{Karlton Bontrager}

Arriving at ISIS on Monday, I found Karlton thanking the physician in charge for allowing him to spend Saturday night away from the hospital. It seems that he really appreciated being able to sleep in a ‘normal’ bed. I also know that he enjoyed being able to watch the rugby game on TV. I learned from his last eye appointment that Karlton is somewhat myopic (though this might change), and he had been unable to see what was happening at the game that he attended a few weeks ago with Sam and Nina.

Karlton informed me that morning physiotherapy had consisted of shoulder, hamstring, and stair-climbing exercises. I was pretty tired, and after his afternoon exercise bike ride, Karlton didn’t seem to be up for too much either.

Liz, the occupational therapist, came by to tell Karlton that she would be keeping track of how much he initiates activities. Although he has been doing a good job meeting many of his daily goals, he often fails to take the initiative (e.g. rather than sitting up and getting out of bed in the morning, he will call a nurse to help him get up). She also told him to get in the habit of having his left arm participate in activities (even if only by its location) rather than having it hang idly to the side, as it usually does. Finally, she suggested that he participate in some of the cooking classes offered by ISIS.

In his acupuncture appointment, Karlton seemed more sensitive to pain than he had in the previous sessions I’d observed. Although he fell asleep again during his foot massage, he was intent on being awake for needle placement. No way was he going to subject himself to a wake up needle stick again!

After Karlton had dinner (macaroni and cheese–his favorite!), I left to do some volunteer work with a sooty shearwater (sea bird) researcher out on the Otago peninsula. Karlton informed me that after checking his email, he would most likely go to bed. Although he didn’t seem too excited by the OT’s suggestions, I hope that he will go along with them and continue to take steps toward independence.