Friends of Ed;
I visited father from about 16:30 to 18:15 today. Judging from the sign in sheet at the front desk there have been no other visits in the last 24 hours. Father said he had slept a bit better last night and he seemed to be doing fairly well. One thing I did today was to convince him to let me use the electric razor that Joan Paris had brought in (Thanks Joan!) to do a bit of work on his whiskers. He looks quite a bit more presentable now, but I don't plan to quit my day job to go into barbering! Father had also asked me to bring in his favorite red robe, and after telling me where it was hidden I was able to do this today. One thing I noted today as a hopeful sign is that father was reading some of the headlines from the newspaper. I set him up with Saturday and Sunday delivery so he would get the TV listings but he has shown little interest in either them or the paper previously.
As I have noted in the blog, father sometimes has difficulty filling in the menu slips so that he gets 3 complete meals a day. I spoke to the management of Alta Vista Manor about this and they tell me this is a common problem they face. Their solution is to make sure residents that have this problem get some staff help in filling in the menu. They plan to implement this for father and it will hopefully resolve the problem.
Please remember that father has a Dr. appointment on Tuesday March 01 (tomorrow) at 18:00 so between 17:30 and 19:00 would not be a good time to visit.
Vince
Monday, February 28, 2011
Visits Sunday February 27th.
Friends of Ed;
I had an unusually long visit with father today from about 16:00 to 20:00 so I caught up for some short visits recently. Father had not slept particularly well the night before but he had some naps during the day so he was doing fairly well. Unfortunately I didn't get to check the menu sheets he filled out on Saturday for Sunday's meals so he was missing some things at dinner. Monday's menu's had already been collected so I went down to the kitchen and checked them and sure enough, there were selections missing again. I am going to talk to the Alta Vista Manor care people to see if we can find some way to take care of this problem.
While I was there Davina Pearl came by for a visit and she and father had a great time talking about their music and musical acquaintances. Judging from the sign in sheet at the front desk there had been no other visits in the last 24 hours.
Vince
I had an unusually long visit with father today from about 16:00 to 20:00 so I caught up for some short visits recently. Father had not slept particularly well the night before but he had some naps during the day so he was doing fairly well. Unfortunately I didn't get to check the menu sheets he filled out on Saturday for Sunday's meals so he was missing some things at dinner. Monday's menu's had already been collected so I went down to the kitchen and checked them and sure enough, there were selections missing again. I am going to talk to the Alta Vista Manor care people to see if we can find some way to take care of this problem.
While I was there Davina Pearl came by for a visit and she and father had a great time talking about their music and musical acquaintances. Judging from the sign in sheet at the front desk there had been no other visits in the last 24 hours.
Vince
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Visits Saturday February 26th.
Friends of Ed;
I was over to visit father today for a couple of hours. When I arrived he had finished dinner and commented that it had been rather sparse. I checked the menu slip (which I had not been able to do the day before) and found the problem. He had not indicated a choice for entree so all he got was soup, dessert, coffee and milk! I took care of the problem by visiting the little cafe opposite the front desk and bringing him some sandwiches and coffee.
While I was getting the sandwiches I met with nurse Jennifer and she asked me how the Doctor's visit on Wednesday had gone. We discussed this for a bit and I mentioned that the Dr. wanted to see father again in about a week. Jennifer checked the appointment list and this didn't seem to be noted, so she put it in the list. Father now has a Dr. appointment on Tuesday March 01 at 18:00 so that would not be a good time to visit.
Judging from the sign in sheet at the front desk there had been no other visits in the last 24 hours.
Vince
I was over to visit father today for a couple of hours. When I arrived he had finished dinner and commented that it had been rather sparse. I checked the menu slip (which I had not been able to do the day before) and found the problem. He had not indicated a choice for entree so all he got was soup, dessert, coffee and milk! I took care of the problem by visiting the little cafe opposite the front desk and bringing him some sandwiches and coffee.
