How Much Therapy Can a Person Take?!

The last two weeks have been packed with appointments! Jamey's doctor ordered him home visits from a Physical Therapist, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, and a Social Worker (not the kind that checks for abuse, the kind that checks to be sure you are getting the help you need). I tried to hide his bruises anyway, just in case. :)

The therapists were given strict instructions from their company, to get all of the therapy done within as few days as possible. Whew! they are following those directions to the letter. We got a call the day after we saw the doctor, and the PT wanted to come over right then. Hmmmm. Okay, we have nothing to do all day, so sure, why not? Every one of the other therapists have either called to make an appointment the same day or the day after. Each of the three therapists needs to meet two him times per week. So, that means last week we had 6 appointments, each lasting 40 minutes to an hour, in only 4 days. And that doesn't include the social worker or the PT who did the evaluation.

In addition to the confusion of having so many people coming and going through the house, three of the four of them had the same length red hair, similar features and the same build. Honestly, they looked like they'd been cut from a mold or something. Is this a new Stepford Therapists thing? Us old folks have enough trouble keeping things straight. Oh, I know, they're trying to confuse us so we'll need more therapy!

Thankfully, I didn't schedule anything on Friday so Jamey could have a day off. Good thing, too, since he was moving pretty slowly by the end of the week. At least the last couple therapists from Thursday were able to schedule themselves in advance and I know what's coming this week.

I know what you're thinking, why would the doctor order this kind of help 20 years into the disease? I thought you'd never ask. With the fluidity of Parkinson's it makes sense. In fact, I think it would be a good idea for all doctors of Parkinson's and the like, to order therapies every couple of years because of the progression of the disease. As the disease changes, so do the requirements of the patient and the caregiver. Having various therapists in the house, while inconvenient, was helpful to us both.

Here is a breakdown of the specialty therapists, in case you don't know the differences.

PT (Physical Therapist): For the physical rehabilitation of people recovering from injuries or disease. The PTs goal is to get the person moving again, restore mobility. In the case of a chronic or terminal disease, the PT will teach patients how to prevent progression of symptoms, or manage their condition more adequately. Some crossover with OT.

*Our PT gave Jamey stretches to keep his posture straighter (I had started referring to him as Pisa), and got him up and walking. The walking was fine while she was here, moving him along every minute, but once she left he wasn't able to do it on his own. I wish I could work with him every second like she did, but it isn't practical with everything else I've got to do. She also started the ball rolling for a new power chair for Jamey.

OT (Occupational Therapist): For helping the patient with ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). The focus is primarily on enabling the patient to engage in meaningful activities of daily life as seamlessly as possible. The OT will be able to recommend electronic equipment, toileting helps, and dressing aids, as well as help set up the home for the patient's needs. Some crossover with PT and ST.

*Our OT wasn't as knowledgeable as I'd hoped. She couldn't answer the questions we asked about urinals and keyboards. It did seem we knew more than she did about equipment overall. She helped him with some hand putty to keep his hands limber and gave suggestions about moving the bed closer to the wall. She did help somewhat, but not with the things we really needed. I'll have to do my own research.

ST (Speech Therapist): For helping with not only speaking, but cognition, memory, and eating issues like swallowing and choking. ST can assist with keeping food in mouth, voice volume and recommending utensils and tools for the above. Some crossover with OT.

*Our ST is very helpful. She has given Jamey ways to increase his voice volume so I can hear him better, gave him tricks to help memory, and helped him with his swallowing. Because Jamey had been to an ST before, I didn't put much stock in this therapy, but she has turned out to be the most help!


Social Worker (sent by Therapist company, not the state): Answers questions about whether you qualify for SSI, how Social Security and disability work, and whether you are being given the correct information to help move you forward.

She was able to answer our questions about whether we qualified for SSI, etc. She assessed our situation and complimented us on how open and ADA compliant the house was for Jamey. Kudos to my father-in-law for that!

So, we've started another week of back to back appointments. Can you tell I'm smiling? We will also take Jamey to Sacramento to be evaluated by Kaiser for a new power chair (bummer, because Kaiser and Medicare told me less than a year ago they wouldn't pay for a new chair so we went ahead and purchased one out of pocket) as the PT thinks it doesn't really fit him properly.

Life is good! It continues on (better than the alternative, I suppose).