Occupational Therapy

I came home yesterday to discover Dad had effectively been terminated from Occupational Therapy for the time being. Medicare requires progress to be made with regards to Physical, Occupational and Speech therapies. As we saw late this past summer Dad quit Speech therapy, but truth be told, they were ready to terminate services with him, because he wasn’t meeting his weekly goals. He can pick up Occupational Therapy again at any time, with a referral from his PCP, but for right now Occupational Therapy felt all three therapies were too much for him.

Everything has been clear sailing for months. The last three weeks there have been some issues. There was a week Dad had some stomach issues, the week after that he was hit with a horrible cold (it’s a good thing I was never a parent because I would have been way too overprotective), then last week he threw his lower back out. All forced him to stay home and skip one or more of his therapies, sometimes for multiple days.

You don’t think having Speech Therapy for only half hour twice a week and on opposite days Occupational & Physical Therapy combined for a total of an hour and fifteen minutes is a lot. Especially when there is no commute time as Mom and Dad live a mile from where therapy is. You don’t think about it if you’re like me who is on the go from the moment I get out of bed at 5:30 am until I sit down at night. Or my brother, who runs his bed and breakfast, sometimes serving breakfast to 14 people and then doing load after load of laundry before heading off to some community event he might be participating in. It’s a lot for Dad though, now, after the stroke. It is a lot.

After Mom and Dad told me the news, Dad gave me a funny look. To be honest I think he thought I was disappointed in him. I’m usually gung ho and very much of the attitude that you can do this or that if you put your mind to it and work hard. I know now what Dad can handle and what he can’t. I just looked at him, said, “Ok,” and I began to make dinner. I wasn’t disappointed in him or upset about this. How could I be? He did what he could do and when he’s ready he can go back and continue, something I know he will do. It’s as simple as that. And we carry on…