October 2018
This has been a crazy month! It started while I was at work with a phone call from the aide at Gables who said that Dad had a fever and had fallen, she then casually mentioned that his O2 stats were in the low 80's. She also mentioned that they had called the nurse to come in and check on him. I wasn't too worried until she mentioned his low oxygen, but was anxious to hear from the nurse. A few minutes later the nurse called and said that his O2 sats were at 78 and she couldn't get them higher. He was also acting very tired. She recommended that we take him to the hospital. I jumped in my car and called Robin to tell her that I would meet her at Gables. When I got there 40 minutes later I found Dad laying on the sofa, he was acting totally lethargic and his O2 was at 68. We maneuvered him into a wheelchair with the help of the aide and got him into the car. He could not help at all. He was extremely confused, weak, and lethargic. He didn't make any sense when he talked and he had very little control over his legs. Luckily the hospital was only a couple of blocks away.
They took him right into a room in the ER and placed a pulse oximeter on his finger. It came back that it was too low to read! Immediately they placed him on 3L of oxygen and his numbers started climbing back to a normal range. To make a long story short, it was decided that Dad had pneumonia and should spend the night in the hospital. Robin and I had a very long time to talk about Dad, about how we thought he would want to spend of his life. We instructed the staff at the hospital that we didn't want anything more than comfort cares for dad while he was in the hospital, only antibiotics and oxygen, and pain medication if he needed it. We also called Roxane and Ashley and together we decided that when dad was released from the hospital we would begin the paperwork to have dad put on Hospice.
Interestingly enough, dad bounced back extremely fast! By the next morning he was pretty much like his own self, with the exception of the weakness in his legs. He was still on oxygen, but only 1-2 L and keeping the sats about 90%. Around 10 the hospitalist came in to talk to us. She was brutally honest and blunt, but I appreciated it (on the other hand, Ashley said she felt like punching her because she was so blunt!) She asked which one of us was the Power of Attorney to make medical decisions for dad. When I told her that I did, she pointed at me and said, "You are the one that I will be talking to. Your sisters can listen and ask questions, but your dad gave YOU and ONLY YOU the right to make decisions for him, so you now need to make the decisions based on what you feel he would want if he could communicate effectively. Even if your sisters disagree, YOU have been given the power to make the decisions, not them". WOW, talk about pressure! Thankfully we had already spoken and were pretty much on the same page. The doctor then told us that we were not providing comfort measures only with Dad, the antibiotics and oxygen were actually treatments that could prolong his life. She said that she would do whatever we wanted, but we needed to decide right then if we were going to do comfort measures only or if we were going to aggressively treat him. If we decided to do comfort measures only, we would discontinue the oxygen and antibiotics and take him back to Gables that morning. It was a very rough decision, but knowing that dad did not want any measures to prolong his life, we pulled all of the tubes and took him back to his home.
Before we left the hospital we started the ball rolling to get dad enrolled in Hospice. The rest of the day was spent rearranging his room to bring in a hospice bed, filling out paperwork, meeting with the Hospice staff and enjoying time with Dad and my sisters, He was extremely weak, but in very good spirits. Unfortunately with the weakness in his legs he lost the ability to balance and was now destined to spend his time in a wheelchair - something he hated.
Because of all of the "fun" we were having with Dad, I ended up missing all of the General Conference sessions on Saturday. This was not a good day to miss Conference since there were numerous announcements made. President Nelson has been very busy since he was sustained! Apparently he feels very strongly about giving the saints opportunities to gain more growth and has counseled with the Lord and his counselors in instigating changes so that we may gain that growth.
In Conference President Nelson spoke of the importance of the making sure that Christ's name is associated with the name of the Church. “For much of the world, the Lord’s Church is presently disguised as the ‘Mormon Church.’ But we as members of the Lord’s Church know who stands at its head: Jesus Christ Himself,” President Nelson said. “I realize with profound regret that we have unwittingly acquiesced in the Lord’s restored Church being called by other names, each of which expunges the sacred name of Jesus Christ!” These nicknames include “LDS Church,” “Mormon Church” and “Church of the Latter-day Saints.” With each of these names, President Nelson said, “the most glaring omission is the absence of the Savior’s name. … When we discard the Savior’s name, we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us — even His Atonement.” We were instructed that from this point forward we are always to address this church with its full name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
With the emphasis of the name of Christ's Church, the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir changed its name to “The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.”
