After the Case Conference
Dear All,
It was a very good Case Conference on Graham. He is at a point where he can be safely moved to California. They say he just has to keep improving his abilities that he has and they now believe he won't get anything new -- like use of his hands. He is learning to use a voice activated computer, which is really good. He is also able to wash his face, kind of, if sitting up and given a wet cloth.
It is hard to understand the degree of helplessness that Graham has. When he is lying down, he is only able to hit a large button and has to have everything done for him. When he is sitting up, however, once set up for a task, he is able to do a few things for himself. He can operate a special TV/Video control panel. He can use a computer, albeit slow and difficult. He can wash his face. He can brush his teeth. He can feed himself. He can turn pages if they are the right sort of pages. But he cannot pick anything up, so can't have a drink without help. He can't set up any of the stuff he needs to do things.
Therefore it is clear that he is going to need regular, frequent interventions every day to help him through each day. A Care Home will be the best place for him to go into once he has been at the medical facility for a while being assessed by the California medical teams.
We were told that the Santa Barbara Rehabilitation Facility there is ready to take Graham into a bed there. What is going to slow things down a bit is organising his flight home. He must travel lying down and be turned every 3 hours -- so they will need to alter a section of the plane to accommodate his bed. He will need at least one if not two medical people to accompany him. The US Embassy has to arrange this with an airline and this will take a little while. I am going to get his ticket that he didn't use later today and then report to the Embassy what flight he was going to take and they will try to arrange something with the same airline. As Graham does not have funds (nor travel insurance) to cover this, it is going to have to be paid for by the Embassy. So he won't be travelling in an Air Ambulance that costs thousands and thousands of dollars.
I have spoken with Annie about the film again and if Graham goes back to California too soon/quickly, it is unlikely that the documentary can be made. Things don't work quite that fast for it to be so soon. The doctors and medical staff here were very excited about the possibility of the film as they feel that when people like Christopher Reeves gets all the publicity and it is about stem cells and walking again and expensive treatments, it makes people in Graham's condition rather disappear from view. Perhaps a film will be made retrospectively because it is a very good idea. Anyway don't get your hair done and make up on yet!!
While Airasa and Ian are away, I will be seeing Graham more often and also we plan to do another email from him by dictation. So hopefully the next email you get will be from him.
Naturally his move back to California will offer new challenges to everyone. Graham, in particular, who has been in the same care facility here for over 6 months and in hospital for over 7 months, will find the whole thing very difficult in so many ways. Your continuing support, especially once he arrives there, will be vital to his emotional health. We have managed to visit him most days, and if not visit, then a phone call. Every contact is so important.
It was good to find out that he is doing a lot considering his condition. It was a bit disheartening to hear that they don't think there will be any more improvement in getting back parts of his body, especially his hands. However, I refuse to give up hope and I know there are many of you who will keep on hoping and wishing and praying for his continued improvement.
Please do let me have your thoughts for Graham over the next few days and I will put them into the new email book we have devised so that he can actually read them himself.
Kind regards to you all,
Linda
It was a very good Case Conference on Graham. He is at a point where he can be safely moved to California. They say he just has to keep improving his abilities that he has and they now believe he won't get anything new -- like use of his hands. He is learning to use a voice activated computer, which is really good. He is also able to wash his face, kind of, if sitting up and given a wet cloth.
It is hard to understand the degree of helplessness that Graham has. When he is lying down, he is only able to hit a large button and has to have everything done for him. When he is sitting up, however, once set up for a task, he is able to do a few things for himself. He can operate a special TV/Video control panel. He can use a computer, albeit slow and difficult. He can wash his face. He can brush his teeth. He can feed himself. He can turn pages if they are the right sort of pages. But he cannot pick anything up, so can't have a drink without help. He can't set up any of the stuff he needs to do things.
Therefore it is clear that he is going to need regular, frequent interventions every day to help him through each day. A Care Home will be the best place for him to go into once he has been at the medical facility for a while being assessed by the California medical teams.
We were told that the Santa Barbara Rehabilitation Facility there is ready to take Graham into a bed there. What is going to slow things down a bit is organising his flight home. He must travel lying down and be turned every 3 hours -- so they will need to alter a section of the plane to accommodate his bed. He will need at least one if not two medical people to accompany him. The US Embassy has to arrange this with an airline and this will take a little while. I am going to get his ticket that he didn't use later today and then report to the Embassy what flight he was going to take and they will try to arrange something with the same airline. As Graham does not have funds (nor travel insurance) to cover this, it is going to have to be paid for by the Embassy. So he won't be travelling in an Air Ambulance that costs thousands and thousands of dollars.
I have spoken with Annie about the film again and if Graham goes back to California too soon/quickly, it is unlikely that the documentary can be made. Things don't work quite that fast for it to be so soon. The doctors and medical staff here were very excited about the possibility of the film as they feel that when people like Christopher Reeves gets all the publicity and it is about stem cells and walking again and expensive treatments, it makes people in Graham's condition rather disappear from view. Perhaps a film will be made retrospectively because it is a very good idea. Anyway don't get your hair done and make up on yet!!
While Airasa and Ian are away, I will be seeing Graham more often and also we plan to do another email from him by dictation. So hopefully the next email you get will be from him.
Naturally his move back to California will offer new challenges to everyone. Graham, in particular, who has been in the same care facility here for over 6 months and in hospital for over 7 months, will find the whole thing very difficult in so many ways. Your continuing support, especially once he arrives there, will be vital to his emotional health. We have managed to visit him most days, and if not visit, then a phone call. Every contact is so important.
It was good to find out that he is doing a lot considering his condition. It was a bit disheartening to hear that they don't think there will be any more improvement in getting back parts of his body, especially his hands. However, I refuse to give up hope and I know there are many of you who will keep on hoping and wishing and praying for his continued improvement.
Please do let me have your thoughts for Graham over the next few days and I will put them into the new email book we have devised so that he can actually read them himself.
Kind regards to you all,
Linda
posted by Cosmic Sunshine at 8:27 AM
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