I spent a couple of hours with Mom yesterday, Saturday the 22nd. She looks and sounds a lot better. The bump on her head is really starting to go down, and when I got to the Manor she had the soft collar on so it was easier for her to talk, and her voice sounds back to normal.
She still alternates between the soft and the rigid collars, but she did tell me that she’s figured out how to wear the rigid collar more comfortably. So she’s feeling much better in general.
I personally haven’t spoken to the physical therapist, but it sounds like she’s making good progress. While I was visiting with her she got herself out of bed and over to the bathroom with minimal help; she just needed to hold my hand to navigate a narrow pass between her bed and a chair, but otherwise she walked on her own and did well, albeit slowly.
I still don’t have a time frame on when she’s expected to return home, but based on her movement yesterday I would think she’s getting close.
With respect to calling: if any of you have been hesitant to call her because you don’t want to disturb her rest, she said that she does sometimes turn her phone off when she needs to rest, and is otherwise happy to receive calls. However, I would ask this: because her recovery is taking a lot of her energy, and because she (like all of us) is still grappling with the loss of Dad, I’d ask that phone calls be kept upbeat as possible. She can use all the good news she can get at this time.
If you do call and she doesn’t answer, that means she’s likely resting which is of course a good thing.