Mom and Dad's assisted living flooded last night after a sprinkler line froze and burst in the ceiling out in the hallway. Thirty rooms with 2 inches of water in the floor. Two below zero last night in WV!
Luckily my BIL and nephew had just walked in the door. They got folks to the lobby, found dry socks and stayed with them for about 4 hours as the flood fighter crews cleaned up the mess. Mom seemed to take it all in stride but Dad was a mess, continually going out to get his car. My 16 year old nephew has become the "Grandpa Whisperer”. He was great with Dad all night wrangling and diverting him.
AND THEN........
About 1am the night nurse noticed that mom was turned around in her bed, head at the foot of the bed, and Dad was sitting on the bed with her. Mom had a bad cut above her eye. Both were confused about what happened. She thought at first Dad might have hit mom but looking at the cut it appeared she had fallen and hit the metal bed frame or something very solid. We’ll probably never know.
So off to local er, they found that she had a fracture around her eye so now off to big city hospital for full exam. RE told me she was comfortable, in no pain and resting.
Dad will be a mess but AL staff doesn’t seem worried. Nurse said if he gets really bad they could put him in memory care unit temporarily.
Have know idea where this is all heading but I could be heading south soon.
I keep pinging back and forth between anger and worry. Anger about all the things my folks could have done through the years to have made this easier. Other than saving some money, they couldn’t have made things any worse if they had tried.
Worry, cause I’m not around to help, but what would I do? I’m not sure either of them would remember I was there from one minute to the next.
Having trouble finding the Off button for my give-a-damn .....
Get you re: the twofers . .... bless you...beyond tough....and, Yeah.....I've been ice fishing. .....as another lifelong Northerner.....too many times for me!!...lol....best/awful time was my BFF, a local TV reporter who had to "fill in" for the local sports reporter.....
in very stylish (at the the time ) clogs with heavy socks....took one step onto the Wisconsin ice.....sank up to her knées.....lost the clogs.....lol....sorry....guess that's probably a personally funny memory....all caught on tape....she absolutely continued to do a great commentary...on freaking ice fishing!!!!...all while her clogs were floating away.....hahaha.....sorry, now that I'm thinking about it.....so funny!....thanks for the memory!
Seriously, cheer up guy....at least for now....!!!
xo....mina
Ice fishing? No way....Never understood how guys can sit for hours staring at a hole in the ice. I guess booze helps.....
Some grand kids around but very busy young guys, high school age, and two others about 4 hours away.
I don’t know if visits would make any difference at this point. The nurse didn’t even think me talking to mom would make much difference as she’s very out of it after all the falls and trauma.
Dad is pretty much gone with dementia now. But he’s still so agile. A real double threat!
It sounds like the staff are giving you updates. What about family who is closer by? Can't they do any in person visits, if that is necessary?
Barb also has an excellent point: may be best not to re-ignite bad feelings towards you for putting them in "this prison"......see from afar how they adjust for at least the next few days.
But I get you on the "twofer".....jeez.....not too damn stressful and demanding, is it??!!!
Soooooo, I guess we’ll go with that as long as nobody is agitated. I can only imagine the conversations at this point.
Also was worried I’d have to move mom to skilled nursing place as this progresses, but head nurse lady said not to worry, they will see mom through this.
Other looming problem is what to do with Dad as his dementia worsens. She says he’s far too agile and cognizant for their mem care unit right now. Kinda in limbo with this. Nothing like having a twofer going 600 miles away......
I remember when my Dad was telling me of all the falls he and my Mom had on the stairs... SAY WHAT???... why didn't someone tell me. Then I realized why no one did, they wanted to stay in that darn death trap of a house with all those stairs.... [sigh].
I was fortunate (as were a couple of other folks here) that my mom accepted the fact that she couldn't go back home or back to Ind. Living after her stroke and hip fracture and was accepting of her NH placement. So we never had to "hide out" and wait for her to calm down.
I hope this all works out.
So we’ll go with church camp if that makes her happy. Still going back and forth about making the long trip to check on her. Wife says I’m just being silly, nothing I can do there anyway. But my old hardass persona has faded a little. I just keep thinking about these poor confused guys trying to adjust.
Thanks for the updates......thinking of you and your parents......so hope you don't have another long, long drive ahead.....and that this most unfortunate situation will resolve without you onsite...... and, especially, that your Mom and Dad will recover and adjust to living in the AL......
Actually, I wish you my good luck with my Mom: she too, was knocked back by every bad fall, surgery, hospitalization and rehab.....one day, fairly early in the last rehab visit she said to me:"I'm ready to get out of here." Me: "What do you mean, Mom?".....Mom: "Oh....you know....this impersonal, institutionalized living." I was taken aback: OTOH, I was thrilled she was so aware and lucid and communicative.....OTOH: I was shocked and dismayed by the very same thing: that she could see, understand and anticipate this as her future. That's when I was so lucky to find the greatest and last AL.....Mom loved it.....I kept waiting for "I'm ready to get out of here".....or "I want to go home".....never came.....so, yes, I wish this for you, too, Windy....
Best thoughts to you and your parents!
Mom is back at AL getting good nursing and care. This has knocked her down another notch. Very confused but not in much pain. The staff are great about keeping me in the loop. Remember I’m 600 miles away buried in snow.
Dad even had a good day I’m told. First day in 2 weeks he hasn’t tried to escape and find his car.
I don’t see her recovering much from this episode. She gets weaker and more confused after each fall.