Yesterday we had our meeting with the doctor who had admitted Mark last week. She was very generous with her time and we talked over how the week had been and discussed how Mark's needs could be best met. Basically, the conclusion from all of us was that he is best placed at the hospice long term. This is due to numerous factors, the main ones being that practically, he has 24 hour care and expert supervision which I can't quite match...(!) He is also in accommodation which is expertly suited to his physical needs.
Emotionally however, this was not an easy decision and so we are going to put in place a series of home 'day' visits. Sunday's expedition taught us many things, one being that travelling in an ordinary car presents difficulties. So, for his home visits, the hospice bus will transport him and a physiotherapist will initially accompany to make sure that all is well. For any other excursions that may arise we will use a wheelchair taxi. The first outing is pencilled in for Monday when hopefully Mark's brother Phil will be here with his wife, Rosemary. Our hope is that Mark continues to remain infection-free (if there is a serious problem he may have to return to the hospital), and that we can regularly put in place a variety of small outings/gatherings to give him something to work towards.
Visiting is also much easier in the hospice than at home as visitors enter a bright, clean, tidy room (!) and do not have to fight off a needy spaniel or talk over the top of Spongebob Squarepants. Last night the church home group descended en- masse and had their meeting in Mark's room and today he was Mr Popularity and had about ten separate visits. As I was leaving this afternoon a complimentary therapist also swept in offering to slather him with aromatic oils and massage his feet (Just like home...)
Many thanks for your interest.
