9/1/2021

 (Marilyn)

For the past three or four days, I've cut down my time at the nursing home, spending some time on my own errands and health, etc.  Tricia and Ed have remained tireless in their time with Linda.

In the time I've spent with Linda these past few days she has alternated between lucid and not-so-lucid.  She refuses to do physical therapy, but Tricia has spent a lot of time in the physical therapy room with Linda and the therapist, being a cheerleader for Linda and having a lot of success.  But on the days when Linda isn't willing to do her exercises, it is a challenge.

I was there today for a few hours and Linda was almost falling out of her wheelchair she was so tired.  I don't believe the physical therapy people even came and got her because they don't like to make a patient exercise when they are not alert.

The lady across the hall never shuts up.  She screams and then she cries and then she sings at the top of her lungs.  It really shatters the nerves.  She just has a broken leg so there must be some dementia as well.  Linda said she didn't get any sleep last night and I don't know if that was because of the screaming or not.  When I commented to the nurse that the screaming was nerve-wracking she put me in my place by saying I shouldn't complain because some day it could be me.  Yikes.  However, today I heard that nurse tell the lady to try to use her "indoor voice."  I also heard two nurses talking and one of them said, "Maybe you should give her a happy pill," and the other nurse said, "I've already given her THREE!"  Anyway, this lady is really getting to Linda and Linda periodically goes to the door and yells, "Shut up!"  Not like Linda at all.

Anyway, this was not a good day for Linda -- at least not while I was there.

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