Please visit Larry Tucker in the hospital
As was mentioned here a few weeks ago, Larry Tucker has had a stroke and is in the hospital. Since that is in my neighborhood, I have been stopping in to see him every day. I usually go up there after work. He tires quickly so I don't stay very long, usually only a half hour or so.
They say that people recover from strokes if they choose to. I think that if Larry is left alone in the hospital with no visitors, he is less likely to choose to recover. So it's important that he see people. However, this morning I woke up with a cold, and I doubt the hospital would like me to carry these germs in there. And I am leaving on Saturday on a trip; I will be out of town until September 7. Larry needs other visitors. I told him last night that I would be back to see him today. And it's not like I can call him on the phone instead - he wouldn't be able to use a phone. So I'm writing to ask that other people visit him.
What will you see if you go in? Well, some days he is very alert, and other days he is a bit more out of it. He always knows me. He cannot move his right arm or leg. He is on a swallow restriction and cannot have any food or drink by mouth. When I first started visiting him he couldn't talk and was more frequently out of it. But since he was moved to a rehab unit two weeks ago he has made progress and he can now say a few words. They are slurred and the effort tires him, but every day he does a little better with it. The more he talks, the better this will get, so it's good to encourage him to speak. He is having trouble with his vision; the nurses say that with the kind of stroke he had, he is probably seeing double. His eyes seldom look unfocused when he looks at you, but he cannot focus to read, even with his glasses on.
The rehab unit he is in works him pretty hard on weekdays, so he is very tired by evening. On the weekends he has fewer rehab appointments and is less tired, and will stay awake later. It's probably better to get there no later than 8pm or 8:30pm on weekdays. I don't know how he is in the morning since I always go in the evening.
I have left a book in his room, Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett. I have been reading it out loud to him. He tires very quickly so usually we just do a page or two, and not every day. His spot is marked with a post-it note; you can offer to read to him.
He is in room 415 at St Joe's hospital in Ann Arbor. You go in through the main entrance; it is on the side facing WCC. There is plenty of free parking and it is close to the door. The elevators would be the envy of a con hotel - incredibly fast. So it is easy to get in and out.
So, please visit Larry!
Thanks!
They say that people recover from strokes if they choose to. I think that if Larry is left alone in the hospital with no visitors, he is less likely to choose to recover. So it's important that he see people. However, this morning I woke up with a cold, and I doubt the hospital would like me to carry these germs in there. And I am leaving on Saturday on a trip; I will be out of town until September 7. Larry needs other visitors. I told him last night that I would be back to see him today. And it's not like I can call him on the phone instead - he wouldn't be able to use a phone. So I'm writing to ask that other people visit him.
What will you see if you go in? Well, some days he is very alert, and other days he is a bit more out of it. He always knows me. He cannot move his right arm or leg. He is on a swallow restriction and cannot have any food or drink by mouth. When I first started visiting him he couldn't talk and was more frequently out of it. But since he was moved to a rehab unit two weeks ago he has made progress and he can now say a few words. They are slurred and the effort tires him, but every day he does a little better with it. The more he talks, the better this will get, so it's good to encourage him to speak. He is having trouble with his vision; the nurses say that with the kind of stroke he had, he is probably seeing double. His eyes seldom look unfocused when he looks at you, but he cannot focus to read, even with his glasses on.
The rehab unit he is in works him pretty hard on weekdays, so he is very tired by evening. On the weekends he has fewer rehab appointments and is less tired, and will stay awake later. It's probably better to get there no later than 8pm or 8:30pm on weekdays. I don't know how he is in the morning since I always go in the evening.
I have left a book in his room, Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett. I have been reading it out loud to him. He tires very quickly so usually we just do a page or two, and not every day. His spot is marked with a post-it note; you can offer to read to him.
He is in room 415 at St Joe's hospital in Ann Arbor. You go in through the main entrance; it is on the side facing WCC. There is plenty of free parking and it is close to the door. The elevators would be the envy of a con hotel - incredibly fast. So it is easy to get in and out.
So, please visit Larry!
Thanks!