3 February 2025
Two days of rain over the weekend kept me at home instead of waiting for buses in the drizzle. But today I went early only to find the Wound VAC shut off and its charging brick disconnected from the wall plug.
That's a big no-no.
Binita came in to do the dressing change after the CNA started a diaper change. Unfortunately, the dressing change was again very painful for Joyce, who screamed as loud as should could over and over throughout the 20 minute procedure.
It seems the petroleum dressing that should protect the tissue in the wound from growing into the foam did not entirely cover the edge of the wound. When Binita pulled the foam away from the side of the wound, it was murder.
Once she got the old foam and petroleum dressing out and mopped up the blood (which isn't usually an issue), she was able to apply the Santyl, petroleum dressing and foam, sealing it before she finished the diaper change and then wrapped the Wound VAC dressing in an Ace bandage.
I got Joyce into the wheelchair after that. The first time she had been out of bed since Friday. She had been sleeping on the rubber mattress since then because they weren't able to properly make the bed.
It's really astonishing how easily things break down. Both routine things and important but not routine things. I shouldn't have to monitor her care like this. But I do have to. And I do.
Anyway, I told Joyce we can go back to the wet-to-dry dressings if the Wound VAC continues to be painful. That would keep her at a SNF, though, instead of a room-and-board. But her share-of-cost would be half what a room-and-board is, it seems.
℘
Meanwhile I continue my "tours" of room-and-boards for her to transfer to. The two I've visited so far were old homes in the Richmond and Sunset, built before World War II, with long staircases.
They are nothing but dead ends. You go there to lie in bed with no hope of improvement. God help you if you need any kind of attention.
At the first place, they didn't expect me. The woman who let me in thought I was the doctor she called. She hardly spoke English but has been working there 11 years.
At the second place, the owner showed me around. He knew which beds were available but didn't know much more about the place. Like if it had WiFi for the residents.
Dismal. But I do have a couple of other places of my own to look into. Meanwhile I've asked the social worker to get the Medi-Cal application going so Joyce can stay where she is at least.
The place down the hill (Laurel) is five-star rated and I toured it for my mother over a year ago. But they don't take patients with dementia. So she has two strikes against her: the wound and dementia.
Which makes the SNF more than a Plan B at the moment. It's the only option.