Hospice Update....

Sally Chapman, the Hospice bereavement counselor, called the other night to share that she had staffed Mom Hospice support staff and they arrived at the following recommendations:
1. While Mom does not seem to be appropriate for bereavement counseling, they have college interns returning in January who they would like to set up to just spend time with Mom, i.e., maybe once a week for a few hours. Pat, Barb, and I all feel this is a great idea.
2. With permission they would like to talk to Dr. Dentler about having Mom access other Hospice services, in other words, to be a Hospice client. This would mean that other support staff, volunteers and some nursing staff would check in on Mom. If Dr. Dentler agrees then Hospice would also pay for certain medications. (Pat gave them permission to do contqact Dr. Dentler with this request.)

They said it was important to realize that this does not mean that Mom has six months or less to live... and, in fact, Dr. Dentler may not o.k. her being a Hospice client for that reason. They feel that Mom may be entering some of those last stages of life and know that more contact, less time being alone might help her avoid some of the tearfulness and increase her quality of life.\

just keeping you informed...

Videos embedded

These are the 2 videos Lyn posted earlier this week. I've just been helping figure out how to embed them so you don't have to click a separate link. Enjoy them again if you'd like.

RIVERVIEW ERICKSON GATHERING - PART 2 - Mom calls Mary by name...

This is the floral sleigh that John and Annette sent Mom. Her room is really looking 'Christmas-y' with the flowers, trees, cards, etc., that people have sent. We get to see Grandma's eyes and her sense of appreciation when things come in the mail... we just want you to know she appreciates it! PS: Look in the background to the right....it is a picture of Grandma and Grandpa dancing...

As I said before, while we were sad that the Cerrillos couldn't make it to the party, Dick, Jolene, Rachel, Lauren, Luke, Annie and Zach, Pat, myself, Kirsten, Michaelyn, Jim, Karen, Jason, Jarred, Barb, Ryan, Claire, Isabel, and our surprise guests, Mary and Paul, made it a very Merry Christmas group.
We also invited Petra, a tablemate of Mom's, to join us. And just to round out our group, another resident in the memory care area wandered in asking what was going on...and Karen let her know it was a party and helped her get a place to sit and somethng to drink. She joined us for almost the entire time. Her name was Eve, but we kept on calling her Wanda! (Callaway Garden memory..)

This is a picture of Zach, Annie and those two twins... I wonder which one is the evil twin??? (That was an Uncle Jimmie tease, I think...)


Sunday morning Kirsten joined Annie and Zach at the Simmons for some extra special French Toast that Barb fixed... it was 'OMG' good according to the chef... I think she was using a recipe from one of her best friends...or best admirer... or actually I think it was both. :) Pat and I at the last minute joined Mary and Paul for Mass at the Cathedral and then walked with them to see their room at the Hotel Lusso. Pic below is at the Davenport Hotel in front of their Christmas Tree.


I have this second hand...but when Mary and Paul went back to visit Mom on Sunday... Mom responded to Mary's "I Love you, Mom" with a "I love you, Mary." Mary said it made every mile of driving in the snow worth it... (Actually that statement was made before they left Spokane in a snowstorm so she might be revising that statement.)

God Bless to All and especially to Grandma!!!

RIVERVIEW CHRISTMAS GATHERING - PART 1 - Surprise Guests!

Whoa... what a great weekend. I will try and catch you up on our little Erickson gathering yesterday. We really had a roller-coaster ride with this event. We sent out the invite thinking truly that it will probably be the Simmons and the Spokane Erickson's as the date was right before Christmas and bad roads, etc... but at one point 36 people were coming! As it turned out none of the Cerrillo's could make it because of weather. It did start to snow Saturday morning and the Spokane streets, at any rate, were quite slippery--The paper this morning said there were 150+ accidents! So we were so understanding of people wanting to put 'family safety first!'

That said... we did have a great time even WITHOUT that fun-loving rowdy Cerrillo bunch. What really helped turn this into a gala affair was that MARY AND PAUL showed up and truly surprised all!!! I will maybe let them tell their saga of their trip over themselves...although Mary will allude to it in the video I will embed in this blog update. We just had a great time gathering, spending time with Mom, and, of course, eating. Here is a picture of some of the kids playing outside Grandma's room... wait - I mean here are some kids and Kirsten.... wait - I guess it really is just a picture of three kids. :)



Mom was awake for much of the day. She has really been more alert in the last couple of days than she has for the past month. She did get tired and slept and then we put her back into bed for a later afternoon nap, but when dinnertime came around, she was ready to get up and get going again.

