The Longest Stroke-Dementia Road To Somewhere Journal

November 21, 2018 - December 3, 2018 The Meds Nightmare!

Northridge Acute Rehabilitation Center Journey

According to the Medical Staff at Simi Valley Hospital, Northridge Acute Rehabilitation Center was one of the best around. There program was the best for getting stroke patients like my Mother up and going. Well that sounded like a plan I wanted to hear, so I was all in. Let’s do this, I thought! Again just like at the hospital, my plans was to not leave my mother’s side and see her through this ordeal back to wholeness. Knowing she was already terrified of what has just happened, being in an unfamiliar place, vacationing with me and now onto a new place, psychological was quite a bit for a mild dementia person.

Didn’t quite know what to expect but was hoping for the best and anything that represented a hospital would be left behind. This reality didn’t last very long, next morning after arrival, the hospital staff started performing their daily task from blood work, blood thinner injection, administrating medicine, checking blood pressure, temperature and whatever else. I prayed that Mother wouldn’t get upset at the mere site of them. She did a little but I calmed her fears. Also, I advised the staff not to say trigger words, i.e. hospital, surgery, shots, because they would get or make Mother upset. Each complied. Sometimes when new staff came on duties, they would make the mistake of saying one of these words before glancing at the board where it was noted not to…