While I was getting the sandwiches I met with nurse Jennifer and she asked me how the Doctor's visit on Wednesday had gone. We discussed this for a bit and I mentioned that the Dr. wanted to see father again in about a week. Jennifer checked the appointment list and this didn't seem to be noted, so she put it in the list. Father now has a Dr. appointment on Tuesday March 01 at 18:00 so that would not be a good time to visit.
Judging from the sign in sheet at the front desk there had been no other visits in the last 24 hours.
Vince
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Visits Friday February 25th.
Friends of Ed;
I was over to visit father for a shorter time than usual today as I was also working on another project. Father had been complaining about the pillows that Alta Vista Manor had provided. One of them was much too firm for his liking so I tried bringing in a softer one from home. Hopefully it will be more to his liking. I also brought in the latest Maclean's magazine that had been delivered. I've been doing this each week, but I don't think he is really reading much of it. Another book I brought in on this visit was given to me by Alex Dopplinger - 20th Century Jazz Standards sheet music. The idea is that this may encourage father to get out to the lounge and play the piano a bit. Father had also asked me to bring in a photo from the house. It is of our family pet from 1964 to 1973, a tan daschund named Jody. This is the first time he has made such a request spontaneously and I think it is a hopeful sign.
Judging from the sign in sheet at the front desk there had been no other visits in the last 24 hours. Father was awake when I arrived but he said he had been napping extensively during the day as he had slept poorly the night before.
Vince
I was over to visit father for a shorter time than usual today as I was also working on another project. Father had been complaining about the pillows that Alta Vista Manor had provided. One of them was much too firm for his liking so I tried bringing in a softer one from home. Hopefully it will be more to his liking. I also brought in the latest Maclean's magazine that had been delivered. I've been doing this each week, but I don't think he is really reading much of it. Another book I brought in on this visit was given to me by Alex Dopplinger - 20th Century Jazz Standards sheet music. The idea is that this may encourage father to get out to the lounge and play the piano a bit. Father had also asked me to bring in a photo from the house. It is of our family pet from 1964 to 1973, a tan daschund named Jody. This is the first time he has made such a request spontaneously and I think it is a hopeful sign.
Judging from the sign in sheet at the front desk there had been no other visits in the last 24 hours. Father was awake when I arrived but he said he had been napping extensively during the day as he had slept poorly the night before.
Vince
Friday, February 25, 2011
Visits Thursday February 24.
Friends of Ed;
My visit to Alta Vista Manor was shorter than usual today as I had other commitments, but I still managed to keep father company for a bit of the afternoon and during dinner. He was having a nap when I arrived so I spent some time very quietly putting away his laundry. I also checked his mailbox today. There was a nice chatty card from his friend Harold Wylie who is the son of the people who owned a neighboring farm when my parents had their place in the country near Bourget. We also had a call from Jim Seaman (trombonist) who said he would visit someday soon. According to both father and the sign in sheet there had not been any other visitors over the last day. Father seemed to be in reasonable spirits, having had a somewhat better sleep that usual the night before.
Vince
My visit to Alta Vista Manor was shorter than usual today as I had other commitments, but I still managed to keep father company for a bit of the afternoon and during dinner. He was having a nap when I arrived so I spent some time very quietly putting away his laundry. I also checked his mailbox today. There was a nice chatty card from his friend Harold Wylie who is the son of the people who owned a neighboring farm when my parents had their place in the country near Bourget. We also had a call from Jim Seaman (trombonist) who said he would visit someday soon. According to both father and the sign in sheet there had not been any other visitors over the last day. Father seemed to be in reasonable spirits, having had a somewhat better sleep that usual the night before.
Vince
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Visits Wednesday February 23.
Friends of Ed;
I went over to Alta Vista Manor early today to make sure that father got to the doctor's appointment OK. This was accomplished without incident and we had a nice visit with the doctor. This was mainly a "get acquainted" visit where she chatted with both of us and got some details of the current situation and the background leading up to it. I was favorably impressed by the doctor. She seems to have a good understanding of the conditions that can affect the elderly. The doctor says that she wants to see father again in about a week.
