What My 88-Year-Old Mom Just Taught Me About Aging
A lesson in staying physically capable, in case this happens…
Mom just turned 88 while in the hospital. The doc took out some of her insides last week, and she was stuck in bed in the recovery wing for six days, tied to an IV before the tentative start of a liquid-only diet and a gradual return to semi-solid food. This morning she finally had a bite of toast. I would find that an incredibly debilitating experience, and I’m 26 years younger. For her, it was exhausting. Yet when we brought her home yesterday, seven days after the operation, already she was able to get herself into and out of bed.
As we talked about how fortunate she is, she divulged that she’s fallen four times in recent years. For many older people, a fall and a broken hip is the end of the line. As Wise & Well writer and retired physician Stephen Schimpff wrote:
For people over age 65 in the US, falls are the most frequent cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries, with 27,000 deaths and 2.8 million ER visits along with 800,000 hospitalizations.
But Mom keeps getting back up again. While I’m understandably worried about her falls (!) her strength and resulting resilience are instructive for all of us.