The biggest change emphasizes the fact that many of us have been relying on instruction during the Sunday meetings in our to teach our families and ourselves the information necessary to have a testimony of Christ. Here is the report from the Church Newsroom:
Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, opened the faith’s 188th Semiannual General Conference by announcing a “new balance and connection between gospel instruction in the home and in the Church.” It is part of an effort “to strengthen families and individuals through a home-centered and Church-supported plan to learn doctrine, strengthen faith, and foster greater personal worship,” he said.
“As Latter-day Saints, we have become accustomed to thinking of ‘church’ as something that happens in our meetinghouses, supported by what happens at home,” he continued. “We need an adjustment to this pattern. It is time for home-centered church, supported by what takes place inside our branch, ward, and stake buildings.”
Immediately following President Nelson’s Saturday morning remarks, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed the global audience and provided details of the forthcoming adjustments.
“The Sunday meeting schedule will be adjusted in the following ways, beginning in January 2019,” Elder Cook said. “The Sunday Church meetings will consist of a 60-minute sacrament meeting each Sunday, focused on the Savior, the ordinance of the sacrament, and spiritual messages. After time for transition to classes, Church members will attend a 50-minute class that will alternate each Sunday. Sunday School will be held on the first and third Sundays. Priesthood quorums, Relief Society, and Young Women meetings will be held on the second and fourth Sundays. Meetings on the fifth Sunday will be under the direction of the bishop. Primary will be held each week during this same 50-minute period and will include singing time and classes.”
So - in January we will no longer have a church block that is three hours long, it will now be only two hours - BUT, we are not to waste that other hour. We are to use it to study and learn more about Christ. Further instruction from the First Presidency gave us information about a textbook called, "Come, Follow Me - for Individuals and Families" where we can be guided to study and prepare, and then the lessons on Sunday will build upon it. Honestly, I'm pretty nervous about the change, mostly because I like being taught on Sundays. I am lazy about taking the initiative to study on my own. It puts a lot of pressure on parents and grandparents. However, I totally support and sustain our prophet so I will do my best.
I wasn't planning to go to the ward Halloween party and Chili Cook-Off this year because Kim was working, but Kalel talked me into going. I'm glad that I did. I had a really nice chat with Julie Elegante and then Jodi dragged me into the spook alley. She knows that I am a screamer and the loves to put me through the torture! She grabbed Carol and I and away we went. Yes, I screamed everytime someone jumped out at me or touched my legs - and then I was branded and EVERYONE started scaring me!
The weather was beautiful and the pumpkins were plentiful so we staged a great photoshoot for Kalel and Kiaya. I believe that they turned out perfectly! Such cute kids! I'm so lucky that I have these wonderful grandkids, I just wish that Ish could have been here too. I miss that kid!
Our annual Pumpkin Carving night was another success! Kalel chose to do a minion, Shandra did Groot from "Guardians of the Galaxy" I chose to do a minion also. Kim changed up his game and this time did a very standard-looking Jack-O-Lantern. Kiaya just relaxed inside of a pumpkin!
Kim decided that he wanted to pick up some more rocks from his mom for our rock garden. As expected, Joan insisted on joining us outside so that she could reminisce about each rock, telling us what kind it was and where she and Ross had gotten it. She sure does love those rocks! It is so fun to see her face as she tells her stories! Priceless.
Well, we (my co-workers and I) were surprised one morning when we were called into a meeting with our CEO. He told us that the owner of Eagle Gate College had decided to retire and we were being sold to a company out of California named Unitek College. Unitek has seven campuses in California and they also specialize in nursing education. Because the laws differ in California, they are only able to educate associate level nurses and they are thrilled that our program is for BSN nurses. Chuck, the CEO, ensured us that our faculty would remain the same and that there wouldn't be a lot of changes for the time being. I'm excited, yet cautious, I hope it turns out to be a good thing.
