DAYS OF OUR LEAVES

My fair view of Grand Central Parkway will soon be terminating.  Knowing when you’re checking out of this nursing and rehab center is important in order to look towards changes that I may have to make in my home as well as what equipment will be provided and what you would have to purchase. What will Medicare pay for? I am first told that I will be leaving on the 15^th but a few days later get info from the PA saying, “2-3 weeks”.  I am not going to be cured so, what will an extra week or so make a difference?

It is Wednesday the 6^th when a podiatrist finally comes to visit.  A rehab person had put a little too much pressure on my toes when stretching some muscles and seemed to have injured one of my toes where it would hurt when walked.  I didn’t get that it was broken, but perhaps sprained.   He wanted to get an x-ray taken.  As he is examining my feet I tell him about what occurred.   He is cutting my toe nails.  I wonder what Medicare gets charged to have a podiatrist cut you toe nails vs. having a pedicure. 

Just afterward he asks, “How did you injured yourself?”  I repeat the scenario realizing  that he must have zoned out when I told him.  He comments on discoloration in the lower portion of my legs saying that he would be ordering a certain test.  I look up the name of the test and remember that I had this test done within the first two days of being at the hospital. 

I do tell someone but a person shows up on Thursday anyway as I tell them not to do it.  They did not explain that it was a different test.  More so I question the timing.  Doctors and nurses here have seen the discoloration as early as over a month ago, so why test now?  Another Medicare charge.

Report on toe, I am told that it is degenerative.  If so, why did I not experience the pain prior to the manipulation? Why did a nurse visit me two days later wanting to bandage it?

I am so looking forward to doing my own cooking.  Saturday night dinner was “pizza and a chef’s salad”.  The pizza was two pieces of mini pita pocket with jarred sauce and some small of amount of some sort of cheese.  The chef’s salad was no different from the normal iceberg lettuce salad.  No hard boiled egg or any sort of meat.   Why even call it a “chef’s salad”?  The alternate was a tuna wrap but they said they already ran out of them.  In the long run I was able to get a tuna platter.  What was so difficult in taking the tuna and making into a wrap?

Mother’s Day menu. You would think that they would want to show off a bit since many people would be coming to visit their mothers.  Roast turkey…deli turkey with pre-package gravy.  Herb stuffing…more like a mystery stuffing.  Corn bread….not.  Mother’s Day cupcake…oy vey.  

Dinner was totally inedible.   Fettucini Alfredo was like paste.  Sauce from a jar and totally tasteless.  Sauteed Zuccchini. Heavens knows what it was sautéed with and tasted awful.  Chocolate pudding that came out of a can and no sweetness.  I think they gave me the diabetic one, despite instructions of “no diabetic food”. 

Back to leaving. I call the social services person and told that LIJ will be getting back with me on both rehab and aide.  But she doesn’t know when. WHAT? I have to know about the aide so that I can inform Access-A-Ride as other things that need to be planned the day I get home.  Will the PA get the people she promised to talk with me the next day?  Will I leave when planned?  Will my blood pressure rise? Stay tuned for the next episode of Days of Our Leaves!

VIEW OF FAIR GETTING DIMMER

My view of this fair nursing home and rehab center in Forest Hills gets dimmer by the day.  It is last Wednesday when I again ask when they intend to release me.  Aside from the problems with the food, lack communication and keeping agreements, I need to know how to prepare my home in regards to any needed medical equipment including a stair lift.  I am told that they will be meeting the next day with different staff members. 

Thursday passes and I call the Patient Advocate.  I am not clear who exactly makes the decision but much is based on the findings in physical and occupations therapy.

Friday morning my favorite aide Cena tells me that I have to be out of the room by 9am as electricians will be doing work in the rooms.  Quick breakfast, wash up, dress and time for therapy.  I am told that I will be going straight to the main dining room for lunch.   Back up to my room and find a dirty paper plate in my garbage.  An electrician must have eaten in my room.  Did he sit on my bed, my chair? Why was he even eating while on the job?

I call down to talk with staff.  A few minutes later there is a man standing in the entrance to my room.  He does not knock as instructed.   He is carrying a full plate of food.  I comment about someone eating in my room.  He apologizes and says that he stopped by to see if he left anything in the room.  Really? How was he going to be looking with his hands full?  It is a corner room way down the hall and perfect to slip into and chomp down one’s food.   I decide to wheel myself out and look for him to confront.   They all took a lunch break, I’m told.  Free lunch obtained from the kitchen and use the time for other than lunch.

I spoke with everyone I could as it occurred to me that if they saw no harm in eating in the patient’s room, what else would they think of getting away with?  I pressed the issue until the person that hired the company called their boss. 

Now the Patient Advocate and her assistant show up in my room.  We talk about what occurred and the PA says to me. “By the way, I have good news and bad news, but I’ll come back later to talk with you about it.”  She never returns and now it is the weekend and the administrative staff are off.  OMG. She is leaving me with these thoughts.   Why would she be taking this position and do this?   I am feeling hopelessness, filled with lies and weekend of crummy food. She calls in sick on Monday.

I am clear that the weekend kitchen staff wants to do as little work as possible for their money.  I must commend the nursing staff, therapists and many of the aides that do take pride in their jobs.   Without the excellent therapy staff, I wouldn’t be able to walk and go home in less than two weeks as I finally find out.  So they say.

Incidentally, some wonderful staff member brought me some Arroz Caldo for breakfast.  I must now seek out a Filipino restaurant to write about. 

FAIR ON VIEW BUT NOT THE FOOD

When you are paying for the meals at a nursing or rehab facility, what can or should you expect?  One such facility located in Forest Hills serves “institutional food” as many others.  Here is how it works. You first speak with the nutritionist about allergies as well as likes and dislikes.   They give you a sheet of paper with the menu for the week.  It took me a while to learn as the communication and keeping of agreements here has become impossible. 

I checked in 3 weeks ago and although the state of my knee problem has improved, other things have not.

Being a kosher facility, I knew not to expect pork or shellfish nor milk coming with a meal with meat.  Let’s begin with the mashed potatoes.  They are clearly from a box and nothing will disguise it. I have it listed not to serve it to me, but it still comes even when the paper coming with it says, “no mashed potatoes”.  Then there are those white potatoes that come from a can with some sort of additives or preservatives.  Potatoes are not an expensive item. Too much work to peel and cut?  Just scrub and bake them!

I always order a hard boiled egg for breakfast rather than the institutional scrambled eggs. I want a real egg.  Margarine is served and told that they don’t serve butter because nobody has requested it.  Has anyone asked?  I can understand butter not being served with the meat meals.  Margarine is less expensive.   Need I say more?

One has the opportunity of eating in their room, the day room on the floor or the main dining room.   The one advantage of eating in the main dining room is that food arrives at the correct temperature.  I choose to eat in my room.  Hot food has always arrived “tepid” and that doesn’t bother me as much as the food itself.

I went through a Passover week-plus and was told that the food would be better once it was over.  Really? Tilapia seems to be the fish of preference here.  Price, etc.  I don’t care for the taste.  I have seen fish nuggets and lots of canned tuna of a low grade.   Hamburger or meatballs have to be “stretched”, if you know what I mean.  Whenever chicken is available, I opt for that.

Here are examples of meal experiences.  Menu had roast turkey, flavored rice and vegetables.   Lift the lid to find no turkey.   Did someone else want it and switched or the inept worker didn’t notice that the protein was not placed?  Menu cited, “Bake Ziti”.  It was some sort of Passover pasta with an American cheese sauce and topped with two tablespoons of jarred tomato sauce.  One dinner cited Italian Wedding Soup and got broth.  In spite of my requesting the roasted chicken over the beef stew.  Need I say what I got?

Lately they are placing non-fat milk on my tray when there is no need to change from whole milk. This last one totally proved that the attitude is “you’ll eat what you get whether you like it or not”.  

It is 5:45 pm when dinner arrives. Tilapia, pasta and broccoli.  All cold. No, I don’t want my meal reheated in a microwave.  I request alternate and told that it is a grilled cheese sandwich but that they are out of them.  I am handed a cheese sandwich.  Two slices of cheese food and dry.   There is a cup of pieces of canned pears.  I taste and not sweet.  It is meant for a diabetic.  I am not and the milk is non-fat.   They managed to send up a tuna salad plate after I made at least 3 calls to a supervisor and the nurse calling down to the kitchen 3 times.

In one meal, they must have either run out of zucchini or forgot to buy it and substituted cucumbers as if I would not notice. One recent lunch cited “fresh fruit” and “juice”.  I did not get either, but I did get MASHED POTATOES!