Life at Mary Free Bed Hospital

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On the weekdays, Josh is scheduled for three meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) and several sessions of therapy. Here is the schedule from today:

• 7:30 a.m. – Breakfast
• 8:30 a.m. – Occupational Therapy
• 10:30 a.m. – Child Life Specialist
• 11:00 a.m. – Physical Therapy
• 11:30 a.m. – Lunch
• 1:00 p.m. – Occupational Therapy
• 1:30 p.m. – Physical Therapy
• 3:30 p.m. – Speech Language Pathology

Josh’s team of doctors and therapists are all working with him on a variety of different areas. His strength has improved to a point where he can be transferred from his wheelchair to his bed with just one person assisting him.

The staff and I have all encouraged him to try to speak as often as possible instead of using his thumbs up/down motions. He still tends to use gestures, but will use words if frustrated enough. I have tried withholding a requested item until he used a word or answered with a verbal yes or no, but he doesn’t fall for it. I think that communication comes easier for him when its voluntary.

Even as he seems to be getting back his voice, he still sometimes struggles with finding the right words. Everything is a work in progress, and I hope that more will come back to him. While I was filling out his meal forms this morning, I asked him which type of muffin he preferred– bran, blueberry, English. He signaled to me that he did not know what a muffin was. I showed him a menu which had a picture of muffins in it.

I try to introduce as much humor into our day as possible. This weekend, before adjusting Josh’s bed I ordered his Google home to play the theme music from “Superman,” and then synchronized raising him up with the music’s most dramatic parts. On Sunday, we watched several YouTube videos together.

The weekends are more relaxed, with typically less scheduled therapy and just meals. Josh has his xbox with him in his room, so we have tried playing that a couple of times. It was good to see him doing something familiar, and even to be able to play against him just like we often did before all of this began, but I know it is difficult for him to work the controller with one hand, and he was having trouble reading some of the options on the screen.

The hospital has plenty of things to do, and several community rooms. We’ve only been to two or three. Last Sunday they were holding Karaoke in one of the community rooms, but Josh wasn’t interested in attending.

The nurses all love Josh. He gives them a fist bump to say good-bye to them each time that they leave the room.