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1...Ron's doctor should be consulted about these matters based on written
2...Some proactive support seems needed and so the machinery necessary to
3...Another idea would be to get a big portable blackboard and set it up
CONTACTS
SUBJECTS
Leadership Helps People Take Paths they are
Ron Useldinger
0504 - ..
0505 - Summary/Objective
0506 -
050601 - Follow up ref SDS 29 0001, ref SDS 27 0000.
050602 -
050603 - Richard called this morning and said that he called Ron's phone number
050604 - several times and got a message that the phone has been disconnected.
050605 -
050606 - He is worried about Ron.
050607 -
050608 - Richard said he cannot participate in the visit today due to a meeting
050609 - that has come up that requires his attention in the afternoon.
050610 - ..
050611 - After talking to Richard, I called and got the same answering
050612 - machine message that has occurred on previous calls, assume the line
050613 - is still active, and will go ahead with the visit planned previously
050614 - on 020604 when Ron asked me to come see him, ref SDS 27 BT4K, and
050615 - later on 020606 Kurt asked for comments on a visit with his dad.
050616 - ref SDS 28 XC9K
050617 -
050618 - After the visit with Ron, submitted email to Kurt with a link to
050619 - this record for comments, per his request on 020606. ref SDS 28
050620 - PE3K
050621 -
050622 - [On 020621 called Ron to follow up. ref SDS 31 0001
050623 -
050624 -
050625 -
050626 -
050627 -
050628 - ..
050629 - Ron Looking Fit and Well, Home Seems in Good Order
050630 -
050631 -
0507 -
0508 -
0509 - 1144
0510 -
051001 - Arrived following Kurt's instructions in his letter last night.
051002 - ref DRT 1 0001
051003 -
051004 - Ron looked very good, healthy and fit. His handshake was strong as
051005 - always. This differs a bit from discussion with Kurt on 020606.
051006 - ref SDS 28 J86K He was dressed in casual clothing, his shirt seemed
051007 - to be pressed, all indicating grooming and personal hygiene are okay.
051008 - The grounds of the property are maintained, perhaps indicating he is
051009 - keeping active.
051010 -
051011 - [On 020705 Ron was clearing brush to reduce fire hazard.
051012 - ref SDS 32 IZ3F
051013 - ..
051014 - He had a little trouble remembering his dog's name, but
051015 - eventually introduced Conine. Ron responded with normal attentiveness
051016 - to the dog, getting up to open a sliding door in the living room, and
051017 - let him outside.
051018 -
051019 - Ron showed me through the house, since I have not visited in 10 years
051020 - or more. The house is fairly well maintained, although it needs some
051021 - cleaning.
051022 - ..
051023 - Ron asked if Richard is coming, and I explained that Richard has
051024 - a meeting this afternoon, and so cannot come this trip.
051025 - ..
051026 - Ron showed the room where he works out with the Isorobic
051027 - Exerciser, and explained that he changed the rope this morning, after
051028 - 12 years of use.
051029 - ..
051030 - We hiked up the stairs in the back yard and admired the view of
051031 - the area. I remembered this from helping Ron move in 20 some years
051032 - ago. This is a vigorous hike that can help maintain cardiovascular
051033 - condition, or cause a heart problem for those not in shape.
051034 -
051035 -
051036 -
051037 - ..
051038 - Divorce and Business Stress Cause Strong People to Suffer
051039 -
051040 - We sat on the deck for about 20 minutes. Ron was happy about closing
051041 - a transaction on selling some property yesterday. He mentioned
051042 - several times this was a very, traumatic and difficult deal to
051043 - accomplish, so he feels it may have contributed to his stroke.
051056 - ..
051057 - We talked about old times when he was a coach. He remembered my
051058 - record wrestling from many years ago, and recited many details that I
051059 - had forgotten. Ron remembered having departed Cupertino High School
051060 - to take a job as head football coach at Homestead in 1963, and he was
051061 - wistful about not staying one more year to coach the wrestling team he
051062 - built at Cupertino. He recalled that Dennis Blacklock was the only
051063 - state champion who graduated, and so the team was basically in tact,
051064 - if he had returned to coach the 1963 team at Cupertino. We talked
051065 - about Ron's success building a winning football and wrestling program
051066 - at Homestead High School, and we also, remembered he had the
051067 - rotatilling business during the summers probably in 1963 - 1965 or so
051068 - when he was off from teaching and coaching. Then in the 70s he left
051069 - teaching and coaching and went into business, and became a successful
051070 - entrepreneur. This was an impressive, positive sign of good memory
051071 - for a stroke patient.
051072 - ..
051073 - Ron explained his second wife, Gena, left him because she was
051074 - aging faster than he was and this created an emotional issue that she
051075 - could not face. He feels Gena's sudden departure, and difficult
051076 - business matters just caught up with him and the stress took its toll.