Here are a couple videos of the party. DISCLAIMER: These are all uncut... and very, very, rough, non-professional.

(COPY AND PAST URL INTO YOUR BROWSER...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSI-fpMILG0
DESCRIPTION: 1.5 min; people at the party...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x-4hfQhqEk
DESCRIPTION: 30 seconds; grandma... and 'twins'

'Mike's card'.... and 'Janice defines the word "nurture" '

MIKE AND ANN'S CARD...All of Mom's birthday gifts, cards, and messages were precious...but Mike's card just seemed to touch my heart...I think because I feel each one of her children feel this same way.


verse inside card:
You’ve given me the gift
Of sweet childhood memories.
You’ve given me the gift of dreams:
The ones you’ve made come true
And the ones I achieved myself
because of your encouragement.
But most important of all, you’ve always
Given me the gift of your love,
The most precious gift of all.
There’s no way I could possibly thank you enough
For these gifts and so many more.
I will always be so grateful,
And you will always have a special place in my life—
And in my heart.

JANICE AND GRANDMA and nurturing...
A 30 second video of Janice and Mom... (If the auto link does not show up... copy/paste this address into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWitfvTsTb4

Thursday, Dec 9th - Surprise at Grandma's

This morning I walked in to supposedly visit with Barb at Mom's today....and there was Barb..AND Janice and Sandy! It was party time! Mom was so much more awake. While she was not conversational, she stayed awake, her eyes were open and she tracked. She did get a little weepy before lunch... and when Pat was there this afternoon he said she was again a bit weepy but o.k. It's amazing how these little things seem like such a cause for celebration. Video link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK54hG8cPbw

RIVERVIEW CHANGING MEDS...

Riverview called Pat last night to inform us that they are going to back down on some of Mom's pain medications to see if some of her withdrawal/nonengagement/sleepiness is due to being over-medicated. We will learn more today and keep you updated.

DEC 8TH, WEDNESDAY

WEDNESDAY - Visiting in the afternoon Mom was sleepy but when awake she was aware. I brought an italian soda type drink with protein powder. I had them put whipped cream on it...and she sucked that down in a few minutes. It makes you feel good when you get something that you can see her enjoying. Amy, the swing nurse came in and we all talked for a long time...followed by a conversation in the hallway. Amy talked about how Ann has changed so much in the last few weeks...that she often no longer connects in any manner. No eye contact... not eating. Amy is one of my most favorite employees there...she is so loving yet very upfront and so knowledgeable. In the hallway we had a frank conversation about how Mom seems to be shutting down and Pat and I asked about what that might mean. While everyone is so different, Amy said the stages are usually pretty apparent and it could be months and months or even a few weeks. Pat and I are obviously concerned about our heading down to AZ...but she said Riverview would be working closely with Barb and we will be called if they feel she moves into the stage where we (all of us) would want to be here. And as usual I am sure I am echoing all of your prayers as I hope that Dad would just sneak in there one night and snatch her away to cuddle with him in heaven.

Here is a pic of Frank's birthday card....it looked like a normal card and asked the question, "How much do I love you?" and when you opened it it got gigantic and this puppy spreads out his arms. Mom really smiled...almost laughed! I will also add a pic of the christmas Tree that Huy and Kirsten brought for Christmas.. I am heading out now to meet Barb there - Barb is there everyday.. When we were talking about trying to find a time to meet...Barb said that she usually gets there around 7 am...so she is there when Mom wakes up....so Barb thinks Mom kind of thinks that Barb lives at Riverview :)

DEC 7TH, TUE

TUESDAY Sally Chapman met with Mom Pat and myself on Tuesday afternoon. Sally is the grief counselor from Hospice who was referred by Dr. Dentler. (Reminder: The doctor wanted to see if a grief counselor might be able to help Mom deal with Dad's death...which he was assuming was the reason for her ongoing sadness. Hospice provides those services for no cost.) While Mom slept most of the time, and Sally's initial response was that Mom was did not need to deal with Jim's loss, she is going to come back next week and we will talk about what other resources Hospice might offer to her and to family. Because she is in Riverview there is no need for medication or health-related services, i.e., administration of morphine or bathing/nursing help. One of the only times that Mom responded to Sally's questions was when Sally asked Mom if she was ready to join Jim. Mom nodded her head and said, 'Yes.'



Mom's new wheelchair is much better for her. Without having to move her she can be moved from upright to pretty much any angle. Pat wanted to make sure everyone knew that if you are giving her something to drink...make sure that she is upright. He had a rather bad experience when he let her sip water while being too far back. Picture is of Sally, Mom and Pat.

DEC 5TH, 6TH, MOM'S BIRTHDAY!

SUNDAY...The Apple Cup guys, Pat, Dick, Jim and Luke stopped by and the highlight of the visit was when they called Rachel and told Mom it was her birthday. Our not too communicative Mom said, "Hello,' Happy Birthday and I love you... also responded to some of Rachel's questions. It's amazing how special those times are. I got there after the boys had left and Pat shared this story with me... and could not do so without tearing up. I love my sensitive husband and our wonderful family. Thank you Rachel!!! Here is a link to a video taken on Sunday after the guys had left. Pat tells a little bit about what happened. (Disclaimer... not good quality video... sometimes Mom is not at her best...but maybe the next best thing to sitting with her.)

You need to copy/paste into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aEd06GyIck

MONDAY - MOM'S BIRTHDAY
It was so nice for Mom to receive cards and phone messages and phone conversations today on her birthday! Sometimes at this point I think maybe we get more excited than Mom... it gives us something to read to her or the chance to play messages. I so believe she is aware even when sometimes her eyes are closed and she does not seem to be here. Pat played the messages and while he was there Janice and Mary called...and Mom was able to respond to them...although Pat said she also fell asleep while both Mary and Janice were talking. :) Here is a picture of the most beautiful arrangement from the Cerrillos. My picture does not do it justice!

Saturday, Dec. 4 APPLE CUP!

BARB: I find mom wailing this am at the Riverview. I'll have four weeks to give her extra good attention now. As Lyn noted, the Triazapam twice a day is to help with the wailing, which is the same "senseless" wailing as at the Calloway Gardens--that is to say, you can distract her momentarily from her wailing, but you can't "solve" whatever she's wailing about by moving her, etc. She is talking somewhat, though, about things like coffee for breakfast. Told me her new tipped wheelchair was borrowed from "this place."

The triazapam makes her calm and "happy" but sleepy. It sedates her. She thanked Ryan and I and the girls for coming yesterday noon and agreed that Dad would have called the Apple Cup attendees fools for sitting in the cold.

Time to go back in. A half hour of wailing at a time is all I can take.

LYN: Well yesterday we were like ships passing in the night.... Barb, you were there in the morning... I was there for the afternoon and Kirsten was there for dinner. I think I had relatively easy duty in that Mom just slept the entire 3 hours I was there. She just wouldn't wake up. It wasn't entirely easy as I have to admit Mom's snoring is most accurately not described as delicate and quiet. When I talked to Kirsten in the evening she actually got a couple "I love yous.' So I am glad that she is truly not sleeping all of the time. (Maybe she was feigning sleep because she realized I was there. :) I brought my computer and a book and it was actually pleasant being there. Even though she was sleeping I still talked with/at her... I hope that subconsciously she feels our presence. And yes, I think there is total agreement that the Apple Cup people are shy a few brain cells. Pat called me from the stadium and shared that he had sole heaters, patches of those heating pads pasted all over his body, hand warmers in his gloves...and he was STILL cold! Oh well, a Cougar fan is a Cougar fan...and rational thinking is not a requirement of belonging to that club.

Thursday, Dec. 1

Just a quick update - Last night the head nurse called from Riverview to let us know that they were going to ask Hospice to have someone sent out for grief counseling with Mom. Evidently Hospice has great resources to help people work through issues of grief. Pat and I shared that we wondered if Mom had the ability to communicate with anyone, and they acknowledged that but felt that it couldn't hurt anything and it might help her with her increasing sadness. They also are going to increase her Trazadone to two times a day instead of once a day. They originally suggested increasing it from one to three times a day but we suggested increasing to two as she can be so sensitive to medication changes. Just wanted to update you and will post this same message in blog.

Sunday, Nov 28 at Riverview...

We took some video when we were at Mom's on Sunday. It is 5 minutes long which I know is long for a video...but it is a bit like sitting with Mom. Watch the whole thing because at the end she gives a wink...a 'Grandpa Jim' type wink. You will also witness both myself and Pat tasting her chocolate shake before we give it to her...we have absolutely no shame. Again...it is absolutely nothing special as a video goes...but it is our Mom, our Grandma, our Mom-in-law... and that is absolutely special. :)

link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcoVhNaWHkM