Don't fall.

chic

chic

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U.S.
I got a call today that my 87 year old mom had fallen and was rushed to the ER. Our local hospital shut their ER a couple of years ago and so have many others in nearby communities, so she was taken to a large hospital in the city. I was frantic and called the hospital but they told me her condition was still being assessed so I left my mobile number for them to call me back but they never did.

After several hours I called again and they told me they couldn't release info on her condition to me. I know this is the law, but come on. I'm family and I needed to know how serious her injuries were.

Finally she called me. She fell. NEVER FALL GUYS. Just don't. I tell her this all the time. She was blown by a gust of wind and fell on her face. She has fractured cheek bones, black eyes and two stitches in her nose. She sounds awful, but was in good spirits. I'm glad it wasn't a concussion or a broken hip or something. The plastic surgeon who attended her says she going to have to have a plate put in her mouth to reposition her facial bones which, I guess, are lopsided now.

Please everyone. Be so careful not to fall or to let any senior you love fall too. Recovery is terribly hard the older you get.
 

chic said:
I got a call today that my 87 year old mom had fallen and was rushed to the ER. Our local hospital shut their ER a couple of years ago and so have many others in nearby communities, so she was taken to a large hospital in the city. I was frantic and called the hospital but they told me her condition was still being assessed so I left my mobile number for them to call me back but they never did.

After several hours I called again and they told me they couldn't release info on her condition to me. I know this is the law, but come on. I'm family and I needed to know how serious her injuries were.

Finally she called me. She fell. NEVER FALL GUYS. Just don't. I tell her this all the time. She was blown by a gust of wind and fell on her face. She has fractured cheek bones, black eyes and two stitches in her nose. She sounds awful, but was in good spirits. I'm glad it wasn't a concussion or a broken hip or something. The plastic surgeon who attended her says she going to have to have a plate put in her mouth to reposition her facial bones which, I guess, are lopsided now.

Please everyone. Be so careful not to fall or to let any senior you love fall too. Recovery is terribly hard the older you get.
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Too late for me. I fell and badly broke my wrist. Been in a cast for 6 weeks. Feb 26 is the date I hope to get my cast off. I agree....be careful everyone! Glad your Mom was not badly hurt and hope she recovers quickly.
 

Oh @chic
I am so sorry for her and for you. That is awful. Sad and shocking for you. Upsetting for her.:cry:

I wonder if she is able to chew or will need to be eating pureed foods for a while.

That must have been terrible for you to have to get no info when you called, and to be waiting till she was able to call you herself.
 
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Oh No @chic, your poor mum, aside from the pain from the fall the shock may still yet set in..😧. , and what a terrible worry for you in the meantime .
Here in the Uk, close family members do get informed of the patients condition, and are aware of the extent of injuries , and can help come to decisions when or if required on the patients treatment.

Clearly your mum had damaged her poor face to a great extent for her to require plastic surgery to reshape it..and won't be able to eat for a while either ...

Do send her the love from all your friends here, and tell her that people from all over the world are wishing her the very best and praying for her to be as painfree as possible during this recovery time ....


get-well-flowers.jpg
 
So sorry to hear about your mom. Will you be able to see her? I have not paid attention as to where you or she lives so that could be a problem. I am very careful when I walk as I walk with a cane. It was raining the other day and I cancelled a doctor appointment because I cannot walk with the cane on wet surfaces. Add to the fact that my left side is partially paralyzed so balance can be a problem especially if it is windy or rainy. So I am very careful moving around.
 
Catlady said:
I think that old people's worst enemy is the gradual loss of balance. I'm noticing it in myself. Any sudden movement or turning makes me prone to falling. I need to start doing some balance exercises. Tai Chi, anyone?
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That's how & why I first got into yoga and it does help to practice everyday so as to prevent slip & falls and maintain good balance.

I will see mom tomorrow. I don't live far. Today she should rest. She was in the ER almost all day yesterday! That alone would be exhausting.

Thanks for all the well wishes. I know it will help her.
 
Oh dear Chic, what a fright, you must have been at
your wit's end and then an officious nurse wouldn't
let you know how she was!

Anyway, although your Mom is hurt, she was thinking
of you and got in touch as soon as she could, I hope
that her recovery will be swift.

Mike.
 
From being a former EMT to working for a Senior Healthcare Company, I definitely know about falling at a Senior age.

In Dec 2006, I fell in ice/snow, of which required a rotator cuff surgery in my right shoulder. That happened by our house when we lived in Colorado before. The following year, 2007, we sold the house and moved, mainly due to that fall. Then, in summer of 2014, I fell in the parking lot where we lived in Florida. That fall required a rotator cuff surgery in my left shoulder. Then, after arriving back here in Colorado in August 2019, I was taking a shower, but no shower pad in the tube, turned around to rinse myself off and slid out of the bath tube onto to the bathroom floor. From my old EMT days, I was able to stop the bleeding and went to a nearby ER. Actually, I drove and wife went with me. A tetanus shot, about 7 stitches and I was sent home. A week later, came back to have stitches removed. A very small scar remains where the cut was, by my eyebrow.

Now have a shower pad in that tube/shower.

I was only 70 when I fell out of that tube/shower and I thought it was bad, but your 87 yr old mom. Wife and I wish your mom the best in her recovery.
 
Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts. Actually, it was MOM'S fault that the hospital refused me updates on her status. In the U.S. we have patient privacy laws which include members of the immediate family. Her attending physician asked her "don't you want to call your daughter and tell her?" To which mom replied, "Oh, no don't call her, she'll just worry." Honestly, I worried more not knowing. But the hospital was just obeying the law by keeping me in the dark, hard as it was.

I will do some grocery shopping for mom tomorrow. She can only eat soft things because her palate is broken as well as her cheekbones. Her spirits are good, but she is 87 and I do worry about her falling and getting a devastating injury. It happens to so many.

So, since discretion is the better part of valor, I will just say again, don't fall my friends or go out in strong winds where the wind itself can knock you off your feet like it did to my mom.

Peace - Chic.
 
chic said:
Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts. Actually, it was MOM'S fault that the hospital refused me updates on her status. In the U.S. we have patient privacy laws which include members of the immediate family. Her attending physician asked her "don't you want to call your daughter and tell her?" To which mom replied, "Oh, no don't call her, she'll just worry." Honestly, I worried more not knowing. But the hospital was just obeying the law by keeping me in the dark, hard as it was.

I will do some grocery shopping for mom tomorrow. She can only eat soft things because her palate is broken as well as her cheekbones. Her spirits are good, but she is 87 and I do worry about her falling and getting a devastating injury. It happens to so many.

So, since discretion is the better part of valor, I will just say again, don't fall my friends or go out in strong winds where the wind itself can knock you off your feet like it did to my mom.

Peace - Chic.
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She didn’t want you to worry. 😢
What a great sport, sweetheart and loving mom all rolled into one. You’re very lucky chic.
Sending healing thoughts your way. ❤️
Don’t forget to take care of yourself also.
Breathe!
 

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