Frustration Builds As Gene Waits For Her Bed

The Bureaucracy In Health Care. What A System We Have!

The Nursing Home does not accept residents on Friday because if the new arrival has some trouble adjusting, there is a reduced staffing on Saturday or Sunday. Therefore there is no way she could get in until Monday. Unfortunately, when we were unable to move her in on Wednesday, the home made other arrangements so that Monday is booked up for new arrivals.

Tuesday then, is the earliest Gene can move in. This is providing her situation remains stable until then. If her condition changes and she has to stay again in the hospital past Wednesday, we will lose our position in line and must then revert to the one to nine month waiting time. No one knows where she would wait if that happens since we have signed out of Waverly Mansion.

Gene is sleeping now after being awake for two days. When we arrived this morning, they had her bed out in the hall in front of the nurses station. This is because she was so agitated that she was keeping the poor man in her room awake with her talking and activities. They tried all kinds of sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs but to no avail. A hospital is not a restful place. It will be a miracle if her condition doesn't deteriorate before Tuesday.

Gene will need support at the hospital to help keep her on a somewhat even keel. The object is to get her signed in at the Nursing Home. Once she is signed in, she can come back to the hospital at length but will be guaranteed her bed. We have to keep her in good shape until she signs in and it must be before Wednesday.

Meanwhile there are desperately ill people unable to get beds in hospital because of this kind of hold up. It seems like a terrible waste of three days for a hospital bed in the Cardiac Ward that somebody else is dying for.
.
.
.

Time to Move On.

A Carroll Hospital Bed from my old company in new Nursing Home room. Not much room for Gene's own furniture though.
.
I don't usually write about other people's health issues but since this blog was conceived to keep everyone up to date on events and happenings in the lives of Wendy and I, and since I began the story about Wendy's mom a long time ago, I felt this update on her situation was justified.

It has been three years January since Wendy's mom Gene went into Waverly Mansion. She is an amazingly strong woman, especially when you consider that she came from a very large family of 11 other brothers and sisters (almost all of whom she has outlived) and was bedridden as a child for a year or so with rheumatic fever and heart problems ending up with a murmur and arrhythmia that precipitated the installation of a 'pacemaker' a dozen or so years ago.

Now at eighty-five her condition of chronic heart failure and dementia from either previous strokes or Alzheimer's disease, has meant that her general condition is trending downwards. This has been most evident in the past couple weeks. Wendy has been Gene's primary caregiver for at least the last ten years, even though she has been in the retirement home for the past three. It is now apparent that in spite of the extraordinary efforts of the fine people at Waverly, in many cases going beyond their mandated level of patient care, Gene will require, if not twenty four hour nursing care, at least more care than is available at Waverly without adding extra personnel and/or a sizeable amount of supplemental expense.

Last Saturday night, (Feb. 20) Gene was admitted to hospital to deal with swelling of the legs due to a fluid build up. This is just one of the symptoms of her heart failure as the condition progresses. Unfortunately, the underlying condition of heart failure is not reversible, even though the symptoms are. Since Gene is easily stressed by changes to her living environment, Wendy and the Doctor in charge feel that now is the time for Gene to make the transition from retirement home to nursing home and that the transition would be smoother if she was not returned to Waverly, but discharged directly to the nursing home.

Fortunately, as prescribed by our government here in Ontario, Gene is already registered on a list of candidates for admission to the nursing home of our choice. She has been signed up for over three years, so she is at the top of the list. Now we wait to see how quickly a bed becomes available in the Nursing Home. In the mean time Gene waits anxiously in the hospital.

Update:

Just as Gene was to leave the hospital, the tests showed a dangerously low sodium blood level (hyponatremia). This stopped all our plans.

.
.
.

Goodbye Ron!

So long old friend. Click the picture to enlarge. Circle of Friends Christmas Party Dec. 2008

Our good friend Ron,  the husband of 'Circle of Friends' member Pat, passed away peacefully yesterday. He was a gentle and kind man with lots of good stories to tell. He will be sorely missed by all of us.

Visitation Monday Feb. 22 at Forest Lawn Chapel, 2001 Dundas St. E. 11 am to 1 pm. Service at 1 pm with a reception after.

.

.
CLICK HERE to go to a blog in memory of Ron.

.

Welcome Back!

To all those who endured the password through a Google account in order to access this blog  -  I realize that this was an inconvenience at best and I thank you for you perseverance! To the rest of you, who struggled with the password 'crap' and gave up - welcome back!  

The password was integrated into the blog to enable some security to prevent unwelcome readers from accessing on line. You can understand that in this marvelous, wide open world that is the Internet, there are bound to be unsavory types who would take advantage of the information on the blog. (eg. knowing we are away etc.) A few months ago we received an 'odd' phone call from USA. The caller referenced the blog, so my son Tim insisted we put in some form of security. Unfortunately the password effectively stymied most of my friends.


My new plan is to monitor who is visiting this new site. If I notice an unknown reader, I will move on to a new address and you will be notified of the change. Otherwise,  I plan to migrate the blog at an unannounced time every two or three months. I'll send an email each time I change addresses. The blog is not public on the Internet and the search engines have been instructed not to list it. That's why if you do a Google search, you won't find it. Most visitors come by invitation, some stumble upon it. I may have to come up with a different security method if this doesn't work out so I thank you for your patience in advance.


As you can see, there is nothing different on the blog. If you've been away, you've got some catching up to do. Remember, the farther back you go the older the posts get, so you might want to go back first and work forward.

Again, welcome back. I'll try to post something every few days, so check back often.

Cheers
Tim

SURPRISE!

.

One cold morning a few weeks ago Wendy said "I sure wish I had a heated toilet seat!"  Unfortunately Christmas had already passed but when I typed "heated toilet seat" in to eBay, I knew I had to buy one. I was thinking that the next calendar event was Valentine's Day and I don't know whether it was the heart shape of the toilet seat, or just the warm sentiments that are aroused on this special day, but regardless of "suitability", this was to be my Valentine's Day gift to my very special lady, for her own bathroom. After all, it's a gift that keeps on giving (unlike flowers or chocolates) and I figure she'll get a warm feeling when ever she uses it. I hope she'll think of me.
.

Believe it or not, the instructions say the new seat  "is dishwasher safe". I got mine on eBay right from the factory, but here's all the poop from their web page: http://www.heatedtoiletseat.com/
.

.

There Are Many Ways To Make Money On The Internet

My 'bear movie' doesn't look so bad after you view this 'promo' ad:

I think I'll stick to 'stills'.

World's Dumbest Form - All Subversive Organizations Now Must Register

NOTE: No joke is needed at the top of this blog page because the content will steal the show. Read on:

 

Click To Enlarge

I never thought I'd see such a stupid form but this one seems to be the real thing. Could the government of South Carolina be trying to pull off an early April Fool's joke or something? And it even costs $5 to apply!  I know the people of this state are not ALL morons because I have met some really nice people from there. I have a cousin living there and I have always respected her intelligence but then again I have never met one of their politicians. Here's where I got the form:
http://www.schneier.com/ 

My son Tim explained that the form will not seem as dumb to a lawmaker/politician. By having a form and a stiff penalty for non-compliance, the state thus creates another charge that they can lay against the perpetrator.  I doubt though, that Bin Laden or any of his buddies will send one in. 
.

Democracy: Where any two idiots outvote a genius. 

Unknown
.

Wintery Scenes - Wendy Recycles!

If a tree falls in the forest, and it hits a mime, does anyone care? Maybe someone should speak up for him!

.

 

Wendy never lets me put the Christmas tree out for garbage collection. Being the resourceful girl she is, she always has me drag it around to the back yard so it can 'live out its days' looking like any other tree in the garden. She also uses the festive boughs and branches for her squirrel feeder. They've been out there for nearly a month with no snow.This morning, with the light dusting we received, the little tree looked very much at home don't you think? I know the squirrels appreciate her recycling efforts.

Click pic to enlarge

Prescription Eyeglasses From $8 A Pair! Can't wait!

An old snake goes to see his Doctor.

"Doc, I need something for my eyes...can't see well these days".

The Doc fixes him up with a pair of glasses and tells him to return in 2 weeks.

The snake comes back in 2 weeks and tells the doctor he's very depressed.

Doc says, "What's the problem...didn't the glasses help you?"

"The glasses are fine doc, I just discovered I've been sleeping with a garden hose for the past 2 years!"
.

.
Every two years I go to my eye doctor for a check-up. He not only checks my ability to read the eye charts, but also measures the pressure of the eye fluid and examines the retina, looking for things like macular degeneration and other serious things that can develop from the eyes. The images he took of the retinas showed they were healthy and in excellent condition. Happily, the only thing he found wrong was a rogue eyelash that was growing backwards touching my eyeball. I never even noticed it, but he pulled it out and I think I can feel a difference.
. 

I have always had good distance vision so I don't need glasses for that, but I use two different pairs of close-up glasses. One pair to read at about 12" to 15" or so and the other to view my monitor at around 24" to 30" away. We discussed progressive lenses and bifocals because I am always doing a shuffle between reading glasses and another pair for viewing my monitor. Unfortunately, my traditional eyeglass supplier (Dollarama) can't provide a prescription pair so I turned to the internet for help.

My daughter Erin has in the past used a place called Zenni Optical. I think her/our friend Andrew found it. Zenni's 'Regular' prescription glasses cost only $8. WITH standard frames included. You can also order upscale titanium frames, special coatings and extras like clip-ons. This California company takes your money (MC Visa etc.) and places the order in China. In a few weeks, you receive the glasses directly from the manufacturer in Hong Kong. They ship right to your door in Canada for $6.95. She has saved hundreds of dollars. The low price has allowed her to buy multiple pairs from a selection of dozens of styles. 

With my latest prescription in hand, I decided to try my first ever pair of prescription glasses. After talking with the doctor, I ordered progressive lenses. In my case, the total bill came to $49.85 USD and that included a pair of Polaroid clip-ons.  In a few weeks, I'll write about the experience. Here is a review about Zenni Optical, here's a YouTube video and below is my order:

Order id: #970345
Order date: 02-08-2010 2:30:34 PM
Products ordered
SKU Product Item price Quantity: Total
1 pair 4163 Metal Alloy Full-Rim Frame with Spring Hinge
Options/Prescription:
Frame Colors: 11 Silver
AR Anti-Reflection Coating: No Coating
Lens Tint Choices: No Tint
Clip On Polarized 80% Sunshade: 1 pair
OD-SPH: +1.00
OD-CYL: -1.25
OD-AXIS: 73
OD-ADD: +2.25
OS-SPH: +0.75
OS-CYL: -0.50
OS-AXIS: 72
OS-ADD: +2.25
PD-Pupillary Distance: 71*
Prescription and Lens Type: Progressive(No-Line Multi-Focal) -
Prescription Strength: Standard Strength
          
Subtotal:      $42.90
Shipping cost: $ 6.95
Total:         $49.85

*Most times the PD (distance in mm between the two pupils) is not shown on the Rx. You can ask the eye doctor or have a friend measure it. 
.

Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average. Which means you've met your New Year's resolution.
  
    Jay Leno (1950 - )

.

A Tip Or Two About Movies On Your Digital Camera

Dumb Camera:

A man was driving when he saw the flash of a traffic camera. He figured that his picture had been taken for exceeding the speed limit, even though he knew that he was not speeding.

Just to be sure, he went around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed.  Now he began to think that this was quite funny, so he drove even slower as he passed the area again, but the traffic camera again flashed.  He tried a fourth time with the same result. He did this a fifth time and was now laughing when the camera flashed as he rolled past, this time at a snail’s pace…

Two weeks later, he got five tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt…
 

A cruising friend of mine emailed me today and asked if I knew anything about movies on a digital camera as they were planning an Alaska trip soon. She had seen the movie I made about a bear on the side of the road while driving north of Skagway on the way back from the Canadian Yukon on my Alaska cruise last June.

I looked up my Alaska trip files and I found that the 'bear' movie used 8.9 mb. and ran for 1 minute and 10 seconds. This was with the camera set at 30 fps (frames per second) At 30 fps, the picture appears smooth, like a TV picture. You can set the camera for 10 fps which will use 1/3 the memory, but the picture will be more jerky.

Considering that my 6 mega pixel camera uses about 0.26 mb per picture, this movie used up the space of about 36 pictures. In other words at 6 mega pixels I get about 4 full resolution pictures per megabyte.

If you have a 2 gig chip, it will hold  about 650 pictures or 18 minutes of movies at 30 fps.

I don’t know about you, but I take over two thousand pictures on a trip so I travel with 4 to 6 x 2 gig. chips. I used to download them to my tablet computer, but now with the price of a 2 gig chip down to $10 -$15 it might be easier not to bother with the tablet. Get a few chips, they don't weigh anything or take up hardly any room in your luggage. Back them up on your computer as soon as you get home.  Start a new file, titled and dated for the trip. If you don't, you'll never remember what you have. I've included a screen shot of what my Alaska trip file looks like.

Practice using the movie feature on your digital camera. You never know when you are going to get that ‘once in a lifetime’ shot and sometimes a movie tells it best.

Here's my 'Bear' movie. Not professional but definitely shows the bear! 
Panasonic DMC-FX9 6 mp Camera





I still need the camera because it is the only reason anyone is talking to me.
Annie Leibovitz

BWTM

But Wait There's More:

By way of an update, Wendy and I went to Kelseys and had... you guessed it, wings. Today was their half price deal. We were trying to figure out the last time we were here and the best we could do was that it was 18 to 20 years ago so you wouldn't call us 'regulars'. I do plan to return again on a Thursday because the wings were right up there, rated at maybe an 8 or 9. The half price special for Thursdays is, according to Colin (our waiter) ongoing.
.

Health food makes me sick.
  Calvin Trillin (1935 - )

.

Winter Depletes Vitamins B and C

It hasn't been real bright around here. Fishing boat in Port Stanley Harbour. Click on the pic,

View out our back door in London
 .
The dull weather of January has my body craving for vitamins B and C which as everyone knows comes from Beer and Chicken wings.  Then of course there’s also a deficiency of the little known vitamin BS which always comes with Beer and Sunshine. In conjunction with my SAD Light Project, in the name of better health, and in an effort to maintain my sanity, Wendy and I headed out on or quest for ‘cut rate’ chicken wings. I scoured the Internet for specials on the tasty morsels.

I came up with an on-going Tuesday special at Crabby Joes Tap and Grill for 39¢ ea. (with a beer order.) The other special is conveniently held on Thursdays at Kelseys Bar where they offer wings at half price in celebration of their 30th Anniversary. These nicely spaced wing specials coincide with one of my favorite nice-weather spots - Stokes Bay in Sarnia, which offers half price wings on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well. We go there by dinghy usually. Also, in the summer, we enjoy the 'two for one' wing special at Dave's Clubhouse the outdoor deck at the Oakwood Golf Course in Grand Bend on Thursdays. So there we have it - Wing Specials in the drab days of winter, that co-ordinate nicely with my summer venues.

The wings at Crabby Joe's didn't seem really fresh. I doubt if I'll buy them again.

The wings at Crabby Joe's were not the greatest, maybe I'll try Kelsey's Thursday. Anyway, the draft beer was good and my body is beginning to come back in balance. Now I just need a tan!
.
Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps. Tiger Woods

.

Virus Scanning Web Site Could Save You Hours And Your Valuable Files

This site is good if you are in doubt about an email.  http://www.virustotal.com/metodos.html Instead of relying on your single virus program (that could be out of date) the on line program checks the email with 40 or so virus up-to-date checking programs. They also provide uploading for software programs you may have found on the internet. It returns a performance report so you can confidently open the mail (or run/download a program). 

If you are serious about preventing damage to your computer and valuable files, you should bookmark this site and use it regularly.

.
My computer beat me at checkers, but I sure beat it at kickboxing.
Emo Philips

.

When Not In Florida, Do As In Florida!

The weather lately has been very 'blah'. I'm not sure if my SAD light experiment is helping or not, but I was talking with friends in Florida and my thoughts turned to chicken wings and draft beer, Since a journey to Florida is not in the cards for now, Wendy and I decided to pay a visit to Joe Kool's bar, where, except for the temperature outside, (and the price of beer) the environment was fairly similar to what we'd be doing if we were there. We took a window seat and quite enjoyed a Sunday lunch. Alas, not quite the same as being there.

The wings are excellent at Joe Kool's.
.
Between two evils,  I always pick the one I never tried before.

Mae West
.
.

It's Time To Remind You About Freezing Your LCD

Modern art or a new doorstop? Not pretty when it's your expensive electronic gadget.

Don't forget to bring your cameras and other LCD devices inside in the really cold weather. I don't know if a Garmin GPS could freeze and break, but I'm not taking the chance. I've brought it inside. Click here to look at last year's blog entry to see what happened to Erin's camera.

Whether you are using your camera in very cold weather or very hot, your camera can fog up when you go from one extreme to the other. This fog can obscure your images and is due to moisture condensing on the lens. In the worst case scenario the moisture can short out and damage the device's delicate circuitry. To prevent this from happening, I carry a zip lock bag with me. Place the camera inside the bag when you go from one temperature extreme to the other. The condensation will form harmlessly on the outside of the bag until the camera becomes acclimatized. I have used this method successfully when cruising in very hot, humid climates.  The problem can arise when you leave a cool, air conditioned ship and head ashore for an excursion. Use the zip bag too, when getting in and out of an air conditioned car or bus. Until I figured this out, I lost quite a few good photos to moisture.


.
. In tough situations, ask yourself, "What would Curly do?"