Bill Prueter

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. As many of you reading this know, Bill has had health issues for many, many years. It has only been in recent months, however, that his condition has deteriorated to the point where he is receiving Hospice services almost daily. 

In September of 2016, he had a stroke that affected his right side. While he could still somewhat use his right side, he was limited with muscle weakness and depth perception issues that he was never able to get back.  His speech and word recall was also affected, but had improved somewhat in the weeks following the stroke. In addition, since the stroke he has experienced several small strokes (TIA's) which have caused temporary worsening of symptoms. And, although many of these symptoms resolved, each "episode" has increased Bill's overall weakness.

Up until the stroke, Bill was able to transfer with a lot of assistance. This allowed us to take him out of the nursing home for events or just a drive. The weakness resulting from the stroke, however, made transfers impossible. So, for more than a year now, nursing home staff has had to rely on a Hoyer lift and we have been unable to take him out without renting a wheelchair-accessible van or scheduling with the local para-transit company. This change in mobility severely limited Bill's freedom and, understandably, has caused quite a bit of depression. 

We made the decision in early 2017 to work with a local Palliative Care organization to help us navigate these new realities. Sincera staff was very helpful and did a wonderful job being another set of eyes and ears regarding Bill's care. But despite these efforts, Bill struggled with loss of appetite and lethargy -- symptoms of both the depression and general end-of-life decline. This past summer, following a significant weight loss, Sincera caregivers recommended we switch to Hospice care. The switch would not only offer more services and expertise to help Bill, but would also provide more support to Marjorie who visited Bill daily and lovingly fed him lunch and dinner.

Towards the end of October, Bill had another episode. While we are not sure if it was a full stroke or just another TIA, we do know this event was the turning point that has set us on our current journey. Especially in these recent weeks, several friends and family have been so kind to check in for updates. In order to provide the most information to the most people, we decided this platform would be the best way to update everyone regularly. As always, thank you for caring for Bill and our entire family. Your prayers and well-wishes are most certainly felt and appreciated. They provide us an indescribable hope and a comfort that blesses us daily.