My Sister

Even though my sister is home from the nursing home now and has been for a week and a day, she is still siting in a chair most of the time. I went over there this morning and visited with her while her husband went to his friends' breakfast at a local cafe.

We had a good visit. I noticed two things though. She still asks me the same questions...over and over again and she still sits in a chair most of the time with her feet up and makes no attempt to get up and walk. I say nothing about either of these two things but just take note. She is also giving up her driver's license, which comes due this month to be renewed.

After my brother-in-law returned, I went on up to Independence to my board meeting at Montgomery County Health Clinic. This clinic is managed by a PHD nurse. When our meeting was over I told her about my sister's experience with her broken hip, surgery, stint in the hospital and stint in the nursing home. Then I told her how my sister just chooses to sit and not try to get up and walk at all.

Susie, the nurse, said, "My dear, that's how it goes most of the time. Whenever they go to the nursing home from the hospital, they get out of the habit of doing for themselves and just sit. With her problems with memory too, they usually only last a year after the broken hip."

I can only hope she is wrong. But one of the other nurses there told me the same thing.