Archive for June, 2010

Today when I walked in, he was sitting in a chair directly in line with the door. Our eyes met and he arose as if in a trance. I smiled at him and we walked toward one another. With the most incredible tone to his voice he said, “It’s you, it’s really you, how did you find me?!”

He hugs me almost to the point of hurting and just wouldn’t let go. Today he stopped just short of crying.

What makes me feel sad is worrying that he is worrying that I can’t find him.

After this initial emotional time, we had a nice visit.

If Wayne is quite a distance from the door when I arrive, a huge smile lights up his face and he claps his hands as he walks toward me. I wish I could have a video of this.

Wayne is having a difficult time. I don’t know if it’s due to a window of clarity or what it is.

He basically refuses to get up for the nurses and when they do get him up, he doesn’t eat. Noise in the common dining room bothers him so they often take his meals to the room – he doesn’t eat.

Up until yesterday, he would eat if I coaxed/begged/pleaded but not yesterday.

He has lost weight and is very sad.

I’d love to bring him home but think that’s not possible. I need to win the lotto so I can hire private care.

When I was signing Wayne out today, the nurses were guiding a resident to her bed – she had “chosen” a sunny room to lie down – unfortunately not in her room:) We did a short sprint to the car and Goldilocks is now in Wayne’s bed.

For all his disability, Wayne is still very kind and helpful to people. We each took and arm and helped her sit up, then led her to her room, next door to Wayne’s. Came back to help him wash and clean up a bit to find her walker in his bathroom. Took it to her room.

All of a sudden it hit me – let’s just put it this way, if there had been a dog around, we’d have said,”Fido! What a smell!”

I called a nurse to check on the musical bed lady and she had def. suffered an accident. It was kind of humorous to me as after I suggested checking the lady, I thought, “What if it’s Wayne!!!”

He’d be down right annoyed to read this post!

A resident pulled the alarm on the ward across the hall from Wayne’s. It has happened before and I’m surprised there isn’t something done to prevent this.

I have never been there when it happens til today but a small light flashes in the residents’ rooms and of course an alarm rings but it’s not quite as loud as others I’ve heard. All doors unlock in the facility so it’s very stressful for staff til all are accounted for.

Mr. Fleet of Foot made a mad dash for the ward then exterior doors and managed to gallop to the staff parking lot – luckily. The fellow wasn’t from Wayne’s ward. Anyway, it was fortunate as shift change was going on and he walked right into the arms of his care givers:)

Before they found him, I was asked to sit at one of the exit doors in Wayne’s ward as locks still were open. Charge nurses were visibly stressed til all were accounted for. Kind of humorous as a nurse would bring a wandering patient from our ward who had made it to another ward, etc.

When all was settled down, cake was enjoyed as this all happened during nurses’ appreciation tea!