GREETINGS FROM THE SEASIDE REHABILITATION & HEALTH CARE CENTER

And I’m slowly settling into my new routine here at the Seaside Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, although it is certainly a step down from the Gibson Pavilion at Maine Medical Center. A little like moving from the Ritz Carleton to the Motel Six (which I’m told this facility used to be before they turned it into a nursing home).

The first difference I noticed right away was the food. Friday night’s dinner was something labeled “Chili” that Parker would have died for, along with “Fiesta Corn,” diced pears and a cornbread muffin (which somehow never actually made it to my tray) -- all served lovingly at room temperature only an hour or so after it arrived from the kitchen. Breakfast Saturday was two Eggo waffles with two Brown & Serve sausages, some oatmeal, OJ and milk. Lunch never did catch up with me; and when my dinner finally arrived (three slices of roast beef on white bread with a bowl of clam chowder) I thought it was my lunch and sent it back! Sunday was a little better: scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast, and a lovely pork loin with mashed potatoes and dressing for the main midday meal. All nutritionally balanced for my specific dietary needs, of course. But basically, dorm food. And such small portions!

Much more impressed with the staff. My Occupational and Physical Therapists are all great, and are really working me hard. My first day here I broke a peice of exersize equipment by using it too robustly, and now I am teased about it constantly. But they also now have me up showering completely independently (in an accessible shower with a shower chair), and today I actually walked about 50 feet with a walker. They've also offered to check out my study at the Eastland Hotel to determine how appropriate it might be as accessible living space, and will be accompanying me to church on Friday for a "dry run" of my movement in and out of the Installation. The nursing staff isn’t quite as well-trained as at the Gibson, in that there are a lot fewer RNs and a lot more LPNs...but I also have a lot more freedom and independence and mobility now so I don’t really need that level of attention. And it’s great to watch the staff interact with the long-term residents, all of whom know each other by name.

The Seaside really is an old motel that has four wings that extend from a central lobby that doubles as a dayroom. Wing One (where I lived when I first arrived) is for Rehab and Short Term Care; Wings Two and Three are Long Term Care, and Wing Four is mostly Assisted Living, with a few short stay rooms. It’s the residents of Wing Three who pretty much rule the roost. They all have their special territories in the Great Room, and little habitual routines which one disturbs at their own peril. As a “fish” I’ve been trying hard to learn the rules BEFORE I break them, but I haven’t always been successful. Took me awhile, for example, to find a suitable place to take my meals. I kept going to empty seats only to be told that they belonged to someone else. Finally I started asking, and eventually was told that the occupant of a particular seat wouldn't be coming back, and I was welcome to sit there. Later found out that the reason he wouldn't be coming back was that he had just passed away

When I first arrived my roommate was Father Jim -- a retired Catholic Priest from the Canadian border who was ordained at the Cathedral along with his brother Pat when they were both in their twenties back in the the 1950’s. Jim lived a very interesting life in his day, and when he’s lucid it’s interesting to listen to him talk about it; the problem is that he suffers from dementia, and was having a hard time remembering to stay on his side of the curtain. Instead, he liked to spend his time rummaging through my stuff and even sleeping on my bed! So Monday night they transferred me over to Wing Four, where my roommate is Larry, who is here recovering from hip replacement surgery.

Need to finish this up so that I can get it posted later today when we're up at the hotel. Still haven’t worked out the internet access situation here, but hope to resolve it this afternoon. In the meantime, I hope this will tide folks over. Every day I feel stronger and more able. And I am SO looking forward to my Installation Service this Sunday.