For Robatoy

[LRod]

Will Granger say: "I'll get on it, Rob, btw, how is your sister?"

And by the way, how is your sister?

[Robatoy]

Thank you for asking. Now that her whole world around her has adjusted to her handicap, such as lifts, ramps and special a van, it has started to sink in that this is going to be like this for a while. Her only improvements have been as a result of her being able to operate the technology around her. She still needs a lot of help with her personal maintenance, but that is all being taken care of. Her personal demons are in the realization that it has been a year, and even though she has remarkable positive spirits, she has days when it all seems heavy on her. Fortunately, that is rare.

One big load on her, is that she has left me with both our parents to take care of. They are both in reasonable health for 86, but are in a extended care facility. My sister is scared to death that she won't be able to see them one more time, a fear that both my parents share as well. None of them can travel that distance... it's only 1300 km, and no commercial airline will take my sister, and the doctors won't allow my parents to take the trip, either by car or plane. Olathe, KS to Sarnia, ON is a bit of a drive.

So the only chance there is, is for my sister to take the trip in her van, along with a 24/7 nurse and my brother in law. There is some talk of her being strong enough for that. Once here, Angela has everything at her fingertips to make my sister's stay here comfortable.

In short, no real positive news, just a lot of hard work. I did get a hand-written letter from my sister a cpl of weeks ago...I could read it.

again, thanks for asking.

r

[TH]

[nailshooter41]

Me too. Although this sounds tacky, especially for you. One of my sisters just underwent major "female" surgery, and the other is fighting breast cancer. My Mom (with severe diabetes) is in the hospital for about a month now, and may move out later this week to go to a rest home or extended care. It is touch and go with her new pacemaker at her age.

As for my poor crippled father of 81 years, he is falling apart at the seams. At his age, he has never been a batchelor. He cannot (not will not) wash clothes, fix three meals a day, pay his own bills, or make a bed... nothing. He is so ill at this time that most things that he needs to do he simply can't (like take out the trash). He has absolutely no idea how to live alone. After living with my Mom for 60 years, this is the first time he has been faced with these tasks. He is driving me nuts.

I am the only one in good health. You can guess what my days are like in hospitals, at specialists, arranging transportation, going to the store, checking on the aftercare folks (their newest company just sent over a lady last week that stole 5 checks from my Dad and cashed them) etc., etc. for the family. Thankfully, my sisters are almost on the mend, and they weren't ever a burden as much as a concern.

But my folks.... I have been doing this off and on for years now. My cell phone is my enemy. I cringe when it rings.

I truly hope the best for you, and don't forget to have you own life along the way.

I am glad to hear you sis is hanging in there.

Robert

[LRod]

Sometimes the things life throws at us suck. My principal travails were over ten years ago (father, brother in '95) and although my 88 year old mother is in pretty good health generally, I know I'll have that life's rite to pass sometime in the next few years. But I figure

88 years is into bonus time, so I won't be sad at her passing, although I'll miss her. She's had a hell of a run (and a hell of a son--the thought just popped into my head and I couldn't not share it).

Wow, it sure doesn't seem like a year. And I'm not even an onlooker. That must have been a long and difficult year for you and your family.

Thanks for filling me in. It's none of my business, but you shared with us when it happened, and your comment reminded me about it, so I thought I'd ask. I'll have a good thought for all of you.

[Lew Hodgett]

A word to the wise.

If anybody on this list has a relative over the age of 75 that is living alone, insist that one of the conditions for living alone is to wear an "emergency alert" broach around the neck.

They have them for both men and women so vanity need not be an issue

There are several companies offering the service for a nominal fee.

My mother, who turned 102 in April, was still living alone this past January, when she fell and suffered a compound fracture of her lower right leg.

If she had not been able to sound that alarm, she would probably have laid on that house trailer floor and bled to death in zero degree outside weather.

Today, she is in a nursing home, trying to put things back together.

The bottom line................................

Cell phones are nice, but they are no substitute foar a medical alert pendant.

Medical alerts systems save lives, especially the elderly living alone.

Lew

[Markem]

Is it possible to setup computers with Webcams in Ontario and Kansas? It not like being there but they all could see and talk each other. Just a thought.

Mark

[LRod]

Heh, heh. You obviously haven't met my mother.

Seriously, thoiugh, your point is well taken. Thanks. And best wishes to your centenarian. That's really bonus time.

[dpb]

:) (or :( , I'm not sure which way to go...)

No, but have (or at least had) met her match I'll wager... :)

[J. Clarke]

Being old doesn't automatically mean being decrepit. Check this guy out

The oldest participant in the Iron Butt (motorcycle rallye, runs 11 days and possibly as much as 12,000 miles) this year was 81. Chuck Yeager and Bob Hoover were flying F-15s in formation at 75. Robert Borglund completed the 2007 Boston Marathon in under 4 hours at 78, as did Harold Wilson at 74. As you get older though you do slow down--Fauja Singh's best time for the London Marathon is a little over 6 hours, at

1. The FAA says that there are pilots with current medical certificates who are 99 years old. My Dad was still chopping trees down with an axe at 78 (and he probably would still be doing so if he hadn't been afraid of doctors--they found his cancer too late to do anything about it).

[nailshooter41]

You know, that's a helluva good thought. I am thinking of an application for that now for our family.

Thanks!

Robert

[Swingman]

That was my first thought, although it does require a bit of expertise initially at both ends and, ideally, a broadband connection.

As much as I hate the program (but willing to do anything to be able to see my 2 year old grandson in England) I've been doing the webcam bit over my ComCast cable connection using "AOL Instant Messenger" and the built-in webcam in my laptop.

It works OK most of the time, and certainly better than trying to talk to a

2 year old on the phone.

"Skype"

supposedly works much better, but thus far I've not been able to convince my daughter to use it in the UK.

Check it out ... might be just what you need and it is recommended by the likes of Leo Laporte and other techie fanbois.

[Frank Boettcher]

My son did a study abroad last semester in Northern Ireland. We used Skype as our primary means of communication. It worked great, however we did not set up web cams, only used it for voice.

Frank

[Lew Hodgett]

Compared to a Red Headed German such as my mother, she's gotta be a piece of cake.

Seriously, it's not a tough a sell as you might think.

Get a local social services group for seniors to do the heavy lifting, then it doesn't sound like one of her kids dictating terms and conditions.

Good luck.

Lew

[Lew Hodgett]

Decrepit has absolutely NOTHING to do with it.

Bones becoming more brittle with advancing years does.

Just to keep this in the woodworking domain, some people were standing in line to get wood cut at a local Home Depot the a guy about 50, lost his cool, and pushed the guy (reports indicate 80) ahead of him, out of line to get ahead.

80 year old is now in hospital with a broken hip.

Probably one of the worst fractures a senior can experience and one of the slowest to heal.

Meanwhile security video is being used to try and track dow the 50 year old.

Wearing a pendant is certainly no indication of being decrepit.

Lew

[Patriarch]

Frank Boettcher wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I think that the webcams work best for youngsters and oldsters, and the voice works well for those in between.

My son sets one up for when he travels, and can talk with pictures to the boys, 2 and 4, when he's gone. So much of communication there is non- verbal. Communicating with an older generation is often the same way.

My father, 81 this last spring, wondered aloud when it came to be that his son was more concerned with his daily welfare than he was with mine. And he's doing pretty well, really.

The webcam stuff is really easy. Anyone who can regularly experience Usenet should be able to manage, if broadband is in the mix.

Patriarch