Hi, everybody. The Malik Report remains offline due to a significant medical setback for my aunt:
On Saturday, April 13th, my 81-year-old Aunt Annie, for whom I am the primary caregiver through the State of Michigan’s Home Health Care program, had a fall.
She fell into our raised toilet seat’s railings in the bathroom, and she appeared to suffer a very bad bruise to her pelvis. She also fell on her way back to her bed, falling backward out of her walker onto the floor.
For the next two days, Aunt Annie’s condition slowly deteriorated, though she repeatedly refused to go to the ER or Urgent Care.
On the recommendation of a nurse, on Monday, April 15th, we visited her primary care physician, who noted that Aunt Annie was in pain whenever she put weight on her left leg, but was still able to do so, and I employed our wheelchair to get her into our janky 17-year-old Pacifica and to the doctor’s office.
We were told that if she simply couldn’t put weight on the leg, or her pain level increased, that we should head to the ER. Aunt Annie joked with her physician of over 40 years as we headed out the door and back home, and we were able to wobble her up the three stairs to our condominium with assistance.
By Monday evening, however, Aunt Annie was unable to put any weight on her left leg, and while she was refusing treatment as I pled with her to head to the ER or Urgent Care to get some x-rays, she was becoming quite fuzzy mentally. She was “in and out.” I waffled and decided to let her sleep, and see what would happen in the morning.
Continue reading Aunt Annie’s pair of broken hips complicate my caregiving situation