Another room

As some of you know, Sandy's dad Matthew has been ill on and off over the last two years. His most recent stay in a rehabilitation facility was handled so poorly by the facility staff (it took them four days to realize that he was supposed to be on oxygen at night for example) that we determined he would not go back there when he left the hospital, no matter what.

Three Thursdays ago the hospital called to say they were releasing him that afternoon! Earlier we had decided we would bring him, at least until he was stronger, to our rented apartment in Bloomfield. But we were expecting his release to be at least one day later than it was.

Sandy had just hours to arrange for oxygen systems, both fixed and portable, a bedside commode, the transport of his C-PAP machine for nighttime breathing assistance, a wheelchair, a walker and a hospital bed. Then we had to empty most of the apartment's extra bedroom and stash things wherever they would fit somewhere in the apartment. We then had to get to Indianapolis quickly, pick up some things at his apartment, get him from the hospital and get back to Bloomington to meet the delivery of the bed and other items before his bedtime.

It was a long day and tough on him, but by 9PM, after bumping him a step at a time (15 steps) up the stairs in his new wheelchair to the rented apartment, he was in his own hospital bed and the other equipment was hooked up in the room.

Of course, if you're reading this blog regularly, you know we are getting very close to our move to the apartment on our property. We can't leave him at the rented apartment, so he will move with us.

Problem: No extra room at the property.

Solution: Add another room.

Over the last few days we have hired some local contractors to quickly build a room on the first floor of the pole barn. It will be just under 200 square feet, have one exterior and two interior doors and two windows looking south. Another 64 square feet of ceiling had to be added to the east end of the barn next to the large storage shelving on the east wall. That new deck space above the new room will also allow us to move lots of the items stored on the first floor onto it to replace the space lost to the new room.

Here are two pictures of the space so far, one inside, the other outside.