Wed 8/22/2007 8:00 AM

Hey Everyone,  Dad is back home!!  YEA!  He got home on Friday the 17th.  We had to send him to a nursing home for 4 days to complete a round of IV antibiotics.  I was so glad to get him home.  I just didn't want them to suck up his Medicare and keep him the 20 days that Medicare will pay for.

The place was ok, but I didn't like it.  What bothered me the most was the lack of bed rails on the beds.  Their theory was that you lowered the bed to the lowest position and then if they fell, it wasn't too far to fall.  They insisted this was ok and said they would put pads on the floor so it would be a cushioned fall.  Well, of course, there never were any cushions.  But we had our nurses there so they watched him like a hawk and he never fell.  They also put some bolsters beside him.  If he was in this normal mode, they would not have worked.

And of course, the staff were very busy.  The man in the bed next to Dad was a very nice 91 year old who could still walk with a walker, but he needed alot of assistance.  My staff said they would only come once in their 12 hour shift to take him to the bathroom.  It was awful.  I am so glad we have our little nursing home set up at Anna's.

Dad did end up having the MRSA.  They put him on very strong antibiotics and it did the trick.  His face swelling went down within 12 or so hours of the antibiotic administration.  The shingles also appear to have healed up and are gone.

Dr. D had us put a humidifier in his room by the bed to add a little moisture to the room to help keep his mouth moist and to keep using the mouth moisturizers multiple times during the day.

I will let you know of any new happenings.

Love and hugs to all of you.

Mary