Trying to prepare for what's in store

I know these next few days are going to fly by...there's still so much to be done at home to prepare for Dan's homecoming. While I was by no means the best at housekeeping, for the most part I've been able to maintain a decent level of cleanliness at home. The real culprit is all the clutter.
Unfortunately, Dan has always been something of a packrat. Nowhere near hoarder stage, but in going through some of the stuff I have no idea why he kept it. Oh of course, there were the piles of papers he would get to someday, but now it's just time to get rid of it. Our shredder has been working overtime and one recycle bin just isn't enough. We even got a little tag the last time it was picked up, saying it was too heavy, but they did take it. I'll just have to parcel it out a little more evenly, and make use of my parent's bin as well.

The problem areas are the hallway and our bedroom. At this point I have a feeling my desperation plan will be to shove everything into a spare bedroom in order to have clear pathways. I also have to order some mobility-aid equipment; let me tell you, we certainly take it for granted what healthy bodies are able to do on a regular basis.

Home in 2 weeks?

Today I got a call from Dan's case manager, who told me that a discharge date has been set for 2 weeks from today. I must say it was a bit overwhelming, since I'd expected him to be in rehab for at least 6 weeks. Obviously he can't stay in rehab forever, but I guess I was thinking I'd have more time to get things ready at home. We have so much junk that needs to be cleared out, and I have to be careful about loading our recycling bin because we got a warning last time that it was too heavy.
As of now, he will need 24-hr supervision. Whether or not that changes in 2 weeks remains to be seen, although I think it's doubtful. Believe me, I'd love for him to prove me wrong. He still has memory problems, and at one point this evening when he asked me who I was, I was so shocked I didn't know what to say, at which point he reminded me that his head was damaged. Shame on me.
There's a chance that after discharge, Dan will be accepted into the rehab center's day program, where he'd continue getting 3 hours of therapy a day. But there's a couple of physiological hurdles he has to clear, so I'm hoping in these next 2 weeks the nurses will be focusing on that.
Dan had some company for OT today, they sat in while he worked with Play-Doh. For PT, he did some walking without the walker, and went outside to play basketball. He dribbled some and shot a few shots, only to go back inside because it was too hot. I'll give him a pass on that one, thank goodness we're not on the other side of the country where it's scorching.

2-week progress report

Since I'm off on Mondays, I try to get to rehab as early as possible so that I can sit in on Dan's therapy sessions. He gets 3 hours a day (Speech, Occupational & Physical); sometimes he will have 2 half-hour sessions at different times of the day instead of one whole hour. And, the schedule changes daily, which I think is a good thing.
So yesterday, I missed his very early PT session. After lunch, he had speech, which I'm afraid to say I had to step out of because he was making me laugh so hard!

Before I continue with this story, let me say that Dan is currently thinking that he either is or was a cop.

Annie, the Speech Therapist, was working on describing scenes and asking Dan to tell her what kind of a scene she was talking about. She describes what I think is an office or bank:

Annie: So you walk into a room, and there is a desk with an office, and a man in a suit. Can you tell me where you are?
Dan: That depends on what kind of a suit.
Annie: Well, he's wearing a shirt and tie, and he has a dark suit on.
Dan: Does he have a gun?
Annie: Um, no.
Dan: Handcuffs?

At this point I am trying so hard not to laugh out loud, because I see where Dan is going with this. Poor Annie, I'm sure she had no idea what she was getting into when she got my husband for a patient.

In other progress news of the baby steps kind, Dan is spending more time in his chair than in bed, his transfers take only one person (and just as a spotter; I'm almost comfortable doing it myself), and he is feeding himself all of his meals even with the TV on (it used to be a distraction).

Our New Journey, Part 3

Dan's second stay on 6 West lasted a little over a week. On July 27 he was discharged to the acute rehabilitation hospital, just down the street from the main hospital. He shares a room, but his roommate is very nice and a few days after Dan was admitted there, they changed their room to a bigger one that accomodates all of their equipment.
Dan gets 3 hours of therapy a day, Physical, Occupational and Speech, plus some Recreational therapy as well; today he is doing a gentle exercise class. At today's Patient/Family Conference, we met with his team of therapists who reported on his progress. The major consensus is that he is greatly improved in the week since he was admitted. He is on antibiotics right now for a couple of minor infections, but his blood sugars are steady and the issues with his heart rate and blood pressure are improving. His physical therapist has him walking around 25 feet, and he seems to not want the aid of his walker. Sometimes his right foot crosses his left foot path but that is improving. They will focus on balance and strengthening.
OT-wise, he is able to put on his clothes by himself, except for socks. Self-care is coming along nicely.
Speech therapy: much improved, their focus is on improving memory and attention. He does initiate many tasks but still needs cues to stay on task.