As I mentioned in the last post, the goal was to release Dad to go home tomorrow.  Unfortunately, Dad is not yet ready.  He will need to remain in the hospital for at least a couple of additional days.  Hopefully by the end of this week he will be ready.

The biggest hold up is that Dad is still not interested in eating.  As of today, his diet restrictions have been loosened up a bit.  So hopefully we will now be able to find some foods that are appetizing enough to tempt him into eating.  He did have a few french fries today, as well as a few bites of a soft, thinly sliced steak sandwich that he had been asking everyone to get him from the cafeteria for a few days.  So he is making progress.  He is still not allowed any thin liquids; only thick liquids and very soft food.  His diet is still mainly through the feeding tube at this point.

Dad also needs to be evaluated by a urologist and an audiologist before being released.  Dad does not seem to be hearing much from his right ear.  He has also complained that his ear "echoes."  That could be another effect of the fall on his right side. 

I know that Dad would rather be home and that he is tired of being in the hospital (although he really only remembers the last week or so of his hospital stay).  We are anxious for him to be at that point, but don't want him released before he is ready.  We worry about my mom having to care for him with all of the complications he still has.  So it is for the best that they wait until he is doing a little better before sending him home.

I have personally noticed that Dad has made huge leaps in memory and cognitive skills over the course of the last week.  It is encouraging to see that.  There are still difficult moments, of course, and will most likely continue to be for quite some time, but his progress gives us hope.

We will keep you updated on the release date and any other developments.  Once Dad is home, he will continue to need rehabilitation therapy.  We were told that he is beyond the point of needing a rehab therapist to come into his  home to work with him.  He will be going to outpatient therapy at a rehab clinic instead.  We do not yet have the details worked out. 

We still can't thank you all enough for the love and support.  And thank you to all who have taken time to visit Dad or send him messages and cards.  We have been passing all of those things on to him and we can tell that it means so much to him.