10:30 pm
Debbie took Steve to Helen Hayes today and it was a great day. Steve called me in the afternoon to tell me that he met with the neuropsychologist who had tested him on Tuesday. This doctor outlined Steve’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, describing specific areas that needed improvement. There weren’t many and they only involved some types of short term memory.
Now Steve is motivated to work at Helen Hayes with the therapists to improve those areas. Before this, he really didn’t know what the therapists were doing with him. I’m sure the therapists knew, but Steve didn’t. Hence the negative attitude we’ve been seeing. It is wonderful to see him focused and happy about therapy.
I think I will delay the more comprehensive neuropsych testing in Albany that I have been working on. There are two reasons – one is that they are “out-of-network” for my health insurance plan and so I would have to pay a significant amount for the testing. Steve is approved for Medicaid, and Medicaid recently decided to pay for neuropsych testing – but the Center says that Medicaid has not yet paid them for services to four other patients, so they will not accept Steve if I insist on that route.
The second reason is that now Helen Hayes has done a basic test (the WAIS) that has identified areas that Steve needs to work on, and it has motivated him to do so. I think I will go ahead with the more comprehensive testing available in Albany after his discharge from Helen Hayes, to show that Steve has (hopefully) regained all normal levels of cognitive functioning.
I’ll talk this over more with family and friends …
