I am so sorry--prayers sent. My mother is in a rehab facility (89yo) because she has to live alone and still thinks she can handle things. She took a fall backwards two weeks ago in the downstairs family room (cement floor underneath the tile) and was in the ER, then the hospital, then a rehab facility (discovered sleeping ALL of the time), BACK to the ER, then a hospital room, NOW getting better in another rehab facility. The blessing is that her teacher retirement health insurance pays well. My middle DD worked for a rehab facility and tells me that the first 90 days will be paid for, then they'll send her home. If she has NO relapse in 30 days, but has one on the 31st day, she can go back and the next 90 days will be paid for.
I know that you cannot reason with your father. I will be 59yo in December and I have stopped taking stupid, unneccessary chances. I PAY to have my hay put up in the loft--I did it myself up to last year--I PAY to have my gutters cleaned out, and the big job filling in in front of my horse's shelter, where there is currently a LAKE!--will be done by my new help, a neighbor, a runner (30yo) and his good friend (22yo), strong and looking for extra cash jobs.
I might paint my own house only as far as I could reach from the ground!! I had to remove something from my garage gutter a few years back, and I drove my truck to the side of it, because I KNEW that I could reach it standing on the truck bed.
My "mentor", George Morris, who is still jumping horses at almost 80yo, wrote a few years ago to STOP carrying ANYTHING that you can put in a wheelbarrow, or transport in a truck or tow wagon. I do lift animal feed, but I make sure that I drive my truck back to the barn to empty it, instead of putting 50 pounds on my shoulders to carry there. I store cat food and dog food in metal cans in my basement. I put the feed in a wheelbarrow, pick it up and let it flip flop down the basement stairs INSTEAD of carrying it there.
DH has had recurring heart issues, and I CANNOT AFFORD to get hurt, even with two DD's who live 10 miles from us.
Btw, it is incredible that my mother survived. She had passed out on a Sunday night, broke the dishes she was carrying---she couldn't make two trips, or leave them until the morning, of course--then dragged herself to the phone to call the next door neighbors. Although I was unaware of any of this on that Sunday night, and I AM grateful to the neighbors, I cannot understand why they put her on the couch and stayed with her all night, then waited until 7AM on Monday morning to drive her to the ER. These are newer neighbors, maybe for the last 15 years and younger than me. She has another neighbor across the street who has lived there for the same number of years, about 50 years, than my family has since the houses were built about the same time (both single owner homes.) My mother refers to the younger neighbors as "a son and daughter." This is her normal behavior.
There is something fishy about this, but I haven't been able to leave home to check on her bank account, which I have access to. Apparently, she asked them to bring her checkbook to pay bills. I NEED to find out soon if "Steve" wrote himself a personal check from her account. Could be wrong--what do YOU'ALL think? Maybe you could pass my story along to your dad.
Steve
Your dad's a hoot!
