Acts of Kindness #26

Name: Uncle Gene
 Location: Ohio

My life long friend, Doris, fell last Friday sometime during the night.  I received a call early Friday morning from her son-in-law, Steve, informing me that she was in the emergency room of the Salem, Ohio hospital.  Tests were being done but no information was at hand.  Later in the day I called Steve to learn that Doris had a fractured vertebrae and was admitted to the hospital.  She was asking for me so I left early Saturday morning driving the 160 miles to Salem.  I arrived at about 11 AM.   Doris’ daughter, Linda, her son Bob and several other friends were visiting with her.  They all left for lunch while I remained to visit with her and to help her with lunch.  She has lost a lot of weight in the past months, weighing only 75 pounds at present.  I helped her eat lunch which required a lot of coaxing but she did better than usual.  After three hours she dismissed me so that she might take a nap.  So I made my departure.  As I was leaving I met Linda and we had some serious discussions about what next.  Unless she can feed herself independently she will not be able to return to her assisted living facility but she does not want to go to a skilled nursing facility.  Her four children and I agree that she needs a living environment where the residents are alert and friendly so that  there is social interaction and mental stimulation.  This is a tough situation but I shall be there for her to help resolve the problem.  I drove home Saturday.

It was a long day but worth the effort to reach out to a person I care about.  I’m sure Rosie agrees and understands.

Thank you for sharing, Uncle Gene!