051077 - ..
051078 - We considered how such events along with Ron's strong drive for
051079 - excellence would over stress anyone.
051080 - ..
051081 - I joked that driving to and from his house would give most
051082 - people a stroke dealing with traffic at 60 miles per hour in making
051083 - sudden sharp turns for getting off and onto Highway 17 in the
051084 - mountains, and then maneuvering the long, difficult roadway up and
051085 - down the hill to his house where you cannot see cars coming the other
051086 - way around hairpin curves with no room to pull off the road to let
051087 - anyone past. That is pretty stressful.
051088 -
051089 - [On 020706 report that Ron's tenants moved because they had an
051090 - autombile accident while trying to leave the property and get
051091 - onto highway 17. ref SDS 33 MO6H
051092 - ..
051093 - Ron cried a bit struggling to remember things, and said he
051094 - expects to get better, but it is not any fun going through his
051095 - predicament. He said it is shocking to realize he cannot remember
051096 - simple little things he should be able to remember going along
051097 - day-to-day.
051098 - ..
051099 - I related the shock we felt when Millie was diagnosed with
051100 - cancer, and commented that we are all in training for a continuing
051101 - sequence of ills as we get older. I have been staying with Millie to
051102 - help her through treatment. Her memory is not affected like Ron, but
051103 - the physical and emotional toll of the experience makes it hard to
051104 - concentrate and remember about taking medicine and doing other routine
051105 - daily things, so she needs someone with her.
051106 -
051107 -
051108 - ..
051109 - Family Very Helpful for Ron's Recovery; Needs Assistance Remembering
051110 -
051111 - Ron said he is very grateful for the support of his family; everyone
051112 - has pitched in as best they can in light of all the circumstances. He
051113 - said that Kurt living nearby has been a blessing, because Ron can get
051114 - help when the need arises.
051115 - ..
051116 - I asked how Kurt can be alerted to help, during those times when
051117 - Ron may not remember things that give rise to a need for action, like
051118 - taking medicine, calling the doctor and so forth?
051119 -
051120 - Ron feels he is doing pretty well on these things.
051121 -
051122 - I asked if he has kept in touch with Donna, and mentioned we had a
051123 - good conversation in December when Karol passed away. ref SDS 24 QT5K
051124 -
051125 - Ron said Donna has been supportive and helpful. He was glad she was
051126 - there when Karol became ill and needed someone to care for her.
051127 -
051128 - Ron noticed my face was getting red sitting in the sun. I explained
051129 - that a little sun is okay, but I can't stay out for very long, so we
051130 - walked back down the hill to the house.
051131 - ..
051132 - Ron asked how Millie is doing in her recovery?
051133 -
051134 - I explained recent good news where a cancer marker has dropped
051135 - dramatically that gives us all hope. ref SDS 30 0001 Millie has to
051136 - take medication regularly in order to get better, so I help her
051137 - remember by keeping a spreadsheet chart and checking off each time
051138 - when medicine is taken during the day, so we can make sure not to
051139 - forget.
051140 -
051141 - I remind her about eating, help fix meals and take care of things. I
051142 - think just having someone there to be attentive about details, so she
051143 - is not dealing with her situation alone is a big help.
051144 -
051145 - We talked about how this experience might relate to Ron, and that he
051146 - could benefit from having a family member or even a nurse stay with
051147 - him to help through this period while he adjusts and recovers.
051148 - ..
051149 - Ron indicated a checklist could be helpful for him because he
051150 - cannot remember things he decides to do.
051151 -
051152 - [...see ideas below. ref SDS 0 VQ6L
051153 -
051154 -
051155 - ..
051156 - Ron Feels Medication Not Helping, Needs Refill on Mevacor
051157 -
051158 - Back in the house, we were in the living room and I asked Ron if he is
051159 - taking any medication?
051160 -
051161 - He said that some of it is not doing any good, and everybody
051162 - understands his decision on that, indicating he has been encouraged by
051163 - family and friends to take medication, but is resisting.
051164 - ..
051165 - We discussed this a bit more. Ron is discouraged that he is not
051166 - recovering faster. He was insistent that the medication is not
051167 - working and so he is not taking it.
051168 -
051169 - [On 020705 taking medication may still be an issue. ref SDS 32
051170 - VL92
051171 - ..
051172 - Ron then asked me to look at his medication.
051173 -
051174 - We walked from the living room into the adjacent kitchen area. On the
051175 - counter next to the sink there were three bottles that called for
051176 - daily use. One bottle had one pill left, and the other two looked to
051177 - have at least a week or so supply.
051178 - ..
051179 - I drew a glass of water for Ron, and he took the three pills.
051180 -
051181 - I asked who orders re-supply on the empty prescription bottle?
