Dad and I in 2010

Time for another update, don't you think? In the last post, I related how Dad took a header down the basement stairs at my aunt's 80th birthday party. Well, it took a while, but Dad seems to have finally recovered. Several wonderful nurses and therapists from Sparrow Home Health Care out of Lansing, Michigan worked diligently to get Dad back into fighting shape. Due to a number of complications, they were not able to sign off until just a couple of weeks ago.

On the move

Dad and I moved out of his long-time home in late December 2009. We now live in a wonderful apartment just seven miles away, and are enjoying living on the outskirts of Lansing.

We are able to walk together most days when we go to the mailbox about a half block away by the shortest route, although we try to stretch the walk out when it is nice. Dad uses a cane whenever he is outside, but seems to enjoy the walks. We usually get in a block or two before he tires out. At eight-seven, I think he is doing pretty well.

Peace is good

We both feel at peace here, and that is very important to us. Although we don't really know what is coming up ahead, we do know that life has blessed us both.

Take care, and hope to have you visit either this blog, or the main site at http://www.eldercarecafe.net/.

Family Update - All is Well

Apparently I haven't posted since Dad's traumatic header down a flight of stairs on August 8th. He and my daughter were attending a birthday party for a long-time friend of Dad's. The party was held in their church basement. As Dad and Deb were leaving, they climbed a flight of stairs and Deb told Dad to wait and she would grab their jackets. While he was waiting, he apparently became dizzy and took a dive down about eight steps, face forward and head down, coming to a stop on the landing.

To make a long story much shorter, he spent three days in ICU and ten days at a rehab center. He has had home health care since that time, mostly due to a large wound on his leg that is slow in healing. He is diabetic and healing this wound is a major consideration. Thankfully, the wound care people are taking good care of him.

David's Visit

The second major event this fall was the visit by my other daughter, Barb, and her son David. You will see his picture in the previous post. They stayed for approximately two weeks, and were missed before they even left the driveway. Texas is a long way from Michigan, and we have no idea when we will see them again. Thank God for cell phones with the ability to send pictures and short videos. We are able to keep up to date on David's growth and his activities.

Dad's 87th Birthday
The third event this fall was Dad's birthday on October 18th. He turned eight-seven-years-old (87). What a milestone. His sister turned 92 on the same dad. We didn't do anything really special, just had a quiet day of football and special dinner, but he did receive numerous birthday cards and phone calls throughout the weekend.

If you haven't had the chance as yet, stop over at the Elder Care Cafe.net and check out what is happening. We are up to 266 posts at this time and still going strong. Lot's of changes there recently in the look of the site, but the same intent - to support caregivers and the elderly - is still of utmost priority. We celebrated our 1st birthday in early August. We had a birthday cake, balloons, and of course Beyer's sugar free pecan ice cream.

Just a quick update. Hope you get a chance to visit us somewhere on the web. We are still here although we don't post as often anymore.

Let us know what is going on in your life. We would love to hear from you and how you are doing with your care giving. Take care and hope to hear from you soon.

Elder Care Express

The Elder Care Cafe is definitely growing up! Today the site for caregivers and elders not only got a new Shoppe to enjoy (sorry, no Starbucks as yet), but it also has a newsletter - The Elder Care Express.

The Elder Care Express is a weekly newsletter highlighting the happenings at Elder Care Cafe. You can sign-up right here:
==> Elder Care Express

We will keep you updated about further changes to our flagship site!

Healthy Lifestyle Initiative 2009

The main Elder Care Cafe has a three day healthy lifestyle initiative each week. Running from Friday through Sunday, each day has a specific theme. Friday posts are related to the Body, Saturday is specifically about the Soul, and Sunday discusses the Spiritual aspect of our lives.

Today's post was about Healthy Walking at Any Age. Check it out and join in as we strive to live a healthier lifestyle throughout 2009.

Did you set any resolutions or goals for 2009? Were they health related?