I think each AL facility has different requirements, and some probably aren't as honest as they should be regarding what level of care they can offer. MIL's AL was adamant that she couldn't return to her apartment. They would allow her to move to their higher level of care wing, but we would have had to continue paying for her apartment (to 'hold' it for her return), pay for the increased nursing, as well pay for a private nurse. It's unfortunate, but $ had to come into the decision making.

I'm sorry. That's hard to deal with. When my mil fell and broke her ankle, her AL place refused to take her back due to the amount of care she requires. She's in a LTC facility and hates it and just wants to go back to her beautiful AL room. Only she controls whether or not she gets there, and PT is hard, especially when overweight and having low muscle tone. I hope your dad gets the PT and support he needs and can get back to his AL place.

My mil was assessed, and subsequently declined, to move into a focused rehab center. Instead she had to move to a long-term care home. She was deemed ineligible for the rehab facility because of her many underlying health conditions that they felt would negatively impact her rehab. From the research that I did, the rehab facility would have been more intense and focused. The PT she'll be getting at the LTC home will be less intense, but hopefully effective and maybe she'll get into the focused rehab center once she makes some progress. Definitely do research on each option and make them give you time to do that. Once he's in a place you should be able to see the care plan for him and be able to ask specific questions.

I only had a sore arm after the first dose and nothing else. The second one, I developed a slightly raised mark that was warm to touch and my arm felt itchy inside, if that makes sense. That happened about 3 days after my second dose and it lasted, off and on, for 3-4 days My daughter had Pfizer as well and was fine after her first one, but after #2 was really tired (missed work) and achy. She developed a huge itchy welt at the injection site and needed Benadryl to calm it down. She iced it as well, and that brought the swelling and itchiness down to a tolerable level without the Benadryl on the later days.

Have you checked out the Eat To Perform program? It focuses on eating to fuel your body, getting out of the damaging dieting cycle, and having a healthy relationship with food. There are free podcasts to learn more about it and you can talk to a coach to see if it might work for you. I've been using it for a few months and while it takes a bit to get used to, I do think they have a great program.

I love hiking alone on the AT. I have done 3 short day hikes in the past month by myself because no one was willing/able to go with me. The usual women I hike with weren't available and my husband, despite not wanting me to hike alone wasn't willing to come with me, so I went by myself. I have spent way too many beautiful days at home doing nothing (I mean, I could have done other things, but I wanted to be outside and hiking) because no one would go with me and I decided this past January that I wasn't going to do that anymore. So, I drive an 90 minutes or so, hike for 6-10 miles and get a ride back to my car (or do a yoyo hike) and come home. I am so peaceful during those hikes and happiest when no one else is on the trail. Eventually, I hope to do back to back day hikes in areas a bit further away; I'm getting to my limit of 2 hours driving one way for 5-6 hours of hiking. As for safety, my husband always knows where I am and I send pictures throughout the day, so in case anything did happen, he'd at least know how far I got on the trail! So, go and enjoy! You'll be so happy that you did it!

The chest strap is definitely more accurate than the watches, but they can be uncomfortable (sweaty, cold, irritating). Like a PP said, perhaps a pulse ox monitor would be sufficient.

We had Jovial for the first time last week and it was great. Neither my ds or dh realized it was gluten free. I cook it with a bit of oil and rinsed it afterward. It was great the next day too!

I'm curious what BS you were hearing? What would you have preferred to hear? Feel free to pm me if you'd prefer not to post it publicly. Or not, if you'd rather not. I'm honestly just curious and not trying to start anything. I actually prefer to read Amanda Gorman's poem because it has a lot of nuance in it and while I do love spoken word poetry, I don't always 'get' it until I've had the chance to read it multiple times.

Go for it! You have a great plan. What an amazing experience, and like you said.... so empowering!!!

I've tried both of those and they are gritty! I'm much happier with my smoother protein powders!

I second the NO OXY pain killers. Icing is the biggest help in the first 48 hours, alternating acetaminophen and ibuprofen, and keeping his head elevated. I hope it went smoothly, that he wasn't too out of it when you got to see him (that totally freaked me out when my oldest has his out; I made dh take the other kids) and that he's recovering easily.

Protein powder is a great way to build muscle, so if your dh his trying to do that, or if he doesn't have time to eat a complete meal in the morning or at lunch, a protein shake with lots of leafy greens and less fruit is a good alternative to a bagel or an apple. My favourite protein shake is cup of oat milk, half a banana (preferably frozen), 2 handfuls of spinach, and a scoop of plain protein powder (I use Ripple). Protein shakes made with mainly fruit are very carb heavy due to the sugar in the fruit, so I avoid those.

I used the bike trailer for my 4 year old and she loved it. Like a PP said, you can always resell it if it doesn't work for your family.

No, sorry. I need the camaraderie of a gym to workout. Even in COVID times we did Zoom classes! I don't have the discipline to workout on my own.

It's funny that this is a zombie thread because I was actually thinking about asking the exact question!

My 2 sisters and I look so much like our mum and her sisters. I sometimes have to check the dates and locations of FB pictures to see if it's me or one of my sisters, or perhaps my aunt! And, my oldest son and I have the same eyes, so I do see him in me at times too.

I'm thinking of adding a Green Tea Extract supplement and possibly a Garlic supplement as well. If I do add them, I'll do one for 3 weeks and see what effect it has and then try the other.

Chickadee for me! My new rule was that I have to see the bird on my feeder, as opposed to the crow I saw while driving to the gym. I put seed out yesterday and I have about half a dozen chickadees around. I'm also seeing tufted titmice, nuthatches, juncos, cardinals, finches, LBBs (sparrows), and red bellied woodpeckers this morning. I love watching them ❤️

Do you know anyone who belongs to a local gym? That would be one place to find a Personal Trainer. Or, do you live near a university or college that has athletic teams? You could contact their Strength and Conditioning coaches. If not, look for reviews on the local gyms, read the online reviews, and contact the good ones to see if they have anyone on staff who would be willing to work with you.

Noise can be a big issue in rural areas. At one of the local meetings where my parents live, some new folks complained about the noise from the dump trucks on their road. They didn't realize there was an active gravel pit about 10km away from their property. So, yes, noise from dump trucks, farm equipment, off-road vehicles, etc And then there is the smell of the country - something I happen to love, but not all people enjoy aroma of farms and their animals! Also in my parent's area - someone has an organic fertilizer business and that stinks far worse than any farm!

I really need a new planner and I had one on my Christmas wishlist, but didn't get it. To be fair, I only shared it with older ds, and he and the other kids pooled their money to get me one big gift, so I'm ok with that. I'll just have to order it for myself 🙂 Some little things... bed between 9-10pm and read for 30 minutes before sleep take an interesting online course each month walk with dd 5 days/week (trying to help her with her health) be patient with my shoulder rehabs so I can get back to full workouts and eventually playing (when COVID restrictions are lifted) start a weekly family game night - cards, dominos, a board game, or even an online game... something where whoever is home joins in. Ds, his gf, dd, and I actually played 3-4 different games tonight and had a great time. attend more festivals/museums/events once they start up again - with family or friends BIG JOBS organize my closet - includes photos, my clothes, and kids' clothes LEGO - sort it or sell it (such a huge job) Organize my coaching resources/notes

It's so interesting when someone discovers a game that I've had since I was a kid! We all love crokinole here, but one's fingers can get a bit sore! Have you seen this video? It's a combination of curling and crokinole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aHdSNzlWsU

My husband has done this too. I should have realized it was the same for the Peloton app. We don't have a smart trainer; just a regular stand, so he added some sort of cadence thingy to it to help with it, but it still doesn't adjust for hills or terrain.

Darn it - I get so bored just riding inside with the trainer. Oh well, II guess I'll keep my opens for a used spin bike! Thanks for the info!