After the visit to the doctor we returned to the main floor of the building and it was such a nice day that I wheeled father down to the end of the hallway where the sun was shining in through a window and we sat there and chatted for a while until he asked to go back to his room. I did point out to him that this is the third time he has been out of his room in the last week and each occasion had gone well so he need not be so worried about getting out and about in the future. I hope he takes this to heart.
Vince
I went over to Alta Vista Manor early today to make sure that father got to the doctor's appointment OK. This was accomplished without incident and we had a nice visit with the doctor. This was mainly a "get acquainted" visit where she chatted with both of us and got some details of the current situation and the background leading up to it. I was favorably impressed by the doctor. She seems to have a good understanding of the conditions that can affect the elderly. The doctor says that she wants to see father again in about a week.
After the visit to the doctor we returned to the main floor of the building and it was such a nice day that I wheeled father down to the end of the hallway where the sun was shining in through a window and we sat there and chatted for a while until he asked to go back to his room. I did point out to him that this is the third time he has been out of his room in the last week and each occasion had gone well so he need not be so worried about getting out and about in the future. I hope he takes this to heart.
Vince
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Visits Tuesday February 22
Friends of Ed;
I went over to visit today for a couple of hours in the late afternoon. It had been a quiet day for father. According to the sign in sheet there had been no other visitors. One thing that did happen is that we received a call from the front desk informing us that father's doctor appointment tomorrow had been rescheduled from 13:10 to 09:40. I am glad they let us know! This means that it would not be appropriate to visit in the morning. I'll be going over to monitor the appointment but this time I am going to leave the logistics up to Alta Vista Manor to see how they handle it.
Vince
I went over to visit today for a couple of hours in the late afternoon. It had been a quiet day for father. According to the sign in sheet there had been no other visitors. One thing that did happen is that we received a call from the front desk informing us that father's doctor appointment tomorrow had been rescheduled from 13:10 to 09:40. I am glad they let us know! This means that it would not be appropriate to visit in the morning. I'll be going over to monitor the appointment but this time I am going to leave the logistics up to Alta Vista Manor to see how they handle it.
Vince
Monday, February 21, 2011
Visits Monday February 21.
Friends of Ed;
I did the usual visit today for about 2 hours. Father didn't mention anybody else phoning or visiting so I guess I was the only visitor today. We discussed the concert yesterday and father hopes that the quartet can come back and do another show in a few months. I took a paper copy of the photo of the couple dancing that is in the previous blog post and left it at the front desk for them to pass on to the people who were dancing. One thing to note: My father said that he had been contacted by Alta Vista Manor to go and see their house doctor (Dr. Bourassa) on Wednesday February 23 at 09:40. I think this is just for a routine "get to know you" visit. Because of this it would not be appropriate to visit Wednesday morning.
Vince
I did the usual visit today for about 2 hours. Father didn't mention anybody else phoning or visiting so I guess I was the only visitor today. We discussed the concert yesterday and father hopes that the quartet can come back and do another show in a few months. I took a paper copy of the photo of the couple dancing that is in the previous blog post and left it at the front desk for them to pass on to the people who were dancing. One thing to note: My father said that he had been contacted by Alta Vista Manor to go and see their house doctor (Dr. Bourassa) on Wednesday February 23 at 09:40. I think this is just for a routine "get to know you" visit. Because of this it would not be appropriate to visit Wednesday morning.
Vince
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Visits and Concert Sunday February 20.
Friends of Ed;
It was an interesting day at Alta Vista Manor! The "Two Plus Two" saxophone quartet did a concert in the main lounge from about 14:30 to 15:15. The quartet, composed of Tina Leach, Gord Price, Alex Dopplinger, and Ben Greenberg (L to R in the photo below) played a variety of tunes such as In The Mood, The Entertainer from the movie The Sting, and a medley of cartoon themes. A front row centre seat had been reserved for father so he was close to the action and judging by the toe tapping I saw he really enjoyed himself! During the concert I was moving around the room taking photographs and observing the reaction of the Alta Vista Manor residents to the concert. To say that they were enjoying themselves would be an understatement! The concert was well attended and I overheard many favorable comments. During the performance of In The Mood we even had a little informal dancing going on at the back of the room.