Robin and Ashley, along with their families, and Kim and I took gifts and pumpkin pie down to Gables to celebrate Dad's 85th birthday. He was in very good spirits and even joined in singing Happy Birthday to himself! I got him a book of old cars that he seemed to enjoy and Robin got him a calendar of classic motorcycles. He really liked that! I think it was easier to hold than the book.
They took him right into a room in the ER and placed a pulse oximeter on his finger. It came back that it was too low to read! Immediately they placed him on 3L of oxygen and his numbers started climbing back to a normal range. To make a long story short, it was decided that Dad had pneumonia and should spend the night in the hospital. Robin and I had a very long time to talk about Dad, about how we thought he would want to spend of his life. We instructed the staff at the hospital that we didn't want anything more than comfort cares for dad while he was in the hospital, only antibiotics and oxygen, and pain medication if he needed it. We also called Roxane and Ashley and together we decided that when dad was released from the hospital we would begin the paperwork to have dad put on Hospice.
Interestingly enough, dad bounced back extremely fast! By the next morning he was pretty much like his own self, with the exception of the weakness in his legs. He was still on oxygen, but only 1-2 L and keeping the sats about 90%. Around 10 the hospitalist came in to talk to us. She was brutally honest and blunt, but I appreciated it (on the other hand, Ashley said she felt like punching her because she was so blunt!) She asked which one of us was the Power of Attorney to make medical decisions for dad. When I told her that I did, she pointed at me and said, "You are the one that I will be talking to. Your sisters can listen and ask questions, but your dad gave YOU and ONLY YOU the right to make decisions for him, so you now need to make the decisions based on what you feel he would want if he could communicate effectively. Even if your sisters disagree, YOU have been given the power to make the decisions, not them". WOW, talk about pressure! Thankfully we had already spoken and were pretty much on the same page. The doctor then told us that we were not providing comfort measures only with Dad, the antibiotics and oxygen were actually treatments that could prolong his life. She said that she would do whatever we wanted, but we needed to decide right then if we were going to do comfort measures only or if we were going to aggressively treat him. If we decided to do comfort measures only, we would discontinue the oxygen and antibiotics and take him back to Gables that morning. It was a very rough decision, but knowing that dad did not want any measures to prolong his life, we pulled all of the tubes and took him back to his home.
Before we left the hospital we started the ball rolling to get dad enrolled in Hospice. The rest of the day was spent rearranging his room to bring in a hospice bed, filling out paperwork, meeting with the Hospice staff and enjoying time with Dad and my sisters, He was extremely weak, but in very good spirits. Unfortunately with the weakness in his legs he lost the ability to balance and was now destined to spend his time in a wheelchair - something he hated.
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| Four generations. Archie, Audrey, Shandra, Kalel, and Kiaya |
In Conference President Nelson spoke of the importance of the making sure that Christ's name is associated with the name of the Church. “For much of the world, the Lord’s Church is presently disguised as the ‘Mormon Church.’ But we as members of the Lord’s Church know who stands at its head: Jesus Christ Himself,” President Nelson said. “I realize with profound regret that we have unwittingly acquiesced in the Lord’s restored Church being called by other names, each of which expunges the sacred name of Jesus Christ!” These nicknames include “LDS Church,” “Mormon Church” and “Church of the Latter-day Saints.” With each of these names, President Nelson said, “the most glaring omission is the absence of the Savior’s name. … When we discard the Savior’s name, we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us — even His Atonement.” We were instructed that from this point forward we are always to address this church with its full name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
With the emphasis of the name of Christ's Church, the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir changed its name to “The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.”
The biggest change emphasizes the fact that many of us have been relying on instruction during the Sunday meetings in our to teach our families and ourselves the information necessary to have a testimony of Christ. Here is the report from the Church Newsroom:
Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, opened the faith’s 188th Semiannual General Conference by announcing a “new balance and connection between gospel instruction in the home and in the Church.” It is part of an effort “to strengthen families and individuals through a home-centered and Church-supported plan to learn doctrine, strengthen faith, and foster greater personal worship,” he said.
“As Latter-day Saints, we have become accustomed to thinking of ‘church’ as something that happens in our meetinghouses, supported by what happens at home,” he continued. “We need an adjustment to this pattern. It is time for home-centered church, supported by what takes place inside our branch, ward, and stake buildings.”
Immediately following President Nelson’s Saturday morning remarks, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed the global audience and provided details of the forthcoming adjustments.
“The Sunday meeting schedule will be adjusted in the following ways, beginning in January 2019,” Elder Cook said. “The Sunday Church meetings will consist of a 60-minute sacrament meeting each Sunday, focused on the Savior, the ordinance of the sacrament, and spiritual messages. After time for transition to classes, Church members will attend a 50-minute class that will alternate each Sunday. Sunday School will be held on the first and third Sundays. Priesthood quorums, Relief Society, and Young Women meetings will be held on the second and fourth Sundays. Meetings on the fifth Sunday will be under the direction of the bishop. Primary will be held each week during this same 50-minute period and will include singing time and classes.”
So - in January we will no longer have a church block that is three hours long, it will now be only two hours - BUT, we are not to waste that other hour. We are to use it to study and learn more about Christ. Further instruction from the First Presidency gave us information about a textbook called, "Come, Follow Me - for Individuals and Families" where we can be guided to study and prepare, and then the lessons on Sunday will build upon it. Honestly, I'm pretty nervous about the change, mostly because I like being taught on Sundays. I am lazy about taking the initiative to study on my own. It puts a lot of pressure on parents and grandparents. However, I totally support and sustain our prophet so I will do my best.
I wasn't planning to go to the ward Halloween party and Chili Cook-Off this year because Kim was working, but Kalel talked me into going. I'm glad that I did. I had a really nice chat with Julie Elegante and then Jodi dragged me into the spook alley. She knows that I am a screamer and the loves to put me through the torture! She grabbed Carol and I and away we went. Yes, I screamed everytime someone jumped out at me or touched my legs - and then I was branded and EVERYONE started scaring me!
 |
| This is our faces as we finally emerged, alive and unscathed! |
The weather was beautiful and the pumpkins were plentiful so we staged a great photoshoot for Kalel and Kiaya. I believe that they turned out perfectly! Such cute kids! I'm so lucky that I have these wonderful grandkids, I just wish that Ish could have been here too. I miss that kid!
Our annual Pumpkin Carving night was another success! Kalel chose to do a minion, Shandra did Groot from "Guardians of the Galaxy" I chose to do a minion also. Kim changed up his game and this time did a very standard-looking Jack-O-Lantern. Kiaya just relaxed inside of a pumpkin!
Kim decided that he wanted to pick up some more rocks from his mom for our rock garden. As expected, Joan insisted on joining us outside so that she could reminisce about each rock, telling us what kind it was and where she and Ross had gotten it. She sure does love those rocks! It is so fun to see her face as she tells her stories! Priceless.
Well, we (my co-workers and I) were surprised one morning when we were called into a meeting with our CEO. He told us that the owner of Eagle Gate College had decided to retire and we were being sold to a company out of California named Unitek College. Unitek has seven campuses in California and they also specialize in nursing education. Because the laws differ in California, they are only able to educate associate level nurses and they are thrilled that our program is for BSN nurses. Chuck, the CEO, ensured us that our faculty would remain the same and that there wouldn't be a lot of changes for the time being. I'm excited, yet cautious, I hope it turns out to be a good thing.
Robin and Ashley, along with their families, and Kim and I took gifts and pumpkin pie down to Gables to celebrate Dad's 85th birthday. He was in very good spirits and even joined in singing Happy Birthday to himself! I got him a book of old cars that he seemed to enjoy and Robin got him a calendar of classic motorcycles. He really liked that! I think it was easier to hold than the book.
He has bounced back from the pneumonia, but he still can't support himself on his weak legs. He is getting harder and harder to understand when he talks. However, he is still very cheerful and happy. We feel so blessed that he is so cheerful. We know that the "girls" (aides) just love him. They are always telling us how much they love having him around. He is easy going and doesn't demand much care or attention. Even though he doesn't communicate well, he still tries to tease them. We love it! I honestly love visiting him. I usually stop on my way home from work each night. Kalel loves to go down too so I take him when I can. Sometimes Robin will take Kalel and Corbin. It is so nice that those boys enjoy being around the elderly.
Comments
How does Joan remember about each rock? Does she write on them? That is amazing!