First the good news: My mother is thriving. She loves where she's living. Loves the attention and care she's getting. Content. Stable. Universally happy. She celebrated her 91st birthday last Monday (note the new pic). Good news.
Next, the bad news. But first, the prelude to the bad news. It seems Dad was sitting in his recliner at the ALF. The thermostat is located on the wall behind the recliner. Now picture Dad resting comfortably in his recliner, reading his Time magazine, or the newspaper. Now picture what happens when Dad, who starts to feel chilly (a common occurrence) reaches baaaaack and uuuuuup to adjust the thermostat. Do you see what happens? Do you?
Okay, let me help. See, when Dad reaches back, and up, the recliner apparently tips backward juuuuust enough so that Dad becomes hyper-reclined. As Dad told the story to my brother, "I WAS LIKE A TURTLE! YEAH, A TURTLE! (Picture Dad flailing his arms and legs around demonstrating his helpless turtle-worthy state.) But the best part of this story is how turtle-Dad was eventually rescued. It was Mom. She wheeled in, saw Dad, pressed her handy-dandy wrist call-button, the attendants came, they unreclined the recliner, and Dad, and everything else returned to normal. End of prelude to the bad news.
And now the bad news. Briefly--Dad contracted pneumonia a little over a week ago, then, a few days later, fell at 3am on his way to the bathroom, and was ultimately admitted to the hospital last Tuesday. Everything you've heard about how pneumonia affects the elderly is true. My brother said Dad could barely walk on his own, could barely say more than, "I'm so weak..." Family phone calls were made, fears were silently shared, current airfares to San Diego were researched, adjustments to the weekly planner were contemplated.
The thing is, my Dad is not like any other 95 year old on the planet. (Does everybody say that about their 90something year old parent?) More than a few people, who know Dad, responded to the news of his hospitalization with generally the same thing, "He'll beat it." Which brings me to the good news.
Look at the photo at the top of the blog. That was Dad this morning--bounced back from pneumonia, and a fall, eating well, and on the road to recovery.
I thank a friend for pointing this out to me, Dee Dee, for I've been there with my Father (RIP 1.9.08) and now with my Mother (2nd bout of pneumonia only double this last time) who is in her 2nd SNF unit arriving only a week ago. It's been quite a long year!
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