Wascana slough

On our way into town tonight Marilyn noted that it is a really good thing Wascana creek runs through the middle of Regina.  The splash of green is the only pleasant feature for an otherwise drab and boring city. 

We timed our arrival at Wascana Rehab tonight so that we arrived just as father was finishing his supper.  We had figured out that he was within walking distance from Wascana slough so we thought we could take him for a walk down to the swamp.  It was such a gorgeous day today that even Wascana looked pretty good.  And father seemed to enjoy the outing too. 

It has been fascinating to watch the contrast between Dove House and Wascana Rehab.  The intake process was very structured and that sense of order and discipline carries through everything that they do.  They also have things that we didn’t even know existed – like thick water.  Father has trouble swallowing and occasionally chokes.  As soon as we mentioned that they said that they would put him on thick fluids and that carries right down to the water he receives.  Tonight they wanted to weigh him but somebody didn’t get to the room in time with the scale – its just a portable lift with a scale mounted on it.  He has lost a lot of weight over the last two years so monitoring it seems like a very sensible idea.  The way he dives into his meals you would think he would blow up like a balloon but so far that hasn’t happened.

Dove House meant well and did what they could but their resources were limited by staffing constraints.  Wascana has a variety of staff – we haven’t figured out what all the different uniforms mean – but mostly they just have a much higher staff to patient ratio.  They also appear to make good use of student placements.  In the dining room tonight there must have been close to a 1:2 ratio of staff to inmates.  Father is pretty self sufficient at meal time but he still needs some help.  Clearly that isn’t going to be an issue and this was a weekend so if anything I assume the weekdays would be staffed heavier.