Day 24 - Monday 15th Sep 2008

The Assessment

No rest for the wicked.

After a hectic weekend there was no respite on the treatment front.
I went into hospital early as there was an assessor coming from the Wellington Hospital.

The whole process took about one and a half hours. At the end the recommendation was that Margaret would be an ideal patient for the programme. The proposal sent to Bupa would be for 12 weeks aiming for full rehabillitation by Christmas. Although this may seem a long time at first, the programme will include outpatient treatment and also home visits - day release and overnight stays. It also will include practical needs based on home circumstances, liaising with local authorities for household alterations and home care should it be required. After the first 4 weeks regime which has intensive therapy, the goals are reset on a fortnightly basis.

I was most impressed by the therapist assessor and the outline of the programme which also encourages a lot of family involvement, where possible. If I were a betting man, and knowing Margaret, I would not take any bets on it being more than eight weeks We are just waiting now for a free space, there are a LOT of sick people out there, but hopefully by the end of the week.

Busy day at the office

After I left this morning Margaret was back on the parallel bars and convinced me that she could do a full length without stopping. Steady does it.

By the time I came back in the afternoon it was time for Rob and Occupational Therapy. I was invited to join in on the session. Margaret was working on her posture and sitting up unaided. The were some stretching exercises whereby she had to maintain her balance while stretching to pick up playing cards held at different heights and distances.

The highlight of the day was the Duster Treatment.

Using her right arm she had to push the cloth across the table and fully extend the arm. She was able, with an effort, to move it about 8-10 inches, both forward and backwards.
The effort and determination to do this was awesome and a lot of satisfaction all round. I nearly had a little tear, again.

What a brave lady!