Life Happenings

We took an unexpected trip out to Fort Stockton and Odessa (and multiple trips between) this past week. When Roy and his sister were not able to get their dