On a daily basis I call my parents. When my brother’s text arrived asking ” Did you know that Dad was in a wheelchair?” I’m alarmed. I just called my parents yesterday and there was no mention of a fall, an issue or a wheelchair.
I first call my brother who tells me that when he spoke to our Mom today, she mentioned that Dad is now in a wheelchair. They could not remember when he got it or exactly why. I do recall watching when I visited my parents a few days ago that my Dad was limping. When I asked him, he just responded that his leg is a little sore.
Three years ago, my dad broke his hip. To me, that was a pivot point in his cognitive decline. I believe the surgery was very difficult on him. However, he easily bounced back physically and was playing racquetball within three months of the surgery.
I tell my brother I’m alarmed that the nursing staff didn’t call to tell me they issued a wheelchair for Dad. I immediately call them and they confirm that my Dad is not in a wheelchair. What is going on?
I finally connect with my parents on the phone and they confirm to me that Dad is in a wheelchair. If the staff doesn’t know about it — did my Dad possibly take someone else’s wheelchair? Puzzled.
The other day the facility where my Mom is called to ask if I had checked her out and not mentioned it to them. For real. And this is a good place. They found her in someone else’s room asleep on the floor. It’s all a big hot mess dealing with dementia.
Thanks for your note … it made me chuckle in a bitter sweet way. I just had a similar experience when the nurse said to me “Your Dad said he has never had any problems with his leg or hip!” My snarky self wanted to ask how well he remembered other things … like even ordering lunch. She is nice and has been helpful in so many ways. I suppose the good news is that they noticed your mom was missing. Our stories will continue …
So true. And to explain better, they just wondered if we’d checked her out for lunch. I made it sound worse than it was probably because I was chuckling myself. Still nuts, no pun intended. Or maybe sort of intended. Have a great weekend.