My leukemia's back.

[donrae]

Oh Bunny....

Praying for your parents, physically, emotionally and mentally.

From their end, I agree it's so hard to be the one giving up your independence. That's just a horrible thing to try to come to terms with.

From your end--it stinks. Being just far enough away you can't get there daily, etc.

Do you parents have a church home? That could be a great resource for you all. Even as a starting point to find someone to pay to come in a few times a week if needed. Do a cleaning, maybe help Mom shower, laundry, etc. Some meal prep for the week, things like that. Probably cheaper that way than going through an agency.

 

[lazy gardener]

Bunnylady, will lift your Mom up to the throne room. May God offer His comfort and His healing. May the medical staff meet her needs with wisdom, compassion, and appropriate treatment. May they have the physical assistance they need at this time. Perhaps home health agency? Often needs can be met just as adequately by hiring private assistance.

 

[Bunnylady]

My parents have a home church. Since my father is a retired minister, that was a little tricky, but they found one where they are comfortable. They also have a person who has been coming in and cleaning/ doing yard work for them for a while now. Laundry became Dad's responsibility when he retired a few years ago, and Mom's broken arm necessitated him learning to do a lot of other things too. He bought her a lift chair some time ago, and it is probably coming in very useful right now, because she hasn't got a good arm to be helped up by. I think mobility is going to continue to be a major issue. Mom has become so afraid of falling, but she can't even use a cane right now. Just running errands is going to be a challenge, whether Dad takes Mom with him or whether he goes alone.

 

[donrae]

Yeah, it really stinks when both legs need help, and you are already down an arm, and then they restrict your "good" arm

. Poor lady doesn't have any hand holds left!

Glad they have a housekeeper type in place already. That makes things nice.

How about Home Health Physical Therapy? If your mom is covered under Medicare, it will pay for HH to come out and work with her, since she just had surgery and is a high fall risk. She's clearly homebound (can't drive herself or it's a taxing effort), so she qualifies easily. Maybe Physical and Occupational therapies both, they can help her gain some strength and set her up with some assistive devices to help her do her own thing more as she heals. Cause yep, another fall at this point could be devastating.

A gait belt would be a good idea--one of those buckle belts that go around her middle. Would give your Dad a place to grip to help her stand, without pulling on an arm/shoulder.

 

[Blooie]

I can't offer much (any) advice, but I can and my prayers to those of everyone else who cares so much! And send you a couple of hugs too!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

My parents have a home church. Since my father is a retired minister, that was a little tricky, but they found one where they are comfortable. They also have a person who has been coming in and cleaning/ doing yard work for them for a while now. Laundry became Dad's responsibility when he retired a few years ago, and Mom's broken arm necessitated him learning to do a lot of other things too. He bought her a lift chair some time ago, and it is probably coming in very useful right now, because she hasn't got a good arm to be helped up by. I think mobility is going to continue to be a major issue. Mom has become so afraid of falling, but she can't even use a cane right now. Just running errands is going to be a challenge, whether Dad takes Mom with him or whether he goes alone.

I am glad they have that support, I now how hard it is not to be right there to help them yourself. Will be keeping them in my thoughts!

Yeah, it really stinks when both legs need help, and you are already down an arm, and then they restrict your "good" arm

. Poor lady doesn't have any hand holds left!

Glad they have a housekeeper type in place already. That makes things nice.

How about Home Health Physical Therapy? If your mom is covered under Medicare, it will pay for HH to come out and work with her, since she just had surgery and is a high fall risk. She's clearly homebound (can't drive herself or it's a taxing effort), so she qualifies easily. Maybe Physical and Occupational therapies both, they can help her gain some strength and set her up with some assistive devices to help her do her own thing more as she heals. Cause yep, another fall at this point could be devastating.

A gait belt would be a good idea--one of those buckle belts that go around her middle. Would give your Dad a place to grip to help her stand, without pulling on an arm/shoulder.

A gait belt is a great suggestion.

There's something to be said about NOT living in a McMansion

My house is tiny too...it's not ours but we'll stay as long as the jobs keep us here. We were offered a larger house in town but this is the perfect size for the two of us. Plus, it's less than 5 minutes to the golf course so very handy for work. And, big bonus, we're out here in the sticks where we can really enjoy the hills and wildlife. Big win for us!

I'll second (third?) that! Our current little house is so much smaller than the one we had in Indiana....and I LOVE it! @Blooie you are so right, cleaning takes so little time!

Nothing feels quite like the heat from a wood stove.

You are so right there! That is the one thing I don't like about this house - the fireplace is non-functional (chimney issues). The first thing we do when we go to my sister/mom's place is build a fire in the fire place, brings back so many memories from growing up with the old wood stove.

And now you know why my other hobby is quilting!

I've said it before and I'll say it again...heating these old trailers is like heating a corn crib! I can't imagine how you manage with a wood stove and space heaters. It was 22 below this morning with a wind chill factor of -44. That's cold! But we hate to stick a bunch of money into this place too......next thing you know we've got a Mercedes package on a VW chassis. <sigh> Our central forced heat does a pretty good job, but it also heats one half of the house much better than the other. So the front is always chilly while we broil in the bedrooms! We did crank the registers way down back there, practically shutting them, but the shortest distance between the furnace and the rest of the house is the back bedrooms. When we want to raise bread in winter, we put it in the second bedroom. which serves as Ken's office. The stupid thermostat was in the hall on the NORTH wall...yeah, a two inch thick wall that probably has nothing more than 1970s newspapers in it for insulation. So the doggone furnace would kick off, the thermostat would chill down in minutes and then kick the furnace back on. We did move the thermostat and that helped. But yikes! When Ken's aunt lived in this place she qualified for LIEAP, and they "insulated" the place and put in new windows. That was 25 years ago. We also put in new windows, but with 2" thick walls it's hard to find any energy efficient ones...they are all designed for "normal" wall thicknesses. We have to get ours at the Old Mobile Home supply company, and aside from having better sashes and such, they aren't much better than the old crank type that were in here before.

So why not move? Why not have this old trailer yanked out and build something new? Well, because it's paid for, and our yearly property taxes on the house, the garage, and a corner lot with mountain views on two sides are only $169, which is a big reason. We're in our late 60s....the last thing we want to do at this point in our lives is start a new mortgage. So we make do. Besides, I love this house, with all it's idiosyncrasies. After 26 years of living in Navy Housing, and then another 6 years of living in a duplex, we finally own something, and I'm hanging on to it!

Amen!
My aunt lives in an early 70's model single wide that she has owned since it was brand new - it's in the same park she had it set in when she bought it. She could have written every word of your "why" and I can't imagine her living anywhere else.

 

[N F C]

@Bunnylady so sorry to hear of your mother's health issues. It's tough to see our parents struggling. Hugs to you and your family, you'll be in my thoughts and prayers

 

[donrae]

Finally! the house to myself. The Locusts went to school, Honey's at work, just me and the dogs hanging out.

I've had a hard time telling how my breathing is doing, cause I've been doing, well, nothing. So, this morning I went out and fed the hay critters. Yep, I wore one of the good masks, so no breathing anything funky. It still exhausted me, needing rest breaks, etc. Well, at least now I know. Figured it didn't hurt to give it a try.

Not a whole lot going on. Taking a break from the baby blanket I've been crocheting to make a beanie for Sugar Monkey. I found some nice soft dark brown yarn in my stash, it will make a nice hat for him. He's also needing a new baseball cap. I'm thinking to find one from one of the bands he likes so much, like Toby Mac or Third Day. I was going to order and surprise him, but he's more of the "I like to pick my own stuff" so I think I'll sit down with him after school today and order one. He's really stepped up a lot since I've had the flu and I'd like to get him a little something.

 

[sourland]

Enjoy the peace and quiet.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Finally! the house to myself. The Locusts went to school, Honey's at work, just me and the dogs hanging out.

I've had a hard time telling how my breathing is doing, cause I've been doing, well, nothing. So, this morning I went out and fed the hay critters. Yep, I wore one of the good masks, so no breathing anything funky. It still exhausted me, needing rest breaks, etc. Well, at least now I know. Figured it didn't hurt to give it a try.

Not a whole lot going on. Taking a break from the baby blanket I've been crocheting to make a beanie for Sugar Monkey. I found some nice soft dark brown yarn in my stash, it will make a nice hat for him. He's also needing a new baseball cap. I'm thinking to find one from one of the bands he likes so much, like Toby Mac or Third Day. I was going to order and surprise him, but he's more of the "I like to pick my own stuff" so I think I'll sit down with him after school today and order one. He's really stepped up a lot since I've had the flu and I'd like to get him a little something.

WooHoo -- so glad you have a little peace and quiet today! I was wondering if you'd have school down that way today - we went from a two hour delay to a closure and from the sounds of it I'll be surprised if they go tomorrow as it's supposed to do the same thing overnight tonight that it did last night, at this rate they'll still be finishing this school year when it's time to start next year, lol.
Outstanding about SM stepping up!