Last week my mother fell and broke her hip. It was her second fall and break in 10 months. 13 hours in the ER, admission to the hospital, surgery the next morning and another 5 days recuperating before discharging to my house. She’ll be healing for the next two months but the last break took over six so I’m not complaining.
She’s healing as well as we can hope considering her other health concerns. She needs round the clock supervision as the fall risk is high. For someone as independent as she is, I think that chafes, but my brother and I take turns making sure she has everything she needs
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It’s not easy having her here but I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back to her the way she’s given to us children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. It's an honor to be able to care for this amazing woman. We’ve had our issues as mothers and daughters do, but she’s also someone who will give you the shirt off her back and anything else you could need without a moment’s hesitation. She was a university professor as her profession, then ran a non-profit and pastored a church in her retirement.
As she prepares for this next stage of her life, trading some independence for a higher level of care, my goal is to make it as seamless as possible. I don’t want to forget that she’s an adult and I need to respect her independent spirit. I also want her to be around for as long as possible. I’m not ready to say “goodbye” and hopefully I won’t have to for a very long time.
Photo by Gert Stockmans on Unsplash
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