I have had a bit of a cold this week and as well as not wanting to do much, I have been sleeping more than usual. However, I am over the worst of it now. It's not been too bad.
On Monday, I received a phone call from Bert's ex-wife Patricia. He had had a bad fall in his kitchen that very morning and had been rushed to hospital in an ambulance with blue lights flashing. He's still in hospital now and it seems that he has broken one of his hips.
I don't know the full details or how serious the fracture is but I worry for him. Assuming he does get back home, his confidence will be shot. He will struggle to get up the steep staircase in his terraced house to get to bed and to use the bathroom. I know from past experience that an accident like this can change an older person's life forever. Before you know it, your independence is history.
Naturally, I am happy that I took him out for lunch last week. What with painting the rendering on our house, visiting London and holidaying in Sicily, the gap since our previous lunch rendezvous had been too long. Right now I would be feeling very regretful indeed if I hadn't taken him out. He was in great form that day.
In other Yorkshire Pudding news, Little Phoebe and her parents are flying to southern Spain in the morning. Frances's old boss bought a five bedroom villa in Marbella earlier this year and he's letting them have a week in that villa for nothing along with friends and Ian and Sarah too. Shirley and I could have gone as well but we decided against it. Perhaps some other time.
Meanwhile here in Sheffield where the summer weather has become pretty unsettled, I should be taking delivery of thirty three brand new decking boards tomorrow. Each of them will be 4.2 metres long and with delivery charges they have cost me £400 (US $520). I may not start on the lower decking renovation straight away but at least I will have the boards here ready for the task ahead. It doesn't seem like twenty years since we had the decking professionally installed. Twenty years ahead and I will not be here.
Please check in on Bert from time to time! After serious medical issues, people tend to stay away, and the isolation does as much damage as anything. A cheerful friend who stops by every once in a while, maybe with a simple meal to share (or even a couple of cold pints!) can do wonders for a sick/injured person's state of mind. And that can make a big difference in healing!
ReplyDeleteLucky Frances with the free holiday accommodations in Spain! Lucky Ian and Sarah, too. I'm sure they'll have a great time!
I fear for him Jennifer. I think he will go downhill from here but I will keep in touch - of course I will.
DeleteI am sorry to hear about Bert's broken hip. I imagine he won't be able to come home until he can manage steps. I am glad you got out with him last week and hope you will be able to visit him as he recovers.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly are busy with projects, Neil!
Being busy means I have less time to contemplate my sins Ellen!
DeleteSorry to hear about Bert; falls are not a good thing as we age, but here's hoping he mends nicely.
ReplyDeleteIf that's your back deck it's quite lovely.
That's how it was 20 years ago Bob - fresh as a daisy.
DeleteI hope you didn't bring back home one of those foreign Italian colds.
ReplyDeleteI've seen more than once how a broken hip can cause rapid decline in the physical and mental health of an otherwise able person. I would not be optimistic about Bert returning to an impractical house.
You have clearly seen what I have seen before Andrew. And you are right to refer to associated mental decline.
DeleteAt this age when we fall serious damage can be done. I hope your friend recovers rapidly. Independence is a painful thing to give up.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you and Jean will avoid life-changing falls. Take care Red!
DeleteA broken hip isn't quite the death sentence it used to be but still a mighty set back. I hope Bert picks up nicely.
ReplyDeleteI also have a 20 year old deck. I don't think I need to replace it yet although it would look prettier if I did.
I hope you're soon fighting fit!
In this climate some of our boards have become rotten and dangerous Kylie.
DeleteThat's a very lovely little deck and might I suggest adding a railing to those few steps so you yourself don't fall and break something important? I'm so sorry to hear about Bert. Do those small English houses not have a downstairs toilet? It would be easier for Bert who could make a temporary bedroom in the living room perhaps? Until he is well enough to get up and down the stairs again.
ReplyDeleteIn the gap near those steps we now have a substantial bay tree/bush.
DeleteOur 90-year-old blogging friend Pat (Weaver of Grass) broke a hip last year (I think), and she has been coping admirably. Luckily, her bungalow allowed for some changes, so that she now sleeps downstairs, where she also has a toilet and shower (I think). From what you have told us of Bert, I can imagine him having a similar unbeatable spirit. But as Jennifer says, a friend popping over occasionally can make a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you caught your cold on the flight back? In my experience, the air conditioning on planes, trains and buses is often conductive to respiratory infections.
Bert's terraced house is less amenable to the changes required to allow him to cope at home.
DeletePoor Bert. I hope he can recover soon.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a big struggle. This feels like a massive turning point in his life.
DeleteChanging a downstairs room into a bedroom, with the addition of a shower/loo could help Bert. I think we have to be more proactive in keeping people in their own homes. And you could be here in 20 years so make sure the wood is not slippery on your decking boards!
ReplyDeleteI am confident that I will not live to be ninety. Social services advisers will assess the suitability of his home and see if any alterations can be made.
DeleteMy dad immediately got a hip replacement when he did something similar. He was surprised to be up and out of bed within a couple of days. I think the main thing is to avoid the infections you can get in hospital. I hope they can help Bert just as well.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too but he was already becoming unsteady and also losing his confidence.
DeleteIt is not necessarily bad news about your friend but depends on his age. I have two elderly friends who both had hip ops last year and walk 8 miles or more regularly. They go away on holiday and make trips to central London for art exhibitions and have never been better. True it was arthritis that caused the problems and not a fracture, but it is not necessarily bad news. The key is to do EVERYTHING the physiotherapist suggests and not give in!
ReplyDeleteBert will be 87 later this year. My instinct is that for him this is the beginning of the end but I hope that I am wrong.
DeletePoor Bert, he was so well and full of life when you saw him recently. However we shouldn't be negative about his chances of recovery, although his home could do with being made more age friendly.
ReplyDeleteI'm very glad that when we had this house built we decided to go for everything on one level - it has proved to be a sensible decision.
How splendid that you got to design your own home Carol. Out of interest, which town do you live in? Please don't worry - I am not going to track you down like a stalker!
DeleteI submitted an article yesterday on age friendly homes, one quarter of it talks about stairs being a major hurdle in the event of injury or illness. Being able to think, the next time this needs to be done is a mixed feeling, nice that we never have to deal with it again, and a reminder that we are in the last quarter of our game.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of life as being like a game of American football. I guess I am an offensive guard. You are probably a tight end Mr Penguin.
DeleteWell, you never know! (Whether you'll be here or not.)
ReplyDeleteMust be nice to afford a five-bedroom villa in Marbella. Ah, to be a boss.
Sending good wishes for Bert's recovery!
I'm starting to reach that point where I figure I'm doing some projects for the last time.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to hear the news about Bert and just after your glowing report of your lunch together.
ReplyDeleteThey taught us in nursing school that sometimes it's not that a fall causes a broken hip but that a bone just snaps and then comes the fall. Whichever- you are right- it can very much be the beginning of a slippery slope.
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