Going to Rehab Thursday Morning

Graham is going to leave Stanford Hospital in the morning and go to a lovely rehab place called Manor Care in Sunnyvale.

Our insurance allows for 5 rehab places in our vicinity. I explored the 3 that people at Stanford generally recommended.

The first one, Lytton Gardens, was DISGUSTING. The only thing it had going for it was that it was close by in Palo Alto. It was so clearly mismanaged. There was debris lying around, signs missing...the place smelled really really bad, hadn't been renovated possibly ever, and there was not a bit of cheer or professionalism anywhere in sight. Their rehab room was a joke. The patients' rooms were unrelentingly depressing and gross. I would send the terrorists in Guantanamo Bay to live in Lytton Gardens. The conditions there would make them talk pretty darn quick. They would long for the good ole days back in Guantanamo.

The second place, Los Altos Sub Acute, seemed decent to me when I first visited it yesterday.
But I think it was just not as horrible as Lytton, so it seemed better than it was. When I went for a second look today at a different hour, it seemed more Lytton-like. Their rehab rooms are very well equipped and staffed, but the living quarters are very depressing. And it was so LOUD and crowded in the rehab rooms in the morning. Graham would hate that.

The third place, Manor Care in Sunnyvale, is lovely. It is very professionally run. It's obvious that they pay attention to details and care about quality. The rehab rooms are well equipped and orderly. They have excellent statistics for the percent of patients who improve in various ways after getting rehab training at Manor Care. It's generally very quiet and serene there. The patients' rooms and lounges are nicely decorated and pleasant. The food looks and smells good. Everyone I spoke with seemed happy to be there. Patients had good things to say about the staff, the rehab and the food. Spouses and daughters of patients were quite happy with the service their loved ones were receiving. The staff has mostly all been there for years, which is a good sign of a well-managed place. They have a decent staff per patient ratio. And I saw a housekeeper scrubbing the outside of a trash basket. Sweet!

The room that is available for Graham right now has a window that overlooks a lovely green area with a beautiful tree and bird feeder. It's a tiny room though, and it is a double. Although right now there's no roommate. His half of the room is so small, there's hardly any room for me to even sit by his bed. Micki can hang out with us during the day, but there's no space for her little doggy-bed. They told me that a private room would hopefully open up in a couple of days, and I can pay $75 extra a day for it, which I am more than happy to do. So hopefully a private more spacious room will become available very soon, or Graham and I will learn what we need to learn super quick, and just go back home. I just don't want Graham to feel rushed. They expect him to need at least 3 weeks to learn how to be as comfortable and safe as possible. Then we can go back home.

THANKS: Thank you so much, Shoma, for the pretty flowers!! That was so kind of you. We appreciate your thoughtfulness.