Melbourne, FL

Here is a PSA from my mom, Theresa:

Walk 2 miles every day. That’ll keep you feeling and looking young. And if you ever fall and break your hip, it’ll make everybody shake their heads in disbelief and say wonderful things about you when recovery from your surgery takes a few days instead of a couple of months.

On October 23rd, my mom fell, broke her hip and required surgery. Knowing she would likely be challenged communicating with unfamiliar caregivers in a different facility and away from her usual routine, I flew from Phoenix, AZ to Melbourne, FL to help her while Doug drove to meet me 5 days later, planning to hang out with me in Florida for however long it took.

I’m pleased to say my 91-yearl old mom has made a remarkable recovery. She walked out of the hospital 6 days after surgery and returned directly to her home in a memory care facility. Many people half her age don’t recover that quickly and easily.

The key challenge at home was that my mom kept forgetting about the surgery (or even having fallen!), and the need to use a walker to move around. We arranged for 24-7 personal assistance to remind her of her injury and try to promote using the walker as her new habit. Another challenge was helping her gauge her pain and need for pain medication. Having forgotten about the surgery, each day seemingly began with ‘more pain than she’s ever had before’ – despite each day walking further and looking more comfortable than the day before.

From never having used a walked before, my mom took it up like a natural. Within a day, she was maneuvering through groups of her fellow residents in the busy activity room, getting herself through doors (including to the outside patio), and walking safely and smoothly onto and off of curbs. Two weeks post-op, she participated in the in-house hallway bowling tournament.

Before she fell, my mom regularly walked 2 miles a day, doing laps around the facility. Although she should eventually return to that activity level, for now she’s finding herself with some additional free time. To fill some of it, we joined her in making 29 puzzles during our visit! And Doug took advantage of a gap in the activity calendar to perform for his Floridian fans.

With consensus from the surgeon, physical therapist, home care nurse, facility administration, clinicians and care staff, my mom was considered stable enough to return to her usual, mostly independent self.

And with that, we wrapped up this unexpectedly eastern portion of our southwestern trip.