Transition continued...

Tuesday, May 19
When I arrived at The Harbor, I was greeted by one of the staff who told me that Mike had eaten 2 breakfast plates and had just walked down the hall. I went in search, but couldn’t locate him. With the help of another staff member, he was found in someone else’s bathroom. (they do all look mostly the same, after all.)

When Mike was ready, we went to the other wing to play Bingo. Mike did well and after seeing me help another woman at the table, he would watch and try to help also. Filling the entire card was the last game of the morning and Mike was the first to fill his card. A prize is given for the last game and Mike picked a purple elephant. We took the elephant back to his room and I noticed that he had someone else’s slippers on. I saw one of his slippers on his dresser and found the other one in his roommate’s side of the wardrobe. I had been told that Mike’s roommate likes shoes and various odd ones do show up amongst his things. Evidently it presents quite a challenge to the staff to try to keep the right clothing and shoes with their respective owners. Ah well – small stuff in the scheme of things.

After getting Mike’s walking shoes on, we took a walk in the courtyard. Since we were out there, the staff offered to bring Mike’s lunch outside. It was a nice day and so we sat under a Crepe Myrtle and Mike ate about 1½ plates. He was getting tired and I needed to get back to Farmville to return the unneeded furniture before they closed, so Mike went to take a nap and I headed home.


Wednesday, May 20
I called to check on Mike and spoke with C who is very caring and interested in understanding Mike and his ways. (I thought maybe I shouldn’t be putting everyone’s names, since I don’t have permission so will just use initials.) C said Mike was doing fine, they’d had one uncooperative bathroom incident, but she assured me nothing out of their norm. She wanted to know what his “sounds and mumblings” meant and what they could do to help him break out of it. I really appreciate her desire to learn about him and thus be able to work with him as best as they can.

Thursday, May 21
I called and spoke with K who said Mike was being helpful and very sweet with the older residents and at that moment he was sitting with one of the elderly ladies.  I was thrilled to hear that he was being helpful. That will help him so much to have purpose and feel useful. That call made my day!

Wednesday, May 27
I received a call from C informing me that Mike had become agitated that morning and grabbed the arms of one of the staff members. Everyone was fine, but she wanted me to know and see if I had any words of experience to help. As we talked, she mentioned that Mike had been sitting at the table waiting for breakfast and then got up and came to the med cart, where he grabbed the staff member’s arms. That cued me to the problem. Mike is very impatient and it doesn’t take much to get him agitated, especially when food is involved. Thus from our conversation, C determined that it is best to bring Mike after the food has arrived. Again, I so appreciate her desire to understand Mike and alter how they handle him to try to head off these incidents before they happen.

Thursday, May 28
I spent the morning working in the gardens here at home then drove to The Harbor in the afternoon. Mike was sitting in a room across the hall from his own, staring at his bare feet and saying “oooooo”. He had someone else’s shoes and one of his own. Seeing me did nothing to break him out of his “ooooo”. I was finally able to coax him to his room where we found his other shoe. The entire visit, he had a very hard time breaking out of the “oooo”. We were able to read some Scripture and play a couple of games of UNO, but any time there was a lull, the “oooo’s” were right there to fill the void. We were up and down a lot also; he was quite restless.

According to C, the physical therapist had worked with him that day and I think his legs might have been hurting and looked a bit swollen, so C was going to speak with the nurse about giving him a fluid pill. I had him lie down and read for a bit so that I could rub his legs. When I left, he was lying on his bed reading a book.

I stayed with my aunt again and she gave me my first knitting lesson! My first try wasn’t too bad, but what’s that long loop doing there? (Ha!) She started me over again and sent me home with the necessary tools to practice.

Friday, May 29
As soon as I arrived, I could hear Mike was still stuck “oooooo”. He was sitting in the dining room and again was quite restless or anxious. I had brought him a yogurt parfait and he was in that mode of gorging, so eating it was messy. I stayed from about 9-1 and just like Thursday night, he never really broke out of his “stuckness”. His legs were restless so I asked for some OTC pain medicine. I’m guessing that either he’s anxious due to the new place, he’s having pain, or is possibly getting sick. Those are the only possibilities I can come up with that could cause his being stuck and nervous. At lunch, he was really stuffing the food in his mouth and would not listen to my instruction to slow down, so I took the fork and fed him to keep him from choking. He was coughing some throughout the day and so I wondered if he was getting congested. We were able to walk in the courtyard and play Sequence, but the "ooo's" were ever lurking and waiting to come out.

We never could carry on any semblance of a conversation either Thursday or Friday. This is disturbing and disappointing, but since I truly believe God made this move possible, I’m trusting that he’ll settle down in time.  I spoke with the administrator about my thoughts on why he’s acting that way and she said they would keep an eye on him. She also had the nurse check Mike’s lungs to make sure they sounded clear. I received a call from the nurse while I was driving home Friday and she said his lungs sounded fine, but she would inform the weekend staff to keep watch on him.

Friday night I received a call from The Harbor that when they were making their rounds, they found Mike on the floor in his bedroom with a cut on the back of his leg. Of course, they do not know what happened and Mike was not able to tell them. His leg was bandaged and later that evening, he was sleeping peacefully. Before I left Friday, Mike sat on the end of his bed and was trying to scoot himself up to take a nap. I tried to get him to come around to the side, but he would not listen. It could be that he was trying to get out of bed the same way and misjudged the edge.

Saturday, May 30
I called to check on Mike and C said he was still stuck and that yesterday he wouldn’t feed himself at first. Uh oh. Hope I didn’t start something by feeding him. The day I was there, we sat in the sunroom with another couple and the wife of the other couple was feeding her husband. I’m thinking that Mike may be acting out what he is seeing. It may be that starting him on the lower cognition side is not the best for him. I’m not sure that he can differentiate between those who cannot feed themselves and his ability to feed himself. I’ll speak with D about that tomorrow. Is hard to know what will work best with him and will take some time to figure it out. He was feeding himself just fine the first week and joining into the activities.

--------------

The last time I saw my counselor, I was telling her how much I enjoy gardening and how it helps relieve my stress. It is relaxing and therapy to me. However, it is not always possible to work in the garden to relieve stress, so she gave me a coloring book and crayons. Yes, you read right! I thought it was odd at first too, but I have found that it really is relaxing and fun. Gardening is creative and so is coloring. Next time you are stressed and can’t shut your mind up, give it a try. I’ve found that when my mind is racing and worries keep me awake, it is relaxing to color and let my mind slow down.

Since having my first knitting lesson, I’ve found the same is true of knitting. Friday night, before going to bed, I put the You Version Bible app on speaker and listened to the Gospel of John, while knitting. About the fourth chapter, I started to feel sleepy, I finished my row, turned off the Bible and slept deeply.

We all have different stresses in our lives and I am thankful for different ways to diffuse and let go of the stress. I am also thankful for those who have helped me along the way: God, His Word, our families, our church families, friends, doctors, and my counselor. Each plays a part and I am so grateful for each of you.

Philippians 1:2&3

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

Transition to The Harbor

Psalm 146

1 Praise the Lord! Let all that I am praise the Lord.

2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.

4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.

5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, 

whose hope is in the Lord their God.

6 He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever.

7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners.

8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. 

The Lord loves the godly.

9 The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows,

    but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

10 The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.

Praise the Lord!

There have been so many blessings in the past week that it’s hard to know where to start. So I’ll start with praising the Lord for who He is, the many answered prayers & blessings, and thanking each of you for your part in the blessing of answered prayer.

Saturday, May 16, Gayle, Tom and I borrowed Hugh’s truck and headed to Farmville to pick up the furniture I had purchased on Friday for Mike’s room at The Harbor. We arrived in Stanardsville, loaded with furniture, in the early afternoon just as it started to rain. Thankfully we were able to get the furniture unloaded and onto the front porch before it really started. (I say “we” but Tom and Gayle were the heavy lifters.) Everything was either in a box or wrapped in plastic, except for the night stand which was the floor model.

Once in the room, I saw that the headboards I had seen at the top of the beds were actually attached to the wall and I didn’t need the headboard and footboard that I had bought. All I needed was the rails. I had wondered about this after purchasing them, but didn’t follow through with the nudge to clarify, and thus made more work for us. (One day I will learn to ALWAYS listen to the nudge and obey! Oh, stubborn creature that I am!) Once unloaded, we went to the dumpster to discard the cardboard and were then going to go find bed rails at some store. While dumping the boxes, Gayle saw bed rails next to the dumpster. Upon inspection, they were in good shape, just wet from the rain and a bit dirty. Thankfully, Hugh keeps “stuff” in his truck and so we found various things to use to clean the rails off and presto! no need to make a trip to a store! God provided! Once wrapping the returnable items in the plastic from the mattress, we headed back home.

On Monday morning, we arrived at CSH about 9:20 AM with oatmeal & yogurt for Mike. That morning I had emailed Heather and asked if I should bring in a change of clothes for Mike, she said it wasn’t necessary, that he could just keep whatever he was wearing even if it wasn’t his. After signing papers, she brought Mike and two bags of items they thought were his into the visiting room. As soon as he came into the room, he started removing his clothing!  HE didn’t want to keep those clothes! Tom went to the car and brought in his clothes and Mike was relieved to be in his own shorts and t-shirt. While we waited for Tom, Mike ate the oatmeal and Gayle went through the bags. The only things that I recognized were his sweatshirts and jacket. I gave the rest back to Heather.

After getting dressed, he was ready to go, so ate the yogurt in the car. As we were walking to the car, Mike told Tom and me that he had received a letter from the government absolving him from all accidents. (Poor guy, I guess he really thought he was in prison or such.) :-(  We stopped in Colonial Heights and got him a haircut and a new pair of shoes and were on our way. Soon after getting in the car, he asked when we were stopping for lunch. :-) About noon we stopped at a Burger King and he ate a double cheeseburger, fries, side salad, strawberry sundae, drank a Sprite and said he was full. Yay!

Once at The Harbor at Renaissance, we went straight to his room to unpack his clothes. It became a little chaotic as 3 or 4 staff members came in to check Mike’s vitals, his skin, give us guidance regarding Mike’s personal things, and help us with any questions. Mike started to repeat “oooo” (it seems he’s lost the “n” lately so doesn’t say “no” just “o” now) I told him everything was alright and in a bit he laid back on his bed and looked at a magazine while I spoke with Amanda, the activities director. She was helping us because Liesa and Denise were on a conference call. Mike is in a semi-private room with his own dresser and night stand. He shares a divided wardrobe with his roommate. He is starting out on the Skyline side which is the lower cognition unit, but Liesa believes he will quickly transition to the Blue Ridge side. They are flexible; however, and will settle him on whichever side he seems to like the best. In the picture at left, Mike is reviewing the daily schedule. They have quite a bit going on each day. The photo on the right is in the cognition area. Mike saw a stack of magazines and sat down to read.

Next we took Mike on a tour of the facility. We walked through both wings of the building, viewed the cognition area, passed through the Parlor and the courtyard/garden, ending up in the dining area just as the afternoon snack was being served. Mike sat down and had a bag of chips, graham crackers and orange drink. Now it was time for me to go sign papers and the residents were going to do an activity. Gayle and Tom stayed with Mike while I went with Liesa to her office. Eventually, I heard Gayle and Tom in the lounge area between the two wings and while Liesa was making copies I poked my head out to speak with them. They said Mike had done an activity on an iPad then they were having aroma therapy. Since he had joined right in, they didn’t want to hover. Once I was finished, I went back to the Skyline unit and Mike was resting on his bed. He told me he had played a game with a ball and he was the “target”. (?) Maybe being the new guy, everyone wanted to throw the ball to him?

He was ready to rest for a while and it was about 4:30, so a good time for us to leave. I told Mike I would be back to see him in the morning. He said OK and bye. That was it! No problems at all. Praise God! Gayle and Tom headed back to Northern Virginia and I went to stay with my Aunt Merle who lives about 40 minutes away.

The transition went so smoothly and I am so thankful for all the prayers from each of you. I am very grateful to Tom & Gayle for taking two entire days to help. Thanks to Hugh for the use of his truck, Heather & Dr. Ebeling for getting the discharge paperwork and physical put through so quickly, and Emily for getting the DAP funds. I believe God had His hand on each and every detail and the Holy Spirit moved among all involved in order to get Mike to The Harbor in record time! I really had not wanted to call nursing homes again, but felt prompted to try, the kindness of one woman telling me of their sister facility, Liesa & Denise being willing to consider a TBI survivor for the first time, Gayle and Tom already planning to come for the weekend, the bed rails by the dumpster, on and on and on God provided.

Today we sang “Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart”. In one verse it says “teach me the patience of unanswered prayer”. As I sang that, I thought of how it seemed our prayers were not being answered for so long, yet all the while God was working and saying “there, there, Jennifer, trust me”. If Mike had not gone to CSH, the DAP funds would not be available to us and we would not be able to afford The Harbor. The hard has yielded the best possible placement for Mike.

I’ll tell you about Tuesday in another post. Sorry it has taken me so long to get this on here, but after three trips to The Harbor in 5 days, and working Wed. & Thurs., my back was aching from all the sitting and I was tired. Friday Mom and I spent the day getting ready for company and yesterday I spent a lot of time working in the flower gardens and getting Media Shout ready for church today. My back is much happier when I can be moving around so after cleaning and gardening it feels much better. Gardening is my therapy. This afternoon I took a nap, sat and read on the porch and took a walk while talking with Kristin. It is so nice to think of Mike and smile, not fret and I'm sure I'll relax even more as time goes by.  I love you and so appreciate all the encouraging posts and emails.

To be continued…

Beautifully smooth

It was a beautifully smooth transition today. Thank you, Lord! I don't have my computer with me, so details later. Just know that Mike did extremely well, entered into the activities, and was resting on his bed when we left. Photos and more will follow in a few days.

On our Way!

Left CSH about 9:45 this morning. Stopped so he could get a haircut and new pair of shoes and now are on I've headed to The Harbor. Woo hoo! Praise God!  Mike is napping, Tom is driving. We'll stop and eat lunch then arrive early afternoon, Lord willing.

Gayle, Tom and I came up Saturday with furniture, so his room is ready. Am bringing clothes today so that Mike can unpack those himself. As soon as he came into the visitor room thus morning, he wanted to put on his own clothes! Don't blame him!

More details later. With love and much thankfulness and rejoicing, Jennifer

God Did It!

God moved the mountain and soon Mike will be living in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains! Woo Hoo! Thank you, Jesus! Praise God! Thank YOU our wonderful prayer warriors! This was truly and totally of God in answer to all of our prayers and in His time!

Here's the story:

I really wanted to get up there this week, so Tuesday I asked Diane if she could take Mom to her doctor's appointment on Thursday (today). She could (thank you, Diane!) so then I called Liesa to see if she and Denise were available to meet today. They were and so we planned to meet at 10AM.  I left the farm at 7:15 and arrived about 9:45 at The Harbor. Stanardsville is a small town and The Harbor is situated on 20 acres of land. As I drove onto the street, it just looked like a residential street. There are 3 facilities owned by the parent company, Grace Retirement Village, all on this one street. The first one is assisted living, then there are single homes, then there is the Rehab facility and then the street dead ends into The Harbor. It is beautifully landscaped, quiet and homey with rolling hills.

There are 2 secure wings, one on either side of a sitting area and the staff offices. One side is for those residents with higher cognition and the other for lower cognition. I think the higher is called Skyline and the lower is called Blue Ridge, but might have them mixed up. Mike will begin on the lower cognition side, but they believe he will soon transition to the higher cognition side. They are flexible; however, and have found that some of the higher functioning residents actually do better living on the lower side, but going to the higher side for activities during the day. Most of their residents are in their 70's or older and have Alzheimer's or some sort of dementia. As you can imagine, it is a much slower and calmer pace than CSH.

First Liesa took me on a tour. It is set up like a typical nursing home. Long wide hall with bedrooms off of each side. Mike will be in a semi-private room. Each room has a sink against the wall by the bedroom door and then two rooms share a bathroom between them. All bathing takes place in rooms at the end of the hall with staff assistance. There is a common area where meals and group activities take place and on the other side of that is a small sunroom. The sunroom looks out on a long beautiful garden, with a windy sidewalk which runs the length of the wing (each wing has this). This is enclosed by a very tall wrought iron fence, so they are secure, but can see out and not feel closed in.

I told Liesa that Mike liked to pull weeds and usually knew a weed from a flower, but....she said they have had patients pull out the plants too, but it's their garden and no big deal. :-)  I also told her Mike wanders around and often goes in other's rooms - she said "they all do that". There was not one thing I said that fazed her in the least. I told her that when Mike was agitated, it often seemed that he was worse with me than with others and she said that is typical with their dementia and Alzheimer patients, as well. 

At the end of the higher cognition hall, they are creating a new area for cognition stimulation and memory activities. I am so excited that they are incorporating newly researched ways of working with their residents to stimulate their brains and keep them active. The Simple C program sounds wonderful and they will soon be adding another program that she thinks will be on a mobile cart that can be wheeled into a residents room. She said this would be especially useful if the resident is agitated. They can stay in their room and a staff member can come in there to work with them. 

After the tour, we met with Denise and talked more about Mike's fall risk and other questions we each had. We all believe that being in a smaller, quieter, slower pace facility will greatly reduce the risk of his falling and I can't see anyone there ever pushing him. We all are aware and unsure of what his behavior will be like, but since their day is so well planned, we hope he'll be busy enough not to get bored or agitated. They will also set him up with Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy as needed which will be covered by Medicare. During their little unplanned time, he can go out to the garden, wander the halls, sit and read in the sunroom, take a nap, or go to the cognitive area. 

After 20-30 minutes, Denise had to go. As Liesa and I continued to talk, I realized that she was not saying "if", she was saying "when Mike comes" and was pulling out papers. I tentatively asked: "Are you saying that Mike is really coming here?" She said: "Absolutely" or "Definitely" something like that and I lost it. I told her of the blog...mustard seed faith....God-sized miracle.....everyone praying. She said: "You've seen our website, so you know we are a faith-based corporation. We've already spoken with Corporate, told them about Mike, how he was a missionary and Central State was not a good fit for him. We all believe that Mike would do well here and that we can help him." I praised God and gave her a hug!!

Now I know EXACTLY why The Madison House did not work out and I am SO VERY THANKFUL that it did not!! I am truly happy for Mike to be going to The Harbor. It is a beautiful area and home and seems every bit as good as a TBI facility and so much less financially! With Mike's SSDI, part of his LTD plus the DAP funding which has already been approved, the financial portion is covered. I just have to get some furniture for his room and Lord willing, we will move him on Monday! My sister, Gayle, and her husband, Tom, are going to go with me to pick Mike up and take him to The Harbor. So exciting! Please, pray all the details get worked out smoothly. I have a thick packet of papers to fill out and a bed, night stand, and dresser to buy. Fun! Praise God!

Lamentations 3:25 & 26

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, 

to the one who seeks him; 

it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

A Really Great Day

I just want to praise God for such a great day! We do have to remember that The Harbor is not a done deal and they have never said they would take Mike yet, but it sure seems that the Lord is moving the mountain out of our way.

So many great things occurred today.

1. I went through a mountain of mail, papers, and stuff and feel that weight significantly lighter.
2. Wrote some emails, notes, and letters that I've had on my list for a while - lighter still. 
3. I made a decision that had to be made regarding some issues with District 19 and now a strained relationship there seems much better - much lighter. 
4. Received the call from The Harbor which seems to be moving in a forward progression - so light I was jumping and squealing!
5. Planted and watered most of the remaining plants that needed to be planted - coming back to earth.
6. Attended a brain injury support group in Midlothian - support from those who know - more lightening.

I had attended a support group in Farmville a few times, but it disbanded. My cousin, PJ, Mike and I went to one in Hopewell one time, but it took over an hour to get there. Just a few weeks ago, I realized that the Powhatan group, actually meets in Midlothian at a church that is an easy drive for me and only about 35 minutes away. (Woodlake UMC off of Rt. 360) I am so glad I went. I felt very comfortable with the group and although I didn't say anything but to introduce myself and state my high & low (everyone did this around the table), it was comforting to hear others express the same frustrations that I feel. The same feelings of being overwhelmed as a conservator, or dreading the mail cause there may be more forms to fill out, bills to pay, hoops to jump through, etc. I'm excited to become part of this group and already look forward to next month when I can go again.

Again, I want to thank my Heavenly Father for a very blessed day filled with hopeful expectations of greater things to come. I'm cautiously optimistic. He has put a new song in my heart today. 

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

He set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in Him.

That would be the best outcome of all - if somehow, through our story, many would come to put their trust in the Lord. I saw a billboard tonight that said "It's all about Jesus." Amen!

The Mustard Seed Sprouts

!!!!I received the call from The Harbor regarding placement for Mike. We are one step closer! They want me to come and visit the facility to see if I think it would be a good fit for Mike and talk more about his fall risk. God is moving!!!!!! I am going next Monday at 10:00AM. Can you tell, the reserve is gone and I am EXCITED!!! It really seems like it is moving in the right direction! The mustard seed is sprouting and hope is budding! PRAISE GOD! Guess I better rein myself in a bit.......not there yet. :-)

Need a God-sized miracle

Matthew 17:20b (NIV)

"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,

 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Finding a good place for Mike seems to be an impossible task, but this Scripture tells us that even with a teeny tiny bit of faith nothing will be impossible. He takes our teeny tiny and can make something tremendous. 

One of Liesa's main concerns was how much Mike has fallen recently and the fact that he doesn't try to break his fall. Heather and I told her we thought it was partly due to not having his glasses and, of course, being pushed by other residents. However, from the reports, he looks like a high fall risk. to me, The Harbor sounds wonderful for Mike, but I know they have to take into consideration their other residents, their ability to keep Mike safe, and their liability. My hope was wavering as we talked. Mike did well, seemed a little....um.....rough around the edges, but relaxed a little as we talked. I had brought yogurt for him and when he was done, I made the mistake of not scraping the sides and giving that to him like I usually do and Heather threw the container away. Mike: "I wanted more!" He'd keep coming back to that, but I apologized and then he let it go.

The Harbor would be further away from here. (Approx. 110 miles) It is just north of Charlottesville, VA in a small town called Stanardsville.  They own 20 acres right in town. She said town consists mainly of a church and a couple of stores, very small. The facility is on a dead-end street, they have a closed in yard/garden area where the residents can plant flowers & vegetables, plus take walks. There are two units in the building both housing approximately 25 residents. There are 3 staff, plus various other personnel (housekeeping, food servers, therapists) on the floor in each unit at all times. There are several male residents, all older than Mike. Visitors are welcome most any time. They do have church services, Bible studies, and special events. The base price is $3,200/month for a semi-private room. Once a level of care is determined, then that fee is added also. Those charges range from $250-$650/month. 

Liesa said she probably won't be able to meet with Denise until Monday morning, so expect to hear from her either Monday afternoon or Tuesday. They have a big Mother's Day event tomorrow and Liesa had a 3 hour drive back today. The way I figure it, we have the weekend to pray for this mountain to be moved, if this is God's will for Mike. In my finite human view, this task can only be accomplished by our Awesome God moving in the hearts and minds and decision-making of Liesa and Denise at The Harbor.

Liesa's husband is a Baptist pastor in Culpeper and they have a mission to children in Appalachia. I want to look it up and hope each of you will also. It's called Hope for Appalachia and every Easter they deliver Hope boxes to the impoverished children of Appalachia and prom dresses for the teen girls. Once a month, they provide food boxes. Last year they had 54 schools request boxes, but did not have enough. I want to keep this in front of my mind and hope we, as a church or family, can help provide boxes next year. This is right here in our state and evidently a huge need.

So with prayers on my lips while clinging to Jesus' hand and my little mustard seed, we will see what the Lord brings about over the weekend. Go with God and thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

11:00 Thursday

Hebrews 11:1 

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for 

and assurance about what we do not see.

Dear Prayer Warriors,
Tomorrow at 11:00 Lisa from The Harbor at Renaissance is coming to evaluate and observe Mike. Please pray that the Lord's will be done. I am trying to remain hopeful, without getting too excited.

Last week, I received a list of nursing homes that have been known to take brain injury survivors. The list originally came from the Brain Injury Association of Virginia (BIAV) but got to me via the social worker at CSH. Last Thursday I started making phone calls. On about the 4th call, I was told that this particular facility did not have any openings, but after my brief description, the representative said they had a sister facility that may actually be a better fit for Mike and was less expensive. She proceeded to give me the phone number and a contact at The Harbor.

I called and spoke with Lisa. After briefly telling her our story, she said they usually don't even consider brain injury survivors, but she would speak with her administrator and get back to me. A few hours later, she called and asked me to have the social worker at CSH fax Mike's history and records to them. Heather was busy on Friday, but Monday was able to send the information. Meanwhile, I had written and faxed a letter to Lisa on Friday giving her some personal information about Mike and a brief summary about his current condition.

Today I received a call from both Lisa and Heather informing me that Lisa will be coming to evaluate Mike tomorrow. Again, I'm hopeful - at least I know the medical records and nurses reports haven't scared them away already. I was not even familiar with this type of facility. It is an assisted living memory care home. The patients there do not need the level of nursing care that a nursing home provides, but all  have some type of dementia, memory loss, Alzheimer's, etc., yet can do many activities of daily living on their own. I still have quite a few questions, but from what I saw online they have a great schedule for the day with different activities & therapies to try to stimulate the brain and engage the residents with periods of quiet time and plenty of snacks! It looks like a homey atmosphere and beautiful outdoor areas for walking and relaxing.

We remain in the Lord's hands and will continue to trust in His ways and time. As always, thank you for your faithfulness to remember and pray for us. You are such a blessing and an encouragement to me. I love hearing from you and knowing how to pray for you also. In Christ's love, Jennifer (& Mike)

Romans 12:12

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Quick note

just a quick note and from my phone so please excuse errors. Another facility is looking over Mike's medical records. they don't usually even consider brain injury survivors, but for some reason decided to take a look at Mike's records.

Please pray if this is a good fit for Mike all will work out. I'm leaving it in the Lord's more than capable hands. More later.