Yesterday the charge nurse called to say that N had dropped his cell phone and it was broken.

His cell phone is vital to his sense of connection (even though the Community Center provides a bedside phone for his use) and so I leaped into action.

I went to the Verizon store (10 miles) to get a new phone and have his information transferred to it. That took an hour total. Then I drove from the store to the VA, 18 miles, another 45 minutes. (After the 45 minute visit, another hour back home in rush hour traffic--it felt like I spent the whole day on the road).

He can't understand how to use the new phone--and there was nothing wrong with the "broken" phone; all he needed was to push the power button and turn it on. I think I was able to train him how to punch in the phone number and push SEND. (Next lesson will be on selecting a number from contact list).

So now on Monday, I have to take both phones back to the Verizon store, have them check to be sure old phone still works, set it up again with his number and his contact list, and take the new phone and set it up for me. It's best if he can keep the old phone, since he has a great deal of trouble learning anything new or different.

In another related chapter, he still can't figure out how to use the little portable CD player I gave him. Open top, put in CD, close top, push PLAY. Doesn't get any easier. He's given up on trying to use it and doesn't want help from the nurses. I guess I'll take it home or use it at work. Too bad--I was hoping it would provide diversion for him, since he can't read except with great effort.

And he wants me to bring him his computer! Yeah, right. It would just be another exercise in frustration and I would end up toting it back and forth, in addition to spending many bucks setting it up with wireless access.

I'm done with this. I keep trying and trying, and nothing I do is good enough.