David’s occupational therapist, Casie, is an excellent problem solver. She truly is a gem. Earlier, I told you that she had resolved the problems inherent in giving David a shower. She conducted numerous rehearsals prior to the actual shower. The first shower was a success. Now, the next step is for him to shower independently without any help from the aide or me. That’s another challenge for him.
Meanwhile, Casie trained David to stand at the bathroom sink and brush his teeth. He told her he could only rinse his mouth using a straw and a cup of water. So, she got him a straw from the kitchen, and he was able to rinse his mouth. He was also able to floss his teeth.
Next, he will have to shave at the bathroom sink. Eventually, his paraphernalia will be moved from the dining table to the bathroom. I can’t wait for that to happen.
***
On April 26, Casie trained David to cook his breakfast. He made so many mistakes, because he was disorganized. Casie said the problem was there was no work station. So, she rearranged the kitchen. Note the toaster and egg cooker on the left. The sink is in the middle. And the Keurig coffee maker and Peet’s coffee pods are on the right. This work station is more efficient and will enable David to make his breakfast without too much effort. Also, the microwave and refrigerator are near by, which makes his task easier:
On this first attempt, David could not stand for very long. He felt like his legs were going to collapse. So, Casie brought him his wheelchair, and he prepared the rest of his breakfast while seated:
This was David’s breakfast: A bowl of sliced peaches (which I had prepared earlier), an omelet, 2 slices of toast with strawberry jam, and a cup of coffee. Except for the peaches, he had cooked everything himself. Bravo, David!
So, this was David’s first attempt at cooking a meal since returning home on March 18. His next goal is to bring his food to the table, using his cart. He couldn’t do this initially, because he was in a wheelchair.
Hopefully, David’s stamina will improve, and he will be able to stand and walk normally in the kitchen and elsewhere.
Kudos to Casie for being such a superb problem solver!
gigi-hawaii 
April 29, 2024 at 12:07 am |
Bravo to David and Casie! 🙏❤️😃👍🌹🌷🎆
April 29, 2024 at 12:42 am |
That seems like an awful lot of food for a man who gets barely any exercise. It’s more than I eat, by far, and I am very active and walk several kilometres most days. It seems like a recipe for weight gain and further difficulties.
April 29, 2024 at 4:23 am |
He likes to eat.
April 29, 2024 at 10:56 am
I feel that this meal is less than 500 calories. That is my goal for breakfast. My daily goal is 2000 calories or less.
April 29, 2024 at 11:16 am
I think you are a little light at less than 500 calories. The bread would be 260. Three eggs 220 calories plus any oil or butter they may have been cooked in, the jam looks like about 75 calories worth and at least 50 calories for the peaches and that comes to 585 calories. Not a huge amount, but combined with inactivity it may be too much. Obviously the decision is entirely up to you, as it should be.
April 29, 2024 at 1:16 am |
I am also curious. Unless it’s part of a recovery programme and therapeutic in nature, why don’t you just make breakfast for him?
April 29, 2024 at 4:22 am |
He has to be independent.
April 29, 2024 at 5:15 am
I agree that even though it is easier and much faster for Gigi to make his breakfast, David needs to be independent. If Gigi were to get sick he needs to be able to help her.
April 29, 2024 at 1:17 am |
…the world needs more people like Casie! Last night on 60 Minutes they had a story about the Pearl Harbor jet fuel storage disaster!
April 29, 2024 at 4:22 am |
Yes, I saw it, too. Excellent!
April 29, 2024 at 2:27 am |
This is great to hear Gigi. It will certainly take a load off your shoulders
This medical ‘episode’ will have taken all David’s confidence away so the idea to rehabilitate as well as motivate David is a great one. With his determination – Casie’s knowledge and encouragement as well as your support- he’ll be well on the way to recovery. He’ll definitely not achieve that by sitting about doing nothing and being waited on hand and foot.
April 29, 2024 at 4:21 am |
Exactly.
April 29, 2024 at 2:37 am |
Jeez. The things that we take for granted can become so difficult.
April 29, 2024 at 2:59 am |
This is wonderful news Gigi and David should always be conscious of falling again, good idea to have wheelchair nearby.
April 29, 2024 at 3:16 am |
Casie sounds pretty awesome, David looks like he’s eager to be more self sufficient and Gigi that’s great that you let someone into your kitchen like that. Sounds like a win-win-win to me. 👍👍👍
April 29, 2024 at 4:27 am |
This is fabulous, a real step toward independence! I need a Cassie, lol. I love that she reorganized the kitchen to make meal preparation easier. And I am impressed at how quickly she is working toward total independence in the bathroom/personal care too. You have a gem working with David. In my personal experience with family members, we were pretty much left on our own to come up with methods not nearly as helpful. I am sure it is exhausting to David to adapt to new ways to do things, but you guys are so impressive in how fast you are accomplishing goals.
April 29, 2024 at 4:33 am |
Thanks to Casie, David is improving daily.
April 29, 2024 at 6:04 am |
Casie seems to be an absolute treasure, she is evidently helping David a lot by teaching him how to help himself. Have a good week, hugs!
April 29, 2024 at 7:36 am |
What a good physical therapist. (occupational?) She is really helping David retrain the way he does things. And, yes, he should not depend solely on you. Keep up the good work.
April 29, 2024 at 8:16 am |
Casie is the occupational therapist, and Katie is the physical therapist.
April 29, 2024 at 9:43 am |
You are both so very lucky to have an excellent OT. And hooray for maintaining some independence.
April 29, 2024 at 11:04 am |
I am doing my best to recover as fast as possible. I read it usually takes a year for full recovery. I hope to meet or exceed that goal.
April 29, 2024 at 12:52 pm |
First of all, David seems to be doing great with Casie’s guidance, and we must not forget you either Gigi. Being a full-time caregiver saps the energy tremendously. I’m sure David is very grateful for all you do for him. I’m very impressed with what you say about Casie, she certainly is a first-class occupational therapist. I know these things take a lot of time, being in hospital as long as David was, can make a person as weak as a kitten. More power to him for what he is doing, and I do wish him a speedy recovery.
April 29, 2024 at 5:12 pm |
My friend uses to say there is a time for everything. I am happy for you you found this gem to help making your David more independent again! It must be so hard to not be. I only know this in mini-bits like when I broke my arm and even that was very uncomfortable. Or when Ingo needed help…. so: Yay to any progress!
April 30, 2024 at 1:42 am |
There is surely a lot of positive feedback in the previous comments (save one) and it is clear that Cassie is helping David and you, Gigi, in so many ways especially with gaining more independence and confidence. Progress may seem slow at first, but still things are moving along.
April 30, 2024 at 3:25 am |
Apart from the convenience of being able to do things for himself and not have to rely on others, I’m sure that being able to do these basic things (that aren’t so easy under the circumstances) really help add to his confidence and his self-esteem. There’s nothing more frustrating that feeling helpless and if you can do things without asking for a lot of help, it just boosts you up. Cassie sounds like a marvelous therapist and her efforts are helping you both!