In the last post, I mentioned that falls are really, dangerous for older people. I included some medical information that I cannot vouch for, other than hearing it from a doc who seemed pretty darn credible to me.
My mother lives very close to us. She is 83. She is constantly doing stupid stuff like getting up on chairs, ladders, etc., to reach things up high. She is often too impatient to wait for me or my son to come and do the high up things. She is very active and very healthy, for which I'm most grateful, but I've worried about her risk of falling. Her balance isn't perfect. For instance, as we went in a restaurant tonight, she needed to hold my hand to walk in an uneven parking lot and step up on a curb.
A couple of months ago, I took her up to Ruby Memorial Hospital (named after a friend of my father's who donated a TON of money to the University and, for that matter, to our scout camp) for some minor surgery. A very affable anesthesiologist stopped in to talk, and I thought I'd get a little support for my campaign to have my mom be more careful, and even for my plan to get her one of those emergency radio pendants. The doc actually surprised me with his vehemence about this issue. He said, of course, that old people's bones are thinner and more brittle than younger people's, so they are very prone to fractures and have a great deal of trouble healing. He added something that I'd never heard of before. He said that when an old person is lying on a hard surface (even carpeting), the pressure restricts circulation and the tissue quickly dies. When the tissue starts dying, it emits some sort of bad chemicals (he named them, and I just don't remember the names) which attack the body's organs and create the need for intensive care stays that are often quickly fatal.
So, I thought I'd post this, to give you a little more ammo dealing with your elderly friends & relatives about safety and preparedness, and to urge you to contact them frequently.
Maybe this is a small-town thing. I know lots and lots of folks don't live near enough to elderly relatives to participate very much in thier lives.
Mizpah.
R
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2 comments:
Roger, I love ya to death, but I'd verify anything an anesthesiologist told me with a gerontologist--that's just a general principle of going to the right expert. Besides a gerontologist will have better advice for you.
My mother at 78 sounds much like yours--stubborn, ladder climbing, and active. While I worry about falls and such, I also recognize her need for being an active individual is very important to her. I'd guess it is for your mother as well. While I applaud your concern, if she were to stop doing the things she wants to do simply to be careful, she'd wither away from the unhappiness. Too much caution can sap the soul, and that is just as bad as the broken body. It's a very fine line those of us with elderly parents must walk.
Thank you, Rosa -- you're right, it is a thin line. I sit on my hands and guard my words with my son, so as not to overprotect him. You've given me food for thought tonight.
R
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