Saturday, July 19

On Monday morning, I need to give the center's social worker a list of three skilled-nursing facilities (AKA "skf", pronounced skiff)--Tommy's and my preferences, so that she can begin making the transfer arrangements for July 29 (you don't always get your first choice, since the facility must have a bed available on the date in question). Patti's son, Daryl, recommended Renaissance, which is a new facility on Rt. 24, between Millsboro and Rehoboth Beach (about a half-hour drive from the house). So, on Friday, I visited Renaissance and two other facilities. At Renaissance, the social worker gave me a tour; its therapy program is more robust than many skilled-nursing facilities, and I met a strapping young therapist named Tim who looked just right for helping Tommy learn how to stand and help the caregiver pivot him during transfers--one of the most important skills he needs to master. So Renaissance is at the top of the list, and let's cross our fingers that they "have a bed" on the 29th.
It's another slow weekend at the rehab center, so yesterday, after visiting the skf's, I picked up some fun stuff for Tommy and me to play with--a 100-piece puzzle of a mama giraffe and her baby; a large set of Lincoln Logs, with which we began to build the "frontier watchtower" after dinner last night (Brie, the speech therapist, suggested the logs, and what a good idea that was); and a wooden model of a tugboat, which we'll put together Sunday. It's surprising how many steps there are in each of these seemingly simple pastimes. For example, as we worked the puzzle yesterday afternoon, it was Tommy's job to pick out the pieces that had a straight side, and it took long minutes as he fingered and studied each one. We'll get it put together before the weekend is over. Ditto for the frontier watchtower and the tugboat. Then, on Monday morning, his busy week will once again crank up.