Sure a bunch of us on this forum getting old and worn out; me perhaps as much as any, if not more so. And I have a next door neighbor named Jack who has barely been getting around in the house with a walker. The last few years, I've been taking him to do his grocery shopping at Walmart. I go in and get one of the power carts and take it out to the car. When we get back, I get him and his walker in the house, then I take his groceries in. I take his mail in every day, take him to doctor appointments, etc. All just little chores that don't amount to much. I've done all his yard mowing for the last 8 years, but that's getting tough for me, too. Anyway, he has a young man (mid-20s?) renting a room from him.
Jack will be 89 the 24th of this month . . . if he lives that long. Jack has for a long time spent most of his time in a power recliner in the living room, 24 hours a day, with the TV going at an ear splitting volume. Naturally, he sleeps a lot. But he goes into the kitchen to take his pills (lots of them) and eat. However a couple of weeks ago, he fell in the kitchen one night, but was able to yell loud enough that his roomer woke up and got him up and back to his recliner. But the next morning, he was just sure that he had broken his shoulder. So, with my help, he called his primary care physician. He told me that once before someone came with a portable x-ray machine and he wanted them to do that again. Instead, the doctor's office called Jack's daughter-in-law and she came, called an ambulance and got him to the hospital. But no broken bones and he did not want to stay there, so she brought him home.
That same night, he went and fell in the bathroom and his renter managed to get him back to his power recliner in the living room. A few days later, he fell again, and had to have help to get back up. So last night, he fell in the kitchen and, apparently spent about 8 hours in the kitchen floor before his renter found him and called the fire department and their ambulance crew got him up checked him over, and no broken bones, so again he did not want to go to the hospital. I think he hates hospitals even more than I do.
Meals on Wheels has been bringing him a meal 5 days a week for at least a couple of years, and I was there when they delivered it this morning. I just came from over there and Jack was in his recliner, TV turned off, the meal from today still sitting where I left I on the seat of his rollator, untouched. I think he has given up, and just wants to die, and I can't say I blame him.
Sorry to be so long winded.
. Quite a few of the frequent fliers here have experienced other types of ice with less than + results. Take care out there. The older we get the worse the results from falling.
