Quite a bit transpired over the weekend since our last blog entry. I'll do my best to sum up the most important issues.
PEGGY'S EYES: As we've mentioned, we've really been trying to manage the fairly new issue of Peggy's eyelids "popping open" when she is sleeping. Everyone has been trying to work on a solution for naps and overnight sleeping - the challenge is trying to find a comfortable and safe way to protect Peggy's eyes and keep the light out - BUT in a way that you can tell if she wakes up and needs your attention. After a lot of trial and error, Eric the night nurse and Peggy seem to have come up with a solution. You place the clear goggles on Peggy's face. Then you place the black "sleep mask" over the goggles, but shift it to the side so that you can still see the corner of her left eye. I will attach a photo to this blog tomorrow to show everyone. Peggy said this worked very well for her last night.
COMMUNICATION: Cory was at the house today for over 4 hours. We had to sort out a few issues that came up over the weekend. We have worked everything out and don't need to go into all the details since we've cleared most of them up, however, a few very important points were made.
First of all, we talked with Peggy about the importance of clear communication. Obviously, there is going to be a lot "lost in translation" with the spell board. It is important that we take the time to be sure we understand what Peggy is saying and that we have the whole picture. It is equally important that Peggy carefully choose the language she uses and HOW she relays information. For example, dramatic language will put most people on "high alert". Furthermore, prefacing her concerns with simple statements such as, "I'm OK now, but..." or "I don't need you to do anything about this, I'm just venting..." or "I need assistance coming up with a solution for..." will help to clarify where she is coming from at the start of her spelling and help others be able to receive what she has to say from a better place. We all know that keeping Peggy comfortable and safe is our number one concern, but we need to be able to distinguish crisis from non-crisis or else we'll all burn out.
SUPPLIES: While Cory was at the house, she sorted through ALL of Peggy's supplies, closets, etc. and organzied EVERYTHING. She found boxes of unpacked supplies sitting in the hallway and found tons of things that we thought we were out of. She carefully inventoried and sorted everything, put them in ziplock bags, and labeled each bag. Please work to keep everything neat and organized. We also need to work on a system for receiving supplies that are delivered to the house. I'm open to any ideas on this one.
BLOG: I've gotten some great feedback on this blog. I'm so glad you all are finding it informative, interesting, etc. I'm loving it! If you have the time after or during your shift, please take the time to drop me an email or write me a note with anything you think is "blog-worthy"! Some of you have been doing this and it helps me tremendously!!! Thank you!
PS: Sawyer was showing off his new G.I. Joe crawling skills for Peggy today! Uh oh...he's officially mobile!
PPS: Don't forget - Happy Valentine's tomorrow! Join us for lunch if you can.
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