We had a busy day yesterday. One of my oldies took a spill and spent the night on his floor, we found him in the morning. I cleaned him up, he flatly refused to get in an ambulance but would let the ambulance boys put him in the car and so we took him to the hospital. Poor old fella. Now he is back in the arms of the Institution. And the ER nurses are still a little bemused as to how I managed to swan in and out of the ER even though I am not one of the Relatives Only Relatives!! However the other side have got him now and I know I could have done better to keep him safe. He won’t be able to come home, not for a long time. He will have to go to one of those care facilities for the rehab. His life has taken another turn. All because of a series of un-noted incidents. Nothing happens out of the blue. There is always a warning that a period of flux is coming.
Somehow his phone was not charged or in his pocket and for some obscure reason his house phone was on the blink. He had a head-cold and a dicky knee that had been playing up. He did not think it was serious, so did not mention it to me. This was not my day to visit. You see how that series of benign details converged into one moment. So the knee went out, he fell, broke his femur, could not move, had no phones and had to lie on the floor, (he pulled the blankets off the bed to cover himself) and taking a deep breath he had stoically waited. Of course his daughter (who lives far away) calls him frequently, alerted us to his radio silence that morning and in we swooped. After a rotton night for the old fella.
But you can see how a series of minor incidents went uncollated, critical mass was reached, fate saw the gap, snapped the mat and down he went.
There is a perfect new moon outside my dark morning window and I have been staring at it trying to articulate what I have learnt here. Obey your instincts. If you feel even the tiniest bit of worry, go and knock on that door. I had had that niggly feeling. Be vigilant about upkeep in the house of your oldie. Check the phones yourself. Adopt a home alone oldie and mind him. Make a list and check it twice. Do not relax or ever think things are going well.
I spent so many hours in the hospital with him to make sure that they were taking him seriously and did not mistake his deafness for dopiness, that when I came out into the light, I was shocked to find that it was three o’clock in the afternoon and time to get back to the barn. I actually thought it was about eleven in the morning!
So at the end of the day I took the camera for a wee walkabout to reconnect. But even though the sun had come out, it was slim pickins’. The good news is that my dairy farmeress has started milking again. So I got some cow colostrum for the lambs ( in case Mama does not have milk straight away -again) I will freeze it in small portions. And soon I can begin to make cheese again. 
The garden is still waiting. 
One of Houdini’s chicks, and yes you are right, this little fella looks like another Rooster, as if I did not have enough of them!
Is this a sign of spring? Um NO.
OK that pic of Ton is not even funny, that is just plain weird! The old Codger loves TonTon ( the dog does the visiting with me) so I guess soon we will be able to test his training in a new environment. Because I WILL find a way to get that dog in to visit the old man. He can pretend to be a therapy dog. Maybe not in the hospital, though the image of me and my grinning fool of a dog being escorted out of the hospital by the security men does make me smile and would make the oldies laugh out loud!! Then purse their lips at such blatant rule breaking.
OK today will be another busy day to-ing and fro-ing. So I am going to be RUNNING!!
Good Morning
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
105 responses to “Be ever vigilant.”
I’m so glad you were able to help out – bless you for that. It’s not easy getting older – my parents are facing all sorts of issues. I wish I was closer, but they’re half the country away. So hard.
I don’t care for visiting hospitals, but I know when I’m there I always lose track of time. Sometimes I can’t even eat.. so I completely understand how that happened. And you are such a wonderful person to help.. but then again I think we all knew this already ;). Love the photos
I’m getting around to reading awfully late in the evening, and I can see that you’ve had quite a time of it. I trust your dear old friend is doing better, or I certainly hope that will soon be true. I have spent a lot of accumulated hours in hospital and rehab rooms with my oldster loved ones…I cannot imagine leaving someone I love without that advocacy. Seeing how you care for your animals, like family members, I would have known you’d have strong loving instincts to care for others! I hope you’ll share how he gets on! Debra
Sneak that Ton Ton in C, you know it would be worth it.
We all need to care and look after each other no matter the age. You have such a good soul…God bless you for all you do.
that is so good of you… my husband and I went on a little day trip to look over machinery yesterday, and he called his 87 year-old boss before checking in for the night, to makes sure he was in his home and didn’t get lost in the hills working. the old man still works seven days a week. sometimes you have to push past the “what are they going to think” or “i don’t want to upset them or make them feel dependent” barriers. great post!
That every Oldie should have a kind, loving and caring friend like you. That every Person should have a kind, loving and caring friend like you. My dear, you are a blessing beyond measure.
Your reminders to all of us to care and to trust our instincts and to be there for others is are words we need to hear. Thank you.
I cannot imagine the pain your friend endured overnight with a broken femur. But to see you swooping in must have been for him like seeing an angel.
Oh no, I hope he’s recovering ok. It’s really a wonderful thing what you’ve done and do, very humbling and inspirational. My husband’s grandmother slipped and fell in her bathroom last year but she couldn’t reach the panic button in her flat. She wasn’t badly hurt but it left her horribly shaken. She’s now got a panic button she wears as a chain. Thank goodness you went round there.
her daughter had called and let us know that he was not answering the phone.. c
Hmmm, I think this is a side of you I wasn’t aware of, c. I would love to read more about your “oldies” and how you’ve gotten to know, love and care for them. You have the rarest of intuitions and it shows in your written words… I don’t know quite how to explain that, but there is a depth to your writing and observations that shows your intuitiveness.. How blessed you were there to care for him and he will receive the treatment he needs. TonTon at your side will be the perfect cure! The place I volunteer at allows dogs to visit… I hope this is the case. Ok, now I’m picturing you with dark black-out glasses with your dog on a special harness… cane clicking the way in front of you down the hall…
Your oldie is in my prayers. 🙂
Sweetheart, I pray you never blame yourself for any oversights. You are one busy woman, and give so much to so many. Still I’m happy that you reflected and came up with this wisdom: Obey your instincts. If you feel even the tiniest bit of worry, go and knock on that door. I had had that niggly feeling. Be vigilant about upkeep in the house of your oldie. Check the phones yourself. Adopt a home alone oldie and mind him. Make a list and check it twice. Do not relax or ever think things are going well.
Blessings to you for caring for the oldies. I know it adds immeasurably to their lives, as well as to yours.
Thank you bela, it is great to have a team when you are older.. c
It’s been a few days since you posted this. I hope your friend is on the mend. The Lord bless you for being such a good friend and neighbor; hard to come by in some areas.
Your “oldie” is so lucky to have you. Anything can happen to any of us at any time. I agree with you about paying attention to intuition.