After the concert several of the residents came up to complement and thank the members of the quartet for their performance. Father and I visited with the members of the quartet for a while in the lounge and after a bit we manage to "persuade" father over to the piano which he doodled around on for a few minutes. Note: It doesn't take much "persuasion" when the wheelchair goes where we push it! ;-))
We then retired to father's room where I gave Alex and Tina a quick lesson in the filling and use of the portable oxygen system so they can get father out and about the building if the occasions should arise in the future.
All in all it was a fun time and I expect the residents will be looking forward to the next performance of the Two Plus Two quartet!
Vince
It was an interesting day at Alta Vista Manor! The "Two Plus Two" saxophone quartet did a concert in the main lounge from about 14:30 to 15:15. The quartet, composed of Tina Leach, Gord Price, Alex Dopplinger, and Ben Greenberg (L to R in the photo below) played a variety of tunes such as In The Mood, The Entertainer from the movie The Sting, and a medley of cartoon themes. A front row centre seat had been reserved for father so he was close to the action and judging by the toe tapping I saw he really enjoyed himself! During the concert I was moving around the room taking photographs and observing the reaction of the Alta Vista Manor residents to the concert. To say that they were enjoying themselves would be an understatement! The concert was well attended and I overheard many favorable comments. During the performance of In The Mood we even had a little informal dancing going on at the back of the room.
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| The "Two Plus Two" Quartet |
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| Father enjoying himself |
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| The crowd at Alta Vista Manor |
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| Dancing to In The Mood |
After the concert several of the residents came up to complement and thank the members of the quartet for their performance. Father and I visited with the members of the quartet for a while in the lounge and after a bit we manage to "persuade" father over to the piano which he doodled around on for a few minutes. Note: It doesn't take much "persuasion" when the wheelchair goes where we push it! ;-))
We then retired to father's room where I gave Alex and Tina a quick lesson in the filling and use of the portable oxygen system so they can get father out and about the building if the occasions should arise in the future.
All in all it was a fun time and I expect the residents will be looking forward to the next performance of the Two Plus Two quartet!
Vince
Visits Saturday February 19
Friends of Ed;
It was a quiet day at Alta Vista Manor. I visited father for a couple of hours in the mid afternoon and made sure everything was OK. Not really much more to say about it other than father told me that the saxophone quartet was planning to do a concert at the manor at 14:30 on Sunday. This was news to me so I called Ben Greenberg for confirmation. He say the concert is on so I'll make sure to be visiting early tomorrow so I can help father attend the concert.
Vince
It was a quiet day at Alta Vista Manor. I visited father for a couple of hours in the mid afternoon and made sure everything was OK. Not really much more to say about it other than father told me that the saxophone quartet was planning to do a concert at the manor at 14:30 on Sunday. This was news to me so I called Ben Greenberg for confirmation. He say the concert is on so I'll make sure to be visiting early tomorrow so I can help father attend the concert.
Vince
Friday, February 18, 2011
Visits Friday February 18.
Friends of Ed;
I was over to see father for about three hours today between 12:15 and 15:15. Unfortunately, even though he slept fairly well last night he was not feeling energetic today, though after a while he perked up a bit. The first order of business was to set up the portable oxygen set and the wheelchair. We then went off to the beauty salon for a haircut. Father looks much more debonair now - and he spent the time in the chair entertaining the barber with stories and poems! Seeing as we were "out and about" I also took father on a bit of a tour of the building so we looked at the activity room where the mailboxes are and then the dining room which was still populated with about half of the lunch crowd. (I am hoping that the Friends of Ed can convince him to eventually try taking some meals in the dining room.) After looking in the dining room we wheeled down to the end of the hallway because it was a beautiful bright day (I went for a long walk after the visit because it was so nice) and there was a lot of sun coming in the end window so we dallied in the sun for a few minutes.
Returning to the room we had just gotten settled down when Joan Paris and Hubert van Wettum came to visit for just under an hour. Joan (and Bill) Paris were father's next door neighbours on Tweed avenue for about 37 years. We had a great visit with them, during the course of which Hubert suggested, because it was such a nice day outside, that we open the window. Yes, the windows actually open at Alta Vista Manor! Aside from a minor hurricane blowing a few papers around until we got the flow rate under control it was very refreshing to air the room out.
Shortly after Joan and Hubert left Margaret Birch arrived for the daily physio exercises so I got to see the procedures. Mostly it was gentle exercises of the arms and legs, sometimes with added weights of a pound or two to increase the effort required. Father did very well with these and Margaret was satisfied with his performance. I noted that some of the exercises would have been impossible for father to do in the condition he was in before the hip replacement operations. I am glad he got those operations out of the way before the lung problem showed up!
Vince
I was over to see father for about three hours today between 12:15 and 15:15. Unfortunately, even though he slept fairly well last night he was not feeling energetic today, though after a while he perked up a bit. The first order of business was to set up the portable oxygen set and the wheelchair. We then went off to the beauty salon for a haircut. Father looks much more debonair now - and he spent the time in the chair entertaining the barber with stories and poems! Seeing as we were "out and about" I also took father on a bit of a tour of the building so we looked at the activity room where the mailboxes are and then the dining room which was still populated with about half of the lunch crowd. (I am hoping that the Friends of Ed can convince him to eventually try taking some meals in the dining room.) After looking in the dining room we wheeled down to the end of the hallway because it was a beautiful bright day (I went for a long walk after the visit because it was so nice) and there was a lot of sun coming in the end window so we dallied in the sun for a few minutes.
Returning to the room we had just gotten settled down when Joan Paris and Hubert van Wettum came to visit for just under an hour. Joan (and Bill) Paris were father's next door neighbours on Tweed avenue for about 37 years. We had a great visit with them, during the course of which Hubert suggested, because it was such a nice day outside, that we open the window. Yes, the windows actually open at Alta Vista Manor! Aside from a minor hurricane blowing a few papers around until we got the flow rate under control it was very refreshing to air the room out.
Shortly after Joan and Hubert left Margaret Birch arrived for the daily physio exercises so I got to see the procedures. Mostly it was gentle exercises of the arms and legs, sometimes with added weights of a pound or two to increase the effort required. Father did very well with these and Margaret was satisfied with his performance. I noted that some of the exercises would have been impossible for father to do in the condition he was in before the hip replacement operations. I am glad he got those operations out of the way before the lung problem showed up!
Vince
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Visits Thursday February 17th.
Friends of Ed;
I had a call from Marie Claire Potvin, who has been helping my father for several years as housecleaner. She tells me she plans to visit between about 14:00 and 15:00 this afternoon. I see from the front desk sign in sheet that she did visit for about 20 minutes. I visited father from about 16:00 to 18:00 and so kept him company during dinner. He says he slept fairly well last night which is good to hear. He seemed in reasonably good spirits and was up and moving around the room a couple of times. He had also filled out the menu sheets for Friday's meals correctly which was nice to see.
Vince
I had a call from Marie Claire Potvin, who has been helping my father for several years as housecleaner. She tells me she plans to visit between about 14:00 and 15:00 this afternoon. I see from the front desk sign in sheet that she did visit for about 20 minutes. I visited father from about 16:00 to 18:00 and so kept him company during dinner. He says he slept fairly well last night which is good to hear. He seemed in reasonably good spirits and was up and moving around the room a couple of times. He had also filled out the menu sheets for Friday's meals correctly which was nice to see.
Vince
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Visits Wednesday February 16th.
Friends of Ed;
I was over to visit father early today (09:30) as he had an appointment with the VHA occupational therapist this morning. Unfortunately he didn't sleep well last night so he was having a hard time keeping his thoughts straight once in a while. After the OT left Gord Price dropped in which was very nice. He and father had a good visit for about 45 minutes and I got to make suggestions for a couple of computer problems Gord has been having. ;=)) During Gord's visit Margaret Birch, the physiotherapist at Alta Vista Manor, dropped in which I really appreciated as I had wanted to get to speak with her for over a week now. Margaret has been seeing father for about 20 minutes a day getting him to do exercises to regain his strength and I wanted her professional evaluation of how he was doing. She told me that his strength was gradually improving and that his endurance was also showing a bit of improvement and that he was not becoming as "winded" during a given amount of exercise. While the improvements may be modest, I think this is very good news indeed! The trend is in the correct direction! Given the lack of sleep last night I darkened the room and encouraged father to try and have a nap when I left at about 12:30. Hopefully he can do so...
Vince
I was over to visit father early today (09:30) as he had an appointment with the VHA occupational therapist this morning. Unfortunately he didn't sleep well last night so he was having a hard time keeping his thoughts straight once in a while. After the OT left Gord Price dropped in which was very nice. He and father had a good visit for about 45 minutes and I got to make suggestions for a couple of computer problems Gord has been having. ;=)) During Gord's visit Margaret Birch, the physiotherapist at Alta Vista Manor, dropped in which I really appreciated as I had wanted to get to speak with her for over a week now. Margaret has been seeing father for about 20 minutes a day getting him to do exercises to regain his strength and I wanted her professional evaluation of how he was doing. She told me that his strength was gradually improving and that his endurance was also showing a bit of improvement and that he was not becoming as "winded" during a given amount of exercise. While the improvements may be modest, I think this is very good news indeed! The trend is in the correct direction! Given the lack of sleep last night I darkened the room and encouraged father to try and have a nap when I left at about 12:30. Hopefully he can do so...
Vince
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Hi all,
Thanks to Vince for setting up this blog!
I'm just doing a little post to try out this new technology and see how it works. (New to me.)
I'm hoping this will be a good way to share information about visiting Ed, especially with the members of his quartet.
I already spoke to Alex, but I wonder if Ben and Tina would find this helpful.
Ben and Tina, if you read this, please comment and let the rest of us know.
Davina
Thanks to Vince for setting up this blog!
I'm just doing a little post to try out this new technology and see how it works. (New to me.)
I'm hoping this will be a good way to share information about visiting Ed, especially with the members of his quartet.
I already spoke to Alex, but I wonder if Ben and Tina would find this helpful.
Ben and Tina, if you read this, please comment and let the rest of us know.
Davina
February 13 / 2011 Concert and Visit.
Friends of Ed;
On February 13 I attended the Centralaires / Grey Jazz concert at the Aviation Museum. The idea was to make a video of the concert so that my father could enjoy it even though he could not attend. Permission to do the video was obtained from Peter Archibald and Bob Cleall so I was set to go! Being aware that the concert would be seen by my father someone (I'm not quite sure who, but I thank you!) made the decision to dedicate the concert to my father. Paul Caron did the dedication after the opening number is his usual smooth style, showing an amazing knowledge of my father's background:
"Before I talk about today's concert program I'd like to mention one of our founding members. Ed Sullivan is in a nursing home. He was performing with us at the last concert back in November. He is going to be 93 this summer. He joined the RCAF Central Band at Rockliffe Station - right here - in 1943 and he played with the Central Band and other bands throughout his career, became a music teacher afterwards, and then was a founding member of the Centralaires back in 1993. We wish him well and we would like to dedicate this concert to Ed Sullivan."
Thanks Paul... That was wonderful! I would also like to thank all the members of the Centralaires and Grey Jazz for a most enjoyable concert. Thank you also for performing the RCAF March Past as the last number. It always brings tears to my eyes...
After the concert Davina Pearl and I visited father at the Alta Vista Manor. The visit was a bit over 2 hours, which is unusually long. Most of it was taken up with viewing the video of the concert which my father seemed to enjoy quite a bit. He had some naps earlier in the day so his energy level was quite good relatively speaking. The quality of the video is far from perfect but given all the constraints it far exceeded my expectations. I'll be giving a copy to Alex Dopplinger before I go back to BC so I am sure there will be opportunities for others to see it. Davina has been having some difficulties with her saxophone reeds so she took advantage of having a captive expert to quiz my father about possible causes and cures for the problem. While they engaged in this discussion I folded and put away father's laundry. I think Davina got the better part of that deal!
Vince
On February 13 I attended the Centralaires / Grey Jazz concert at the Aviation Museum. The idea was to make a video of the concert so that my father could enjoy it even though he could not attend. Permission to do the video was obtained from Peter Archibald and Bob Cleall so I was set to go! Being aware that the concert would be seen by my father someone (I'm not quite sure who, but I thank you!) made the decision to dedicate the concert to my father. Paul Caron did the dedication after the opening number is his usual smooth style, showing an amazing knowledge of my father's background:
"Before I talk about today's concert program I'd like to mention one of our founding members. Ed Sullivan is in a nursing home. He was performing with us at the last concert back in November. He is going to be 93 this summer. He joined the RCAF Central Band at Rockliffe Station - right here - in 1943 and he played with the Central Band and other bands throughout his career, became a music teacher afterwards, and then was a founding member of the Centralaires back in 1993. We wish him well and we would like to dedicate this concert to Ed Sullivan."
Thanks Paul... That was wonderful! I would also like to thank all the members of the Centralaires and Grey Jazz for a most enjoyable concert. Thank you also for performing the RCAF March Past as the last number. It always brings tears to my eyes...
After the concert Davina Pearl and I visited father at the Alta Vista Manor. The visit was a bit over 2 hours, which is unusually long. Most of it was taken up with viewing the video of the concert which my father seemed to enjoy quite a bit. He had some naps earlier in the day so his energy level was quite good relatively speaking. The quality of the video is far from perfect but given all the constraints it far exceeded my expectations. I'll be giving a copy to Alex Dopplinger before I go back to BC so I am sure there will be opportunities for others to see it. Davina has been having some difficulties with her saxophone reeds so she took advantage of having a captive expert to quiz my father about possible causes and cures for the problem. While they engaged in this discussion I folded and put away father's laundry. I think Davina got the better part of that deal!
Vince
Information about Alta Vista Manor
Friends of Ed;
Following about a six week stay in hospital starting at the end of November 2010 my father moved to the Alta Vista Manor retirement home on January 17th 2011. The Manor is located at 751 Peter Morand Crescent which is just off Smyth Road (via Roger Guindon Ave.) in the Elmvale Acres area of Ottawa. The postal code is K1G 6S9 and the switchboard phone number is 613-739-0909. Father is in room 135 and his phone number is 613-212-3413. This is on the main floor of the building. As you enter through the main door walk through the large lounge (after signing in at the front desk) and father's room is on the right side of the hallway at the end of the lounge. Alta Vista Manor does not have set visiting hours but the main door is locked from 9PM to 9AM so you would have to push the buzzer to gain entry during these times. There is a large visitor parking lot beside the building. There is also usually lots of on street parking but it is restricted to a 2 hour time period.
Father is taking his meals in his room. Breakfast is at about 07:30, lunch at 11:30, and dinner at 16:30 so you might want to avoid visiting at these times. They are feeding father very well so I would suggest that bringing additional goodies would not be appropriate. Alta Vista Manor uses paper menu slips for residents to select the foods they want. For the next day's meals father fills out 3 slips (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner) which are picked up at dinner time. Unfortunately he is sometimes forgetful and either doesn't fill in the slips or only does them partially. If you happen to be visiting father in the afternoon and see the slips I would appreciate it if you would give them a quick look to see that he has selected a complete meal.
Father is also being given physiotherapy for about 20 minutes each day but there is no regular schedule for this so it is hard to schedule visits around. My experience has been that if a visit is in progress the physiotherapist is happy to come back later. In my opinion suitable times for most visits would be the periods between 09:30 - 11:30, 14:30 - 16:30, and 17:30 - 19:00. Father does tire easily so you should try to be aware of this and shorten your stay if he seems to be tiring.
If you are in need of refreshment during your visit there is a small room with coffee, tea, fruit juices and the like in the hallway more or less opposite the front desk. If after refreshment you are in need of facilities, these are located on the right side of the hallway just after you walk through the main floor lounge.
I hope this helps...
Vincent Sullivan
Following about a six week stay in hospital starting at the end of November 2010 my father moved to the Alta Vista Manor retirement home on January 17th 2011. The Manor is located at 751 Peter Morand Crescent which is just off Smyth Road (via Roger Guindon Ave.) in the Elmvale Acres area of Ottawa. The postal code is K1G 6S9 and the switchboard phone number is 613-739-0909. Father is in room 135 and his phone number is 613-212-3413. This is on the main floor of the building. As you enter through the main door walk through the large lounge (after signing in at the front desk) and father's room is on the right side of the hallway at the end of the lounge. Alta Vista Manor does not have set visiting hours but the main door is locked from 9PM to 9AM so you would have to push the buzzer to gain entry during these times. There is a large visitor parking lot beside the building. There is also usually lots of on street parking but it is restricted to a 2 hour time period.
Father is taking his meals in his room. Breakfast is at about 07:30, lunch at 11:30, and dinner at 16:30 so you might want to avoid visiting at these times. They are feeding father very well so I would suggest that bringing additional goodies would not be appropriate. Alta Vista Manor uses paper menu slips for residents to select the foods they want. For the next day's meals father fills out 3 slips (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner) which are picked up at dinner time. Unfortunately he is sometimes forgetful and either doesn't fill in the slips or only does them partially. If you happen to be visiting father in the afternoon and see the slips I would appreciate it if you would give them a quick look to see that he has selected a complete meal.
Father is also being given physiotherapy for about 20 minutes each day but there is no regular schedule for this so it is hard to schedule visits around. My experience has been that if a visit is in progress the physiotherapist is happy to come back later. In my opinion suitable times for most visits would be the periods between 09:30 - 11:30, 14:30 - 16:30, and 17:30 - 19:00. Father does tire easily so you should try to be aware of this and shorten your stay if he seems to be tiring.
If you are in need of refreshment during your visit there is a small room with coffee, tea, fruit juices and the like in the hallway more or less opposite the front desk. If after refreshment you are in need of facilities, these are located on the right side of the hallway just after you walk through the main floor lounge.
I hope this helps...
Vincent Sullivan
Monday, February 14, 2011
You've Got to Start Somewhere!
Dear Friends of Ed Sullivan;
After the Centralaires / Grey Jazz concert at the Aviation Museum on February 13th Davina Pearl suggested to me that it would be nice to have some sort of web site where people could check in to see how my father is doing and to to provide a method for us to see who has been visiting him and when. The hope is that this will help father's friends coordinate things so that my father receives enough visits to keep him interested but not so many that he gets overtired. I think this is an excellent idea.
After some thought, I decided that a useful approach to doing this would be a "Team Blog". This is it! The idea is that information can be posted on the blog that will be useful to visitors such as address, phone number, planned visits, times to avoid visiting, and so on. Somebody who wants to visit can read the blog to see what is happening and if they would like to visit can post a message to the blog indicating the time and day they plan to visit. Others will then know who has been visiting and plan accordingly. Even more important, after a visit a post can be made to the blog updating us all on how the visit went and what activities took place. This will help me keep track of things even when I am back home in BC.
Initially I plan to make the blog readable by anybody on the Internet, but if you want to create a "post" or add a "comment" you will have to let me know and I will issue you an invitation to join the "Team". If you then sign in to the blog using a Google account (such as a GMail account) you will then be able to create and edit posts. If you do not currently have a Google account you will have to create one, but it is an easy process. To begin, I will issue invitations to people who I know will be interested, but I hope you will all spread the word of this blog to members of the Centralaires, Grey Jazz, The Ottawa Community Concert Band, and anyone else who might be interested. Eventually, to ensure people's privacy, I will probably restrict reading access to invited people only.
Thank you all for being friends of my father...
Vincent Sullivan
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