The Sheraton Transition

Our first day at ARW (Aspen Ridge West). This is a transitional facility with most residents staying only 20 days (since that’s what Medicare pays). For pictures of the place, see: http://picasaweb.google.com/jillbfrank/AspenRidgeWest#
So how did the day go?
They came to pick up Mom from IMC around noon and transported her the 5 minute drive over to ARW. We got her all settled in...weighed in...and took the tour (while they finished cleaning her room). What a nice room she has!! It definitely is a step up from any of the hospital rooms (well, duh, as Mom would say!). It’s like a nice private hotel room, complete with daily housekeeping services, cheap beauty salon services, hot cooked meals and no dishes. And the greatest reward is...you HAVE to work for your keep!
After Justin came in to do the admit interview, Wendy (who had joined us for a visit) brought some contraband KFC in for Mom and I. They brought Mom’s meal to the room (since she’d gotten there too late to eat the meal in the dining room). She had a feast with her one KFC drumstick and the rest of her meal!! After lunch, Wendy helped me get Mom unpacked and settled. When she left, Mom took a good long nap. She got really shaky and dizzy, though, which really worried me about her oxygen, so while she was napping, I ran over and got a portable oximeter for her...and for us...so we could keep tabs on her oxygen saturation levels. I think that will really help her know when she needs to slow down or when she needs to “breathe, Mom, breathe!!”
Shortly after her nap, Lincoln the therapist came in and did an assessment of her capabilities. As he was finishing, Royce & Mardette came, followed by Grant & Joan Jensen (her neighbors). We had a good long visit. Curt came as everyone was leaving, and he and I ate dinner with Mom in the dining room...a fun and new experience getting to know 88 yr. old Nedra from Delta.
We watched a little Peter Sellers & the Pink Panther. Then Bruce showed up to spend the night with Mom (we’re testing out the waters to see how Mom will do at nighttime so we’ll know whether we can leave her alone at night after a few days). We played some No Peeky and then Mom got a blessing from her two sons. What a sweet blessing of comfort and peace!
We are really paranoid about Mom’s oxygen and have alerted the nurses about her. At least they will be aware of what she is trying to overcome. We had hoped for a chest x-ray before leaving the hospital so that we would have a base line to compare with as she moves into this next phase, but that was not to be with Dr. Madsen. Maybe they will do one at ARW tomorrow or the next day.
Hopefully Mom will be able to work hard and build her strength back. When we talked to Lorie today, she impressed upon Mom that the ones who got out of transitional care (since she used to work at a rehab in Orem while in college) were the ones who did everything their therapists told them to do. The ones who didn’t want to do what their therapists told them to do never got out of the rehab. We just want this to be a successful experience for Mom as she makes her way back to home. She certainly has the beautiful ambiance and love is being extended all around. Good luck, Mom!! We're behind you all the way!