Unqualified and Unsolicited Advice

I spent the last week helping Daddy transition home post stroke. For those of you that have or will volunteer your time to assist him in the coming weeks and months (thank you!), here are some tips and tricks--

1. If Daddy points in the office or towards the wall in the dining room he wants to know the temperature reading on the thermostat. This is always very important. He'll try to tell you if he wants it turned up or down, and if you get it wrong (which is often the case) he'll let you know. He is equally concerned with certain doors being closed, and fans and lights being on or off. Mom tells me this has something to do with air circulation in the house, which the Thayer girls don't care enough about.
2. Yes/no questions are generally answered successfully, you can use them to narrow down the guessing game when he's trying to tell you something, e.g., do you want an item in the bedroom? In the kitchen? Okay, is it in the fridge? A cold glass of water? In reality it's never that easy but you get the idea...
3. If he points towards the bedroom he likely wants to lay down. He knows he's not supposed to within a half hour of eating but he may try to trick you because you're new. Distract, distract, distract for the requisite 30 minutes.
4. He's generally willing and able to work on the speech therapy apps on the iPad. There are some excellent exercises on writing, speaking, comprehension and spelling. So far, daddy is 80-95% on the "easy" level (we both agreed that these were lifetime high marks). This is a good way to distract (see #3, above).
5. He may seemingly answer certain questions incorrectly (e.g., Q: What is your dog's name? A: Fido), but it could also be his weird sense of humor.
6. If there are two people around it's sometimes easier to walk Daddy from room to room in lieu of the wheelchair. He is generally eager to get up on two feet in short spurts. He can also stand up at the sink or counter if someone is there for backup support.
7. Do not let him talk you into a bath on the first floor unless you have four people and a crane to get him in and out (or if you've got inhuman strength like son-in-law #2).
8. Soft foods are preferable but we haven't seen him choke on anything since he's been home so feel free to experiment (my mom may not agree). He will occasionally cough after a meal or when drinking water too fast. If the former make sure he covers his mouth or you'll end up with chunks of chewed up lunch on your shirt.
9. Do not bring any handicap-related items into the house. He has banned the bedside potties to the storage shed (it only took us two follow up questions to figure that one out).
10. If he says "no" louder than necessary, rolls his eyes, or gets a disgusted look on his face it means he loves you and thank you very much for your love and support.

You're welcome and good luck!

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