It’s 11:00 PM and I write these words on my iPad while sitting in my bed at the Phoebe Ministries nursing home/rehab complex in Allentown, Penn. My rehab stay will likely be four or five weeks, and follows a week in St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, PA., where I presented in their ER a week and a half ago with a 103-degree fever, (turned out to be pneumonia).
When I was younger (I’m 64), I could push back a pulmonary embolism or two and play a couple of hours of pick-up basketball (OK, a hyperbole, but you get the idea). These days, a bout of pneumonia knocks the stuffing out of me, setting me back six or seven weeks.
I started my rehab (Physical and Occupational Therapies) three days ago and struggled with the straightforward act of standing for 90 seconds. I’ve requested OT/PT seven-days a week. I can’t afford to slide back, which is what happens to me now as I grow older, after a day or two in bed.
I’ve been watching some television and am surprised at the number of ads and infomercials directly related to aging boomers: incontinence, high-calorie drinks, assisted living, etc. it’s positively mind-blowing. The’ve even got an infomercial touting a substance derived from jelly-fish for improved memory.
Beware and be vigilant. There are, unfortunately, a great number of fellow Baby boomers who feel very strongly about their mission to separate you from your savings.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the ambient despair I saw today on many of the faces of residents who were also doing their therapy. Faces that said, “Why am I still alive?”
Faces of men and women just like you and me.
UPDATE: After four days at Phoebe Martin reports that his opinion of the staff, quality of care and the atmosphere at Phoebe has improved dramatically. Read his latest update here: https://changingaging.org/blog/hitting-the-brick-wall/
The transition and day 1 could have been better (and yes, the food is still terrible), but he said genuine engagement from the staff creates a much better atmosphere than he had expected.
Hi Martin and Kavan,
I’ve been anxious about the very kind of indignities that are described by this painful post. More than anything it has b been the fear of being placed in a back ward somewhere that has motivated me to participate with a large group of old people in the formation of an “elders” community. It has turned out that this group has helped me, not only allay my fears, but discover what is so magnificent about growing older.
I just talked to Martin on the phone after publishing this and got some more positive details. First, he had a lot of positive things to say about Phoebe Ministries and their staff after living there for three days. “The staff here is really dynamic, really concerned on a personal level about the residents,” he said. “I’m finding the experience of living here to be very genuine and authentic.”
Martin said that Phoebe Ministries is over 140 years old and seems genuinely mission-driven. He said he’s going to look into their assisted living homes and would consider moving there instead of his previous AL home.
Before calling me Martin finished 90 minutes of OT/PT and said that he is seeing improvements. He was able to stand long enough to sort a deck of cards into suits for the first time since starting rehab.