Off to Rehab

Once Alan's cognitive issues seemed to resolve, he really took off on physical therapy. Yesterday, he walked from his room to the elevator with the walker and a rest stop--about 30 feet.  Then, we took him outside in the rolling recliner, and he walked up and down the sidewalk in front of Wilcox Hall.  We then sat outside for about an hour. Because he did so well, they decided to move him to the rehab facility yesterday evening.

He is at Health South here in Kingsport now.  Today was mostly evaluations by all the various people who will be working with him, so it was a busy day. Those people will meet as a team tomorrow to come up with a care plan.  Alan and I will meet with the case manager on Friday to learn about the care plan the team devises, so right now, I have no idea how long he will be there. I assume that the swallowing/eating issues will take a long time to return to normal.  He will continue on the feeding tube until that happens.  I expect him to regain his physical strength a lot faster.  He was healthy and strong before this, so getting back on track with walking and caring for himself should move fairly quickly.

Many of you have been wanting to visit him, but he still has difficulty talking.  He can just do a hoarse whisper, which tires him if he tries to talk loud enough for people to hear.  As a consequence, he has asked that you wait to visit until he gets home and can talk without such effort.  

First excursion out of hospital on day 49
Reading Backpacker magazine in front of Wilcox Hall