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Grandpa got a haircut :)

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 Dear Family, It has been a while since we posted an update. Today Grandpa got to visit with Steph and Andrew and got a spiffy haircut from Steph too!  Steph said Grandpa walked all the way to the salon and back with his walker. He seems to be recovering well from his fall and his hip has gotten very strong. This is very positive.  Lydia has been seeing Grandpa weekly, and Lydia and Ryan have been helping gather documentation for applying for financial assistance for Grandpa's care. Grandpa also just got his new good ol' fashioned phone from Auntie Adele. He has been struggling with the buttons on his current phone too many buttons to fiddle with! Carris said they will install the new phone soon and hopefully it'll make communication easier.  Jerry and Tim brought over Grandpa's comfy chair this last week (this was Grandma's chair that Grandpa then used this last year), so Grandpa will have something familiar and meaningful and comfortable to enjoy in his room. On t...
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Grandpa moved and Grandpa's birthday is Aug 29

 Dear family, Grandpa made the move from the therapy center to the long term wing of the facility.  They are connected and literally a 3 minute walk between the two, so it wasn't a big move at all.   Yesterday evening we heard from the director of the long term care unit where Grandpa is now staying.  She said that they had an activity day and grandpa really enjoyed it and was smiling at the different activities.  She also expressed her feeling that grandpa will really benefit from a more relaxed schedule. Tomorrow (Sunday the 29th) grandpa will turn 91!  Number where grandpa can be reached is (320) 214-2700. We're really grateful for the care that the Carris team is giving to grandpa.  They are very open and communicative and recognize that the family is part of the care team.  And we're so thankful that grandpa is so comfortable there and is enjoying his new environment. Tim and Iryna
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Grandpa's birthday and Grandpa's moving (across the hallway)

  Dear Family and Friends, We got to celebrate Grandpa's Birthday a little early as our time in MN is wrapping up. He had a good time!  Today Grandpa was supposed to move to the long-term care at Carris. Thankfully, it is in the same facility, just in a different wing. His stay at Therapy Suits officially expires on Sunday (that is covered by insurance). After his assessment by his care team they advised us to move Grandpa to a long-term care as a next move, at least for the time-being. The assisted living is currently ruled out as he still is dealing with issues relating to a bladder infection, including having to be catheterized to empty his bladder fully.  The hope with moving Grandpa to a long-term care unit in the same facility is that he will be able to relax and his overall health issues will continue to improve.  His care team believes the improvement on health issues is possible, and are continuing his physical therapy and occupational therapy.  He'll e...
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  Dear Family, We got a treat of spending time with Grandpa today. There's a chance Carris Health will shut down again due to Delta variant (as other care centers and rest homes in the area are closing their doors to visitors) so this time felt particularly precious.  Even today, we weren't allowed to visit in the facility, but thankfully it was a perfect day in the high 60s and sunny.  And also thankfully there is a playground nearby within wheelchair pushing distance :)  We even did some off-roading in the grass so grandpa be close by to watch the kids climbing and jumping and swinging. Grandpa and Jonathan got to play the harmonica together, and all the kids got to show grandpa their athletic abilities, which was really special.   Grandpa was feeling strong today and we had a great time talking about old times, the kids, the beautiful day and many other subjects that came up.    We even sang "Happy Birthday" a week early, in case we aren't able...
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August 20

 Dear All,  I saw Grandpa yesterday and took him to his doctor appointment offsite. We had a good time together. His short term memory and cognitive ability isn’t great.  But they found he has a bladder infection and said that actually can affect cognitive functioning. There’s no expectation it will improve dramatically, but could make a meaningful difference when they get that cleared up. Grandpa will be staying at Carris till Tuesday. They requested to extend his stay for another week to see how he does as they address the infection. In the meantime we are looking for a good assisted-living place in the area that would be able to take a good care of him.  Carris recommended a few and we are exploring one of them, called Compassionate Cottage. They don’t have an opening right now but we’ll get on the list and see if they have one when needed. We are all heading out to Willmar area today. We'll stay at an Airbnb in New London and will see many of you soon.  Much...
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  Dear family, I've been able to see grandpa five times in the last two weeks, which has been really helpful to get a good sense for how he is doing.  Grandpa is doing well in some areas and struggling in others.  His overall health is quite good and his leg is healing well.  He is working hard in therapy; the staff there enjoys him and tells me "he's a hard worker."    But grandpa is struggling with his cognitive abilities.  The nurse told me that often a traumatic event - and even the anesthesia - can create long-term cognitive ability issues.  We have very positive, fun and long conversations (both in person and over the phone) and grandpa is his normal self and can recall events well from a long time ago.  But he'll struggle to remember what time of day it is and will think it's morning when he wakes up from his nap.  He told me yesterday that he had a hard time filling out his menu (it's actually pretty long with a lot of options) a...
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August 17: Grandpa in Therapy Center Carris Health

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Dear Family and Friends,  We are starting this blog to keep you up to date on Grandpa/ Dad/ Friend Mack Carlson's health. Tim got to see Grandpa last Thursday, August 11. He is currently at the Carris Health Therapy Center in Willmar after his fall and the hip replacement surgery. He'll be sending an update shortly, but wanted to share with you this smiley picture of Grandpa. That day he had a fun walk with Tim. Much love to you all.  Tim and Iryna 
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