On Tuesday, I wrote about a spunky little lady that we encountered who would be undergoing hip surgery this week. I went to visit her at the hospital and wanted to write an update on her status. Her surgery went well and she is pleased with the outcome, she's been up sitting in a recliner and has been able to ambulate with the use of her walker. Of course there's some pain but that is being managed. As I mentioned in Tuesday's journal, she was concerned about being discharged directly back to her home, which in the most recent past she has been unable to get into due to mobility issues and reports having been staying in her storage shed. She advocated for herself with the hospital staff and will definitely be going to a rehab center, though she does not know which one as of yet. While I assumed that she wouldn't be sent directly home, stranger things have happened to our street people!
While our visit wasn't long, this tough little lady shared some of her history with me. She talked about being a part of demonstrations and riots, even while pregnant during the mid 1960's. She talked about being in Chicago, being in Milwaukee and a few other places. She's got quite a staunch political view on the world and was not shy in sharing her opinions.
We discussed what will happen when she completes her rehab, that eventually she'll return home which means she's facing the constant struggle of getting up the few steps into her trailer with her walker. Once she gets into the trailer she says she can maneuver around safely but she is unsafe getting up and down the steps, there just isn't room for the walker, which she relies on for her safety. She admitted that sleeping in the shed may continue to be a possibility simply because of the steps. She agreed that ideally she would have a ramp, I don't know if that's a financial possibility for her or not. Our visit was cut short when a physical therapist arrived, she shook my hand and said that it was time for her to get to work.
I'm so happy that her surgery went well and I pray for a full recovery for her. I admit that I'll kind of miss seeing her shuffling down the street with her wheeled walker, maybe her odd gait will have been repaired through the hip repair, although she said she'd been walking "like a duck" for so long that she didn't know anything else. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have met this kind woman.
Karen
While our visit wasn't long, this tough little lady shared some of her history with me. She talked about being a part of demonstrations and riots, even while pregnant during the mid 1960's. She talked about being in Chicago, being in Milwaukee and a few other places. She's got quite a staunch political view on the world and was not shy in sharing her opinions.
We discussed what will happen when she completes her rehab, that eventually she'll return home which means she's facing the constant struggle of getting up the few steps into her trailer with her walker. Once she gets into the trailer she says she can maneuver around safely but she is unsafe getting up and down the steps, there just isn't room for the walker, which she relies on for her safety. She admitted that sleeping in the shed may continue to be a possibility simply because of the steps. She agreed that ideally she would have a ramp, I don't know if that's a financial possibility for her or not. Our visit was cut short when a physical therapist arrived, she shook my hand and said that it was time for her to get to work.
I'm so happy that her surgery went well and I pray for a full recovery for her. I admit that I'll kind of miss seeing her shuffling down the street with her wheeled walker, maybe her odd gait will have been repaired through the hip repair, although she said she'd been walking "like a duck" for so long that she didn't know anything else. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have met this kind woman.
Karen