051182 -
051183 - Ron said he is not sure. Ron said he could do it, and asked if I
051184 - would help.
051185 -
051186 - The bottle says there are "0" refills remaining, which nominally means
051187 - the doctor has to authorize additional refills.
051188 -
051189 -
051190 -
051191 - ..
051192 - Cognitive Therapist Arrived for Treatment
051193 -
051194 -
0512 -
0513 -
0514 - 1215
0515 -
051501 - About this time Ron's therapist arrived. Ron introduced us. Her
051502 - name is Dawn.
051503 -
051504 - We needed Ron's Kaiser account number to order a refill on his
051505 - medication. Ron remembered it so Dawn wrote it down for me to make
051506 - the call to Kaiser while she and Ron were doing his therapy.
051507 -
051511 -
051512 -
051513 -
051514 - ..
051515 - Medication Refill Ordered for Mevacor; Need Follow Up on Delivery
051516 -
051517 -
0516 -
0517 -
0518 - 1220
0519 -
051901 - Called Kaiser at the number on the prescription bottle....
051902 -
051903 - 408 236 5295
051904 -
051905 - The phone is answered by an automated system that asks questions and
051906 - gives instructions, so there is not an opportunity to ask about
051907 - getting the prescription renewed.
051908 - ..
051909 - Gave Ron's Kaiser number.
051910 - ..
051911 - Placed order for:
051912 -
051913 - 412674018
051914 -
051915 - Mevacor
051916 -
051917 -
051918 - Kaiser asked for the address to mail the prescription, gave the
051919 - address on the bottle.
051920 -
051921 - There was no request for payment, so did not have to give a credit
051922 - card.
051923 -
051924 - [On 020705 Ron received prescription refill. ref SDS 32 VL92
051925 - ..
051926 - There was no feedback from the system indicating the
051927 - prescription could not be filled because the refills have expired.
051928 - ..
051929 - Millie later said that the pharmacy takes care of this.
051930 - When a prescription has expired the pharmacist calls and gets
051931 - okay from the doctor to extend the refills.
051932 - ..
051933 - The transaction was concluded with a message saying the
051934 - prescription will be mailed within two (2) working days.
051935 -
051936 - This means Ron will be without medication for at least two (2) days
051937 - which he is prescribed to take daily. Who though is checking the mail
051938 - to ensure delivery?
051939 -
051940 - This presents an issue of medical management of how to order
051941 - medication in time to avoid disruption of treatment.
051942 -
051943 - Need follow up to ensure medication is received and taken.
051944 -
051945 - Experience with Kaiser shows that, like other big organizations,
051946 - even though the order is placed, things get lost in the shuffle,
051947 - and so the order has to be be placed again. See for example on
051948 - 010103. ref SDS 23 0001 Previously, pattern of difficulty getting
051949 - prescriptions filled was reported on 000308. ref SDS 22 0001
051950 -
051951 - [On 020621 Ron said he will look for this medicine today, and follow
051952 - up with Kaiser, if the medication is not delivered. ref SDS 31 0001
051953 -
051954 -
051955 -
051956 - ..
051957 - Relaxation and Instructional Therapy for Ron
051958 -
051959 -
0520 -
0521 -
0522 - 1320
0523 -
052301 - Ron and Dawn came into the house. Ron said that Dawn wants to do the
052302 - next 30 minutes of therapy with me in the room.
052303 -
052304 - Ron laid on his back, using the large footstool in front of his chair
052305 - and put his feet in the chair, so he was comfortable. Dawn sat on
052306 - the floor and massaged his head. She asked if he remembered the
052307 - instructions she gave for breathing. Dawn helped Ron remember this
052308 - information.
052309 - ..
052310 - Dawn explained her work involves cognitive speech therapy, and
052311 - asked if I am familiar with cognitive science? She said that
052312 - cognitive science is a relatively new field, and so is not commonly
052313 - understood, which aligns with the record on 971024. ref SDS 13 8288
052314 - ..
052315 - I reviewed my work helping important executives like Ron and
052316 - others at PG&E, the Corps of Engineers, Microsoft, IBM, etc, remember
052317 - accurately by not commingling disparate events, which all of do when
052318 - there is a lot going on, commonly called information overload, as
052319 - explained in NWO. ref OF 1 4077
052320 -
052321 -
052322 - ..
052323 - Narrative Therapy Aids Patient's Memory, Demonstrates Progress
052324 -
052325 - I asked Dawn if she is familiar with narrative therapy?
052326 -
052327 - Dawn said that is a new idea in her practice and asked how it works?
052328 -
052329 - We reviewed the record working with Doctor Maynard Busman on 951117 who
052330 - correlated Welch work using "thinking through writing" with SDS to
052331 - methods being tried for helping patients improve memory. ref SDS 3
052332 - 4341
052333 -
052334 - Doctor Busman called this narrative therapy. ref SDS 3 9624
052335 - ..
052336 - Dawn commented that she can see how using the hands to write
052337 - could help the mind remember. She told Ron she would like him to try
052338 - this; that his homework is to try to write a few paragraphs explaining
052339 - the days session. Dawn said this would help her see Ron's progress on
052340 - therapy and recovery.
052341 - ..
052342 - Ron said he would try.
052343 -
052344 - [On 020621 Ron said he has written up this report. ref SDS 31 0001
052345 -
052346 - The rest of the therapy was performed with Ron simply lying still (he
052347 - fell asleep), and Dawn doing slow meditating massage to his head and
052348 - shoulders. For about 20 minutes she held her hands under Ron's head,
052349 - near his ears and neck, holding it in a slightly elevated position
052350 - like a pillow, and just being silent.
052351 -
052352 -
052353 -
052354 - ..
052355 - Therapist Advises that Ron Needs Someone with Him
052356 - Family Needs Professional Advice to Aid Decisions on Helping Ron
052357 -
052358 -
0524 -
0525 -
0526 - 1349
0527 -
052701 - Dawn removed her hands from under Ron's head, and placed them on the
052702 - sides of his head for a few minutes, then removed them and stood up.
052703 - ..
052704 - This completed the therapy treatment.
052705 -
052706 - While Ron was still resting, Dawn whispered that she feels Ron should
052707 - have someone staying with him to help him remember to take medication
052708 - and just manage daily affairs, e.g., remember instructions from the
052709 - doctor during examinations, and follow through on implementation.
052710 -
052711 - [On 020705 discussed arrangements on this matter with Ron.
052712 - ref SDS 32 SG5O and ref SDS 32 OR6L and also concerning Donna.
052713 - ref SDS 32 I25O
052714 -
052715 - [On 020706 Krista is worried her dad is losing weight because he
052716 - is forgetting to eat. ref SDS 33 RH9O
052717 -
052718 - I asked if she is preparing a report on these therapy sessions, and
052719 - explaining her professional opinion about Ron's progress and that at
052720 - this stage she recommends full-time companion or some kind of nurse
052721 - to help Ron remember to take his medicine, order re-fills, and so on?
052722 - ..
052723 - Dawn said she prepares reports. She has told the family
052724 - verbally that someone should be staying with their father, but has not
052725 - put this recommendation in her written reports, because the written
052726 - reports do not go to Ron's doctor. This presents a considerable
052727 - hurdle for Ron and the family to obtain timely, independent and
052728 - professional opinion on Ron's condition.
052729 - ..
052730 - We reviewed the idea that since Dawn is a professional therapist
052731 - seeing Ron on a regular basis, she can help Ron and the family work
052732 - through the challenge of his recovery by providing independent
052733 - observations of his progress that help everyone decide the level of
052734 - support needed to meet the current circumstances.
052735 - ..
052736 - For example, Dawn asked Ron to prepare a written report on the
052737 - therapy session today, writing down what they discussed he should be
052738 - doing to aid recovery. ref SDS 0 HW3H On her next visit, she can
052739 - review what Ron has written and include that in her report to
052740 - demonstrate progress on cognitive recovery. If Ron does not remember
052741 - to write the report, that failure shows the level of support he needs
052742 - for handling daily affairs, including trips to the doctor. For
052743 - example, on 020606 his son Kurt said he has been going to the doctor
052744 - with his dad to help implement instructions from the doctor.
052745 - ref SDS 28 RH7K However, this may not be enough, if Ron is not taking
052746 - his medication, and other matters of personal care are being
052747 - neglected, because Ron cannot remember, per above. ref SDS 0 V55M
052748 - ..
052749 - A professional report would give Ron, the doctor and the family
052750 - key information that guides treatment.
052751 -
052752 - [On 020705 Ron concerned about not being able to remember well
052753 - enough to pass a written test. ref SDS 32 MX8G
052754 - ..
052755 - Dawn agreed. She will consider this further in preparing a
052756 - useful report on her observations from these treatment sessions.
052757 - ..
052758 - Ron remained laying down for about 5 or 10 minutes, then he woke
052759 - up. Dawn helped him sit up slowly. She said he should get a drink of
052760 - water.
052761 -
052762 - The next therapy session is on Monday, 020624 between 1400 - 1500.
052763 -
052764 - She and Ron walked down the hill to Ron's office that is a small
052765 - building outside the house. Dawn wrote the session date on Ron's
052766 - calendar, and commented that family and friends can help by keeping a
052767 - list to remind Ron of things to do.
052768 -
052769 - [...below, action item to keep a list. ref SDS 0 VQ6L
052770 -
052771 -
052772 - ..
052773 - Excursion to Sco