Reevaluation and Improvement

Boo walking with physical therapist

Yesterday was assessment and evaluation day for Boo with Home Health. He was discharged from occupational therapy. Even with his recent vertigo problems, he met his goals for self-care. Besides his usual morning and evening routines which include dressing, bathing or washing off and mouth care, he is helping with some meal preparation and housecleaning. OT had not set any goals for Boo beyond dressing and basic hygiene because neither they nor his doctors thought he’d be capable of anything else. Yesterday he demonstrated to his occupational therapist his sandwich and snack making skills. He also showed her how he sweeps the house (with a carpet sweeper) and cleans the bathroom sinks and mirrors.


Boo has not yet met his physical therapy goals---although he has made a lot of progress since his last hospitalization. PT will continue to work with him to improve his balance and stamina. Intermittent vertigo has been a real issue. On the positive side, Boo has not lost muscle tone even though he hasn’t been able to walk or do his standing exercises as much as we’d hoped. His persistence in doing his seated and lying exercises twice a day when he couldn’t walk definitely made a difference.

Yesterday Boo had few vertigo episodes. He walked a total of five blocks all day (total from three separate walks.) Last night he was tired and went to bed early, but he’s fine today.

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Ok, maybe he’s not quite fine. Boo walked two blocks this morning, ate lunch and took a nap. He’s a little confused now---not remembering that my mother is at the beach, not remembering that his father died. He is alert and remembers the day to day things that most concern him---where the coffee carafe is, where his snacks are, how to find westerns on TV.