Dad cracked his hip, and they put a screw in to hold the crack in place. However, he apparently twisted his knee on that side as well, and it hurt such that he wouldn't do any therapy in rehab. One night he went into congestive heart failure mode, and they moved him to ICU to control that. They moved him out the next day, but not into rehab. My sister showed up today from N. Carolina for the next shift. Gotta decide where to send him. He wants to go to the Vets hospital in Sulfur and die, which is 30 miles away and too far for Mom to drive over there by herself. The social worked found a local nursing home that'll take him for 20 days with medicare paying. After that, it's one of those deals where your bank account has to below $2,000 for them to pay. They're also checking into Hospice care in the home. It's $1,800/month in the vets hospital. He's 86 and the oldest and last of 4 brothers and 1 sister. His sister died this last summer after the other brothers died over the last few years, the youngest (and seemingly the most fit) first. He's hardly been out since his sister died. He took a spurt and cut down a tree and was clearing shelves out of the cellar when he fell. Guess he'd recovered from her dying, and the weather cooled. Then this has set him back again.
We made it out of DFW and stayed ahead of the storm. It came in that night. Dropped only about 1/4" of sleet in Oklahoma where we were. Heard they were slipping and slidding on ice later on that day in DFW area.
Weather was great and all going back. Found remains of snow left here from the storm on Friday once we got to Charlottesville. Richmond didn't get any at all though. Didn't want to leave early from Mom's to meet you. It was great in Ada yesterday. I went out and walked in Wintersmith Park while Mom visited. It was near 60 degrees and sunny. If it weren't a public place, I'd have loved to hike naked. Some folks were out in hats, hooded jackets and gloves. Couldn't believe it. You'd think they were Singaporeans who dress that way in 70 degree weather.
We managed to get Mom a new car. She went to take it out this morning and couldn't figure how to take the emergency brake off. It's a Ford Focus. She's never had a new car and especially one where the seat would adjust to fit her. We looked at a Nissan Sentra and a Chevy Cobalt. She didn't want to go any higher price because of the cost of the collision insurance that she took out (they only had the state-required liability on the old car).
Drove Dad's 1985 Dodge pickup to Home Depot 13 miles into Ada to pick up a new storm door for the back. It almost wouldn't start when I went out to restart it at Home Depot. Had an old Chrysler when I was in grad school that was like that. It was the starter. The Dodge's brake pedal oscillates, the exhaust leaks, wipers won't park out of your line of vision, lots of wind noise. It really ought to be junked.
I surveyed the place to see what I'd have to contend with if Mom wanted to sell out. There's all sorts of junk beside and in the shed where his old tractor was. There is also a bunch of junk in the shed next to the garage where his shop is, where he parks his 3 mowing machines.
CJ & Mom got his files found and organized. They found a tax bill for real estate taxes that was due. He had all his old records stuffed in bread sleaves and grocery sacks. They put them in file folders. Found an interesting psychological report done 3 years ago in his vet stuff that Mom had never seen. It recommended that he go on anti-depressants then and said that he just wanted to die. They started paying him 100% disability about 18 months ago, mostly for his hearing loss and frozen feet from WWII. In that report, it's interesting that it says he got a Silver Star for taking out a machine gun nest. He always said he got it in capturing some Germans who just gave up when they barged in on them.
Ralph
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