Sam's First Weekend Home

Sam spent July 31st-August 2nd at home and even had a small birthday gathering with colleagues/friends from work. Overall it was truly wonderful for Sam to be home and I know she enjoyed the time. She did not recognize her home in Yonkers, but did recognize all of her things in the house. We had only moved into the house 5 months prior to her getting ill, so her most recent memories 6-12 months beforehand seem to be the most unclear. There were moments on Friday night where I personally did not know how I was going to handle the situation, and I was never so happy as to see the nurse I had hired arrive on Saturday morning, but by the time Sunday rolled around, I thought....okay, this will be manageable. It was certainly a learning experience, since Sam needs to be kept on schedule with her food, medicine and bathroom training. Sam did recognize her cats, but both she and the cats were quite cautious of each other. Sam enjoyed receiving her guests on Saturday, opening her presents and reading her cards. I know she recognized almost everyone who came to visit. Again, I think she had the hardest time in knowing people that she had only worked with for a short period of time. I do think Sam became a bit overwhelmed by the time the second group of visitors arrived and so we (the nurse and I) just let Sam sleep on the couch for the latter half of her party. On Sunday I had Sam log onto her computer and I opened -up for her the Rachel Maddow site and downloaded video clips for her to watch. She enjoyed being on the computer very much and was laughing out loud at some of the clips. Wendy and Aileen helped Sam and I on both ends of her visit which consisted of both physical and emotional assistance. On the way back to the facility, in the car, Sam told me that she was confused and didn't understand what was happening. I explained the situation to her as best I could and she seemed okay afterwards. She was happy to be back at the facility and immediately recognized her roommate. I have planned to take her home again this weekend. I would say that it is very good for Sam to be home, a little less so for me, since all the time must be devoted to Sam's needs. I will probably alternate weekends soon, but at the moment it is hard not to bring Sam home. I can also say that at the Facility, Sam looks great in comparison to those around her and knowing how much progress she has made; at home however the comparison is much harder to make.