Summer Memories - Independence

Today, I think of memories of independence, not Independence Day.

Were you puzzled yesterday (July 4), the United States' Independence Day, when I blogged "The title of this holiday has a bit more importance to many of us than anytime in the past few years.  More (not political) on that later."

But later never came because sometimes life throws us a surprise.

There's a story behind that unfinished thought, and it has to do with another type of independence - a story that everyone in the world can appreciate.

Two years ago, I had a blog feature called Falling Friday for several months.  I was attending a class designed to teach seniors how to reduce their falling risk.  I am in my 60's, and have fallen several times.  I've seen, first hand, how falls have ended independence for people I know, or for people that people I work with know.  After a few months, I ended the series.

It isn't just seniors who are prone to falls.  Tragically, the son of someone I went to high school with died in a freak fall in 2015.  The son left a child and a pregnant wife, and the death stunned students where he taught.

So, back to my story.

Twice in the past week, my mother in law ended up in the emergency room.  The first visit came about after she reached up into a closet to get some napkins.  The box fell on her, and she fell back, hitting a cabinet and then the floor. Thankfully, the CT scan of her head was negative.

But she hurt.  And it was not getting better. 

The second visit, to investigate the pain, was not a medical emergency, but her doctor was unable to see her and their office recommended the ER.  It was the day before Independence Day, and much of our country closes down on the 4th. So, Monday afternoon, off she went.

An X-ray revealed that my mother in law had broken her coccyx.  It's an injury that can't be treated except to manage the pain  Here, time will have to be the doctor.

Right now, she's not supposed to move a whole lot.  She needs help even to get out of bed and into her lift chair and it will be an interesting next few days.

More worrisome, though, is the possibility of her losing her independence completely. At her age, even a few days without much movement will impact her strength and ability to care for herself.  The longer she can't move, the greater the chance of deterioration.

My memories flash back.  I've known my mother in law for some 46 years.  I remember her as an active woman who mall walked, bowled, and would gather with her friends after mall walking for bagels and coffee.  Those years are long over.

Losing our independence is what we fear the most.  The last thing any of us wants is for our adult independence to become only a memory.

Had falling education been around for my mother in law back then, would it have helped?  We'll never know and I don't speculate.

So that others might be helped, I've decided to rerun those posts.  I still do the anti-falling exercises I was taught.  I believe that if even one person is helped by me rerunning the series, it will be worthwhile.

So, starting next Wednesday, Summer Memories will be replaced by a summer rerun - my experiences with anti-falling education two summers back.  I hope you will join me, and let a friend know, too.

Day 5 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost.