Today’s Business: 2010-11-01
Today’s Activities
- Shower. DONE.
- Cat duty. DONE.
Log
08:15 AM: I’m up.
09:45 AM: Scheduled my ride to visit Mom later this week. Hopefully, I can catch her doctor to query him about his strategy for her recovery.
11:00 AM: Looking for a taller toilet today. I have 15” but require 20” for easier transfers from wheelchairs. Lowe’s only has 18” and Dick’s Homecare here in this area doesn’t sell them at all. So I’ll be checking a couple other stores (Home Depot et al) and wondered if anyone on FB knows offhand where I might find one. My first thought was to obtain one of those portable seats that fits over top of the toilet, or a thick, donut-shaped seat that installs on the commode itself. But Mom doesn’t want a riser because they quickly become soiled. But in the end, we may have to go with the higher seat.
12:00 PM: I just talked with the biggest plumbing supply house in this area and they say that the highest seat commode you can buy is 18”. So, I’ll browse around the Internet a little more to be sure. But I think we’ll end up going with the riser; it’s much cheaper than a whole new commode.
But then, there’s the option of elevating the fixture we have. This would involve building a pedestal, and extending the sewer line up an additional five inches. That’s a possibility. Hmmmm. I do have all the wood here for that.
01:00 PM: Talked with three plumbing supply houses and the highest commode they make (in a non customized form) is approximately 18”. So we’ll probably go with the chair style seat that sits over top of the toilet, or we’ll simply install a removable “donut shaped” seat that can be applied when necessary and removed when non wheelchair-bound folks need it. Yes, removable handles, because Mom needs to be able to slide onto it from the right side yet have a handle on the left side with which to support herself.
01:45 PM: Watched last night’s episode of CBS’s 60 Minutes news show on the DVR.
02:15 PM: Rescheduled my visit this week with Mom so I could be there when her attorney arrives.
02:20 PM: Scheduled an appointment with Mom’s attorney. He’ll visit her later this week to update her will.
03:30 PM: Mom called to say that they’re planning on shipping her home in less than two days. Wow! That’s a bit sudden, as we’ve not had sufficient time to prepare the house for her homecoming. In fact, no one at the nursing facility has contacted us yet to make those arrangements. Thus, a major problem with today’s health care system — insufficient communication.
03:45 PM: I left a message with the social services worker who’s managing Mom’s care at the nursing facility, urgently requesting that she call me back as soon as possible to discuss these details.
04:15 PM: Mom called again. She’s going to reside in a small apartment at the nursing facility for a few days until we work out the logistics of her return home.
05:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of The Young and the Restless on the DVR. Daisy’s back!
06:00 PM: Watched today’s episode of Dr. Phil, on a ranting father who tried to protect his daughter from bullying on her school bus, and about that Texas couple who was jet skiing on Falcon Lake when the husband was shot dead. His widow is now left to defend herself against suspicion that she may have had something to do with it. Plus, there’s no body and the jet ski he was riding has not been recovered. This is quite the real life murder mystery.
07:40 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of NBC’s Nightly News news show on the DVR. It focused mostly on tomorrow’s election. Hmmm. Imagine that.
09:00 PM: Facebooked a bit and followed the pre-election coverage on CNN.
11:00 PM: Watched tonight’s episode of Hawaii Five-0 with [Emmy]. Pretty good show this time.
11:15 PM: Okay, so ends another blogcast day. 
More tomorrow. Good night.
Received Mail and Shipments
- Offer from my financial planner to review my current Medicare plan coverage and change if needed.
- Offer for Quicken 2011 software. Not now, thanks.
- Ambulance co-payment bill for Mom’s trip to Pittsburgh in August.
- Bed Bath & Beyond 10% off coupon.
- Wolf Furniture’s Veteran’s Day sale coupons.