Getting out of the house

Apparently, after 6 weeks of fighting to go home, it only takes 3 days to want to get back out. At least, that was the case this Friday. We all met at the Olive Garden and had a quiet and enjoyable lunch. Dad has been fighting to regain an appetite the last few weeks, but did well with a plate of fettuccine alfredo. He's trying to get beyond the thickened liquids, but clearly still has to be careful with water consistency.

24 hours later, we celebrated my youngest daughter's birthday with the extended family. A houseful of guests including Dad. He seemed genuinely happy to be at the festivities, but had to work through over-stimulation with all of the noise and commotion. Through no fault of his own, I think he might have been the real hit of the party. He was certainly greeted warmly by everyone.

Overall, he's clearly much happier than he was prior to coming home. And that's understandable. I'm not sure that he's progressed substantially in terms of independence related to mobility, and his ability to handle most day to day tasks without assistance. On the flipside, he's resting and eating better. By better, I should qualify that it isn't necessarily the nutitional quality of the food that's improved, but his attitude and appetite.

Things are only starting to gear up as it relates to continued rehabilitation. He received a visit Friday from the home health folks. He's still getting around in the temporary wheelchair, and my brother has helped tremendously with an improvised ramp and other necessities. I'm confident that as his strength continues to improve, he'll make more gains towards independence.