We had a substitute nurse today and she was/is great – very caring, very compassionate, very professional.  She gave me some good advice, and not once mentioned the ‘end of life’ phrase.   I’d love her to be our hospice nurse, but unfortunately she only works a limited amount of time, and is basically a sub.   However, I told her I didn’t want Beth, didn’t like her affect, didn’t like the way she talked about hospice, didn’t like her seemingly rigid point of view.   This will be transmitted to the appropriate supervisor and a new nurse appointed.   I’ll keep doing this until we get it right.   The two we’ve seen thus far are certainly competent, that’s not the issue, but the personality really matters.

We’ve decided that a hospital bed is the best solution for Peter, as he’s so very weak.  That arrives today, and fortunately Sarah and Dennis are here to help advise on the best placing for the bed, etc.   Peter wants it to be in a position where his large monitor is available on its swing arm, so he can see what he does on his laptop easily.   He now has an Asus tablet, which is a really cool device, so he’s quite well-equipped technically – hardy surprising!

(I haven’t brought up the two servers awaiting some TLC, so yes, we’re very well organized electronically).

Back to hospice:  they seem to have issues regarding their drug ordering system.   As I understand it, they have a new system in place, but not everyone seems to have gotten the message.   In our 10 or so days with Duke Hospice, there have been two slip-ups regarding prescriptions, and needless to say, I’ve registered both my complaints and suggestions re improvements.   Popularity is not my aim.

So, today will be organizing the new bed, and spending good time with Sarah and Dennis.