The apple didn't fall far from the tree, and neither did he...

He's a hard working guy, even after multiple heart attacks and strokes. And even though Dementia is starting to creep in and steal his memory, he becomes very focused on a task that grabs his attention.

One day when I came to their home, I mentioned that the neighbor had a tree just full of apples which I would love to harvest for the horses of a friend of mine. He kept that in mind.

On Friday as I was working in the kitchen, I watched Don working in his back yard. I had this "feeling", and was more vigilant than usual. Suddenly I realized he was not by the shed any more. Remembering the spider bite day, I became concerned. I went out to the yard, and looked everywhere, but he was not there. Then I had this idea... 

The apples.

I looked across the street, and sure enough, there was his red wheelbarrow. But no Don. I literally ran across the street, calling for him. I heard a faint reply, but didn't see anything. My heart sank when I looked behind the tree and saw this proud man, lying on his back, knees bent, legs and arms shaking.



I assessed the situation and determined he most likely had not bumped his head, or hurt his back. I asked "Are you hurt?" to which he replied "No."
"What happened?"
"My legs gave out."
"Are your legs feeling weak now?"
"Yes"

"OK... I can help you, but you'll have to trust me."

I helped him into a kneeling position, and then we used the tree to get him onto his feet. My arm securely around him, we walked slowly across the street back to the house. Once there, I helped him off with his shoes in the mud room, and then off with his wet sweater. I guided him to the recliner, and then asked for a blood pressure cuff. His blood pressure was elevated, but not alarmingly so. After recovering in the chair for a time, he tottered off to the bedroom for a nap.

He told me I had saved him. He told me that several times.

When I called to check on him the next day, he said "I'm doing fine, now that you got me out of the woods!"

I do love what I do.

The key, in these situations, is not to panic. DO NOT PANIC. Your panic creates panic. Speak in low tones, and slowly. Guide with your hands while you speak, because there will be confusion. Make absolutely sure that there is no spinal injury before attempting to move a person. Also ask if they feel strong enough to stand. To help an elderly person back to their feet, starting on hands and knees works best. Find a secure place for them to hang onto, to help pull themselves to stand. A chair works best, unless you're outside under an apple tree! Because of Don's confusion, I had to demonstrate the hands and knees position for him to understand. He also stated that he was fine to walk across the street by himself, without me holding on to him. I told him that I was NOT letting go - it was against my religion! This made him laugh. Always keep the situation light to lessen embarrassment. He felt as if I had helped many, many people who had fallen before, by the time we were done. This was a good thing. I know we bonded that day. 

The Spider Bite and Miracle Sponge

Don is driven to work in his immaculate yard. He is a bit weaker than he was before the stroke, but he's always puttering around in the yard.  The other day, while in the shed, he put on a pair of gloves that evidently had become a spider's home. He was bitten. He didn't say anything at the time, but he told his wife that it had happened, as he came up for lunch. He was quick to add "I found something to put on it." She became greatly concerned. "What did you put on it, honey?" She asked him numerous times, but he could not bring to his mind what it was.

Finally he went back to the shed to bring back what he had put on his bite and show it to us. To Ella's horror he was carrying a can of Easy Off oven cleaner.She reacted rather vocally to this, but he was confused as to what the fuss was about. He brought the can to her and started to read it for her. "You see," he said, "it says right here that it is SAFE for..... self-cleaning ovens." He trailed off and looked sheepish. "Honey," she said, "YOU are not a self-cleaning oven!" He did have a point, though. The bite looked a lot better.

Fast forward to near the end of my shift when I was wrapping things up for the day. I had used a 'Magic Eraser' on the old counters in their kitchen around the gas range top. It took off layers of years and years of accumulated residue and the counter tops looked brand new. I brought Don into the kitchen to show him. He was SO impressed. He asked me to show him what I used. When I did, this is what he said:
"Well! If you ever get a spider bite...."  And we both had a great and hearty laugh.