VOLUNTEER CAREGIVER ALERT
Mood:  special
Now Playing: 24/7 In-house Helper
Topic: Update
As most of you know, even though Wes is now in his on-campus apartment, he still needs help and convalescing time before he gets better and permanently cured. The doctors have told him that "the true measure of whether the BMT actually took hold and worked won't be know for at least a year..." Between now and then, he cannot dig in the dirt for gardening, he must wear a respiratory mask in public, he should not clean litter boxes, he cannot have real flowers or balloons in his apartment, he must use an electric razor, he cannot... the list goes on and on.

For the immediate future, he is staying close to the BMT clinic near the U of M so he can get to his appointments AND be close to the hospital should he need immediate medical care.

Verna has taken the lead on being his primary caregiver while he's at his apartment. This required her (along with Al, Becky, John & Cortnie) to attend a 90-minute training session on Dad's aftercare, including how to sterilize a Hickman catheter-port without giving him an embolism, what to do in case of emergency, preventative measures to limit infections, diet guidelines, etc. However, she cannot obviously be there for the next 30-60 days straight...

Thus the plea: Dad must have 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week adult supervision while at his apartment. And this Caregiver Position isn't just being there to share meals, clean up, or accompany him to clinic appointments. It requires helping him protect his Hickman prior to showering. The caregiver must also help in putting anti-coagulant into the port through a sterile syringe. There is a multi-page training booklet that the caregiver must read and understand. It's not like babysitting, it's more like an in-house home health aide.

No, I'm not trying to scare volunteers off. I'm just trying to be honest with our expectations. You can't just show up a half-hour before the last caregiver leaves - there are procedures that you need to be trained how to do correctly. You must stay overnight - and be able to check for signs of infection. You need to be free of disease and infections yourself - cleanliness is next to Godliness, right?

Dad's not over the proverbial "hump" yet (even though he THINKS he is - LOL). There are still too many opportunities for things to go wrong, but the guidance and training from the U of M staff is wonderful, so you shouldn't feel like you'll be going it alone.

Joel and Verna will be coordinating the April caregiver schedule today. For those of you who have already said "I'll help!" look for an email from Joel soon. Or just click on "post your comment" below if you want to throw your hat into the ring.

Be prepared though, Dad's been a "model" patient while he was in the hospital, but now that he's broken out of solitary confinement... the inmate is running the asylum!