Ron Lee

Family & Friends - 

Hi everyone...hope all is well.  

.  Here's the scoop...

 

Friday August 10th, Dad came down with an Urinary Track Infection (UTI).  On the surface a UTI is not too big of a deal.  Unfortunately with older folks and his MS it really made him weak and lethargic.  He could not even stand on his own, so we took him to the ER last Friday night.

 

Just for a little background on how Dad's been doing the past year, the MS has continued to progress (he has very little muscles left in his legs).  This along with his age (turning 80 this December), he's been pretty much getting around via a wheelchair.  Also, he's had a little dementia set in and gets confused easily.  He can usually get up on his own via a walker and get into a car with help.  But to go anywhere over 20 feet, he needs his wheelchair 90% of the time.  He has good days and bad with the biggest challenge in the night time when he has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  This is when we have the biggest risk of falling (received 9 stitches in his head a few months ago)...even with my mom helping most of the time.  

 

My mom has been an absolute rock throughout this and is providing care for him 24/7.  Nicci, Terri & I are there too, but Mom has been on point and it's been wearing on her.  The good news is that his spirits are very strong and he never complains about anything.  The tough news is that we are entering that stage where we are going to have to get more external professional support.  We are currently researching what will work best for both of them.  BTW...Mom still goes at 100mph and wears out the girls when they're together, but we need to keep her health up as well and start minimizing her stress.

 

Back to the recent events...he stayed at the hospital for 3-night (x-apple-data-detectors://2) while they gave him antibiotics and got him a little healthier.  That said, he still was pretty weak and could not stand on his own.  So on Monday, he was transferred to a Skilled Nursing Facility to get him stronger so he can return home.  We lucked out and got him into a facility in Los Gatos called the Terraces of LG.  It's 5 miles from their home and very close to Nic's place.  While there, he is going through both Occupational and Physical Therapy daily.  The first night there was rough as it was very unfamiliar surroundings, but he's doing better and he seems to be a little more focused on getting his strength back.  At first, we were hoping it would take maybe a week to get him strong enough to return home, but it may take longer.  During this time, we are researching long term care either at home or a facility that will work best for both of their needs.  

 

Sorry this took me a bit to update everyone and I hope this finds everyone well.  Again, Dad's spirits are good and he enjoys interacting with people.  For those who are close and want to say hello, I'm sure he'd enjoy a visit...again, keep in mind he gets confused easily.  If anyone has any questions, feel free to give me a call on my mobile at anytime.  Apologies for the long email and appreciate any and all warm thoughts.  Below are our contact info:

Ron - The Terraces of Los Gatos, Room 15B, 800 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos, CA (x-apple-data-detectors://4/0)Coreen - (M) 408-529-6162 (tel:408-529-6162)Cary - (M) 415-672-5549 (tel:415-672-5549)Nicci - (M) 408-313-9582 (tel:408-313-9582); Terri - (M) 980-5105 (tel:980-5105); 
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