I feel a lot better about Dad going home next week, and I owe it all to Hospice. I've always heard what a wonderful organization they are and I know they helped a lot with my mother. But now that I'm dealing with them personally, I have a greater appreciation for their care and support.
Joy and I spent all of yesterday working out the details of bringing Dad back home. We started with a meeting with his oncologist. Though we didn't learn as much from him as I had hoped. Basically, he agreed that Dad likely has less than six months and that Hospice would be our best choice. I know it's hard for anyone to know or even guess how long a person will live, but I was hoping for a better estimate than that.
There was time for a lunch break before our meeting with Hospice, so we went to Pumpernickel's. I had my usual sandwich - Virginia ham and swiss cheese on pumpernickel with a side of coleslaw. They serve the best coleslaw… it has green peppers in it, which is unusual. But the peppers flavor it nicely, as long as I don't actually bite into one.
After lunch, we went to Hospice of St. Francis and met with a social worker, Pauline. She asked questions, listened to our concerns and then offered more help than we were expecting. All necessary equipment is provided, so a hospital bed with trapeze and a wheelchair will be delivered on Friday. A nurse will go to the home and bathe Dad 3-4 times a week. Another nurse will take care of anything medical, including his colostomy needs, several times a week. They are available 24/7 and if Glenna runs into any problems, all she has to do is call. Hospice also has volunteers who will sit with Dad so that she can have time for herself, to get her hair done, run errands, etc.
Naturally, Joy and I will do as much as we can. But we do have to work and we would like to sleep in our own homes, so we were relieved to hear about the caregiver assistance.
Now there is much to do to get the house ready. We need to clear out my old bedroom for the hospital bed and some furniture needs to be moved/removed to accommodate the wheelchair. But it's coming together and we'll be ready for Monday.
I just pray that things will go okay once he is home.