A comparison to the good old days

Back in February Nan was clearly weaker than a few weeks earlier, but this picture (from Feb 18th) before being hospitalized is an interesting comparison to the ones below.

The nursing home decorated Nan's room with this banner and balloons. You can feel the party spirit! This was a brief moment when she finished her walk.

A close up shot

Here is the closest shot of her face I have. She reached for my ear, just like Andrea often does. I have eerily similar shots with Andrea and I at home. Perhaps it is a magnetic ear? Thank you Serra for the Hyundai shirt, you can see that I like it.

Someone to Hug

Nan has a lot of visitors, so she has a chance to socialize, but there is nothing like a visitor that cannot leave. Here she hugs her teddy bear. Her head is usually twisted to her right side like this; I tried standing on the left, but she asked me to stand on the right side. Her neck pain seems to be less this way.

Nan can take a few steps

I had good timing to see Nan's improvement. She just starting walking with assistance on Monday (This was Thursday 5/22). She can walk one loop of the nursing home with someone holding her up at the waist with a belt. These are some of her first steps since January. She can't get up on her own, and cannot balance on her own, but she is getting stronger. The bandages on her arm are from a fall...she insisted to get up without help a few days before I arrived, and immediately fell. She kind of knows she cannot walk on her own, but insists to not wet her bed. No one came to help her to restroom when she needed it, hence the fall.

Nan's song

Sudy likes to sing to Nan after lunch. Sudy was also an early childhood teacher at Napa College and has known Nan for the last 25 years. There are a variety of songs that she sings, but this one seems to be Nan's favorite. Nan tends to fall asleep during these 5 minute singing sessions. The songs are similar to the type of songs Nan once sang to kids, so it really hits home for her. Sudy has offered to bring books on tape with headphones for Nan as well. Nan is awake more than before, but she has a lot of headaches, and closing her eyes decreases the headache pain. Her eyes are open more than a few weeks ago, but not as much as a normal person.
She spends almost all her time in bed, up just for 30 minutes or so for lunch. She needs a lot of encouragement to stay out of the bed.

A picnic for Nan's birthday

Its hard to do anything special for a birthday in a nursing home. I had hoped to take Nan for a little stroll at the flower nursery just across the street, literally 1 minute wheel-chair ride away, but sitting in the courtyard was the most she would agree to. To the left is Nan's roommate, Grace. Center is Nan's friend Sudy who visits daily at lunch time and holding Grace's cat. Nan is wearing Sudy's sun glasses to the right. It is about 75 degrees outside, but she is cold, in a sweater and blanket. Although the nursing home gives her real food, she survives mostly on ensure and boost drinks. She no longer eats chocolate, Wendy's frosties or ice cream. Occasionally a few sips of soup, but nothing tastes quite right to her, and never much appetite.