by Judy Starkweather
When my Mom moved to Atlanta, I needed to find a new doctor for her. I received a recommendation from someone at the Assisted Living Facility where she would be residing and made an appointment. After each visit, however, I had to make additional appointments with specialists, which meant carting my 91 year old Mom from one to another. It was tough since I was working full time. My mother wasn’t very helpful. She was always saying “Why are you taking me to another doctor? I’m sick of doctors!”
I learned that the Assisted Living Facility had a doctor who did “house calls” at the facility every Thursday. It sounded convenient, but the doctor always arrived at different times, so I seldom got a chance to connect with him and he eventually stopped coming to the facility all together.
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by Judy Starkweather
It took awhile to convince my mother that her walking was shaky enough to warrant a cane, but once we did, it worked out well. She selected a clear acrylic one that garnered lots of compliments. She grew to like it not only for steadying her gate, but also as a conversation piece and fashion statement!
When mom’s falls became more frequent and she needed a walker, it was a much tougher sell. It wasn’t until she went into Assisted Living and they required her to have one, that we actually made it happen. It was equipped with wheels, a seat she could sit on if she got tired and a basket below to hold items she might need during the day. We also purchased a “purse-like” cloth bag that hangs over the front of it for easy access to things like cough drops and kleenex. My sister and I felt good knowing that my mother could now get around more independently and eventually she learned to like her new “wheels.”
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