and two pair of black jeans. One to wear, one in the laundry. One black belt to go with his black shoes, one brown belt to go with his brown belt, one pair of sandals, one pair of gym shoes. Black sox and white sox.  We talked about that today and he seems OK with the changes. He is SO easy going. Amazing how we are learning, through this Alzheimer's Journey, how much is enough.

Now extinct from his associative vocabulary: underpants, undershirt. He recognizes "Blacks" to refer to his morning before getting dressed clothes and "Sleeps" to refer to his shorts and "T" shirt for sleeping. He gets very confused between his WHITE night sleeps shirt and his WHITE daytime undershirt. I am working on that one. Maybe different colors?