I read a beautiful post recently by mamaeps - a 57 year old caught between responsibilities to both children and elderly parents (the sandwich). The writer was thankful for the hospital staff after her mother's heart attack - particularly the therapists. The post resonated deeply with my own recent experience.
My mom, who will be 89 this autumn, tumbled and fractured her pelvis. She didn't break her hip - which may have had a neat surgical remedy. She fractured her pelvis and tore a great deal of soft tissue. The only treatment possible was time (many months) mixed with a lot of pain.
Combine this with the loss of her car, making her completely dependent on me for everything, and I had one unhappy lady on my hands along with my own family, my job, my home. At one point I remember telling my brother on the other side of the country that I believed she was failing. She just seemed despondent and slipping away. Most days she wouldn't even get out of bed.
Enter Dale. A Physical Therapist (PT) whose treatment was covered under her Medicare and AARP insurance, Dale has brought a whole lot more than evaluation and therapy into my mother's home. He is a positively delightful human being. Yes, he is gentle. Yes, he seems extremely competent. Yes, his guidance has helped her improve immensely. But he has also been her personal cheerleader, commiserating with her setbacks and limitations, urging her to move more, celebrating even her smallest achievements.
With Dale making suggestions, we were able to make some simple, inexpensive improvements to her home to make her life easier and safer. We had been gently talking to mom about moving in with us - to our crazy household with our crazy dogs. The realization that perhaps she could stay in her own home a little longer was a significant turning point. She shed her wheelchair in favor of a walker and can now barrel through her house with remarkable speed. She spends far less time in bed and takes far less Advil. But most importantly, she has clearly not given up, she is not failing, she is not slipping away.
Now, when I take her out to lunch she talks about Dale like she talks about her children. He and his wife have no children (yet) but they have their own home and just planted their first apple tree. He is very happy about the tree's progress, she tells me with a sparkling smile.
These professionals really are unsung heroes. Their jobs can be very demanding, both physically and emotionally. Their training is long and difficult. Like any profession, I'm sure there are the good, the bad and the ugly. But my own experiences, bolstered greatly by this young man, tell me these are immeasurably important components to almost any kind of medical or trauma-related recovery.
After the diagnosis was confirmed, my out-of-state sister arranged the therapy. Were it not for her, I never would have known to ask about PT, the order never would have been written, and I never would have known that in-home PT is covered by many insurance providers. I have to wonder how many people who could be helped so much by this service never know to ask. And I wonder how many (especially elderly) have been forced to return to a hospital, or forced into a long term care facility - or slipped away - without this wonderful help.
I haven't had time yet to learn how to imbed a reference, or a link to mamaeps' post. Anyone's help would be appreciated.