January 20, 2010
Today I headed out for the Soldiers Home right after my son hopped on the school bus. It didn’t take long for me to figure out why I don’t do this more often: Hardly anyone was awake.
I had told Mike I’d be out between 9 and 9:30, but he was zonked out, eyes open, with the Weather Channel on. I wanted to thank Gary for his help on this project, but he hadn’t been up yet, either. And when I walked through Roosevelt Barracks leaving consent forms for this project, a maintenance guy started to get suspicious and asked whether I needed some help.
I didn’t then, but I would in a few minutes.
Back in the nursing center, I thought I’d try Mike again. I was kind of stuck a few feet behind a slow-moving man using
a walker. In the blink of an eye, he went from standing still at his walker to lying flat on the floor. He had literally tipped to his left – no foot shuffling, no slip, no trip--just a tip.
"Help," I said in the general direction of the nursing station. "This man has fallen." I didn’t know his name (but they did; Victor), but I was thrilled to see nurses from all over respond.
He seemed OK, but he looked uncomfortable on several levels. They brought a wheelchair and lifted him into it, and he looked OK again. But it was scary, and it made me feel very helpless—but also reassured: Help really is there when they need it.
Today I headed out for the Soldiers Home right after my son hopped on the school bus. It didn’t take long for me to figure out why I don’t do this more often: Hardly anyone was awake.
I had told Mike I’d be out between 9 and 9:30, but he was zonked out, eyes open, with the Weather Channel on. I wanted to thank Gary for his help on this project, but he hadn’t been up yet, either. And when I walked through Roosevelt Barracks leaving consent forms for this project, a maintenance guy started to get suspicious and asked whether I needed some help.
I didn’t then, but I would in a few minutes.
Back in the nursing center, I thought I’d try Mike again. I was kind of stuck a few feet behind a slow-moving man using
a walker. In the blink of an eye, he went from standing still at his walker to lying flat on the floor. He had literally tipped to his left – no foot shuffling, no slip, no trip--just a tip.
"Help," I said in the general direction of the nursing station. "This man has fallen." I didn’t know his name (but they did; Victor), but I was thrilled to see nurses from all over respond.
He seemed OK, but he looked uncomfortable on several levels. They brought a wheelchair and lifted him into it, and he looked OK again. But it was scary, and it made me feel very helpless—but also reassured: Help really is there when they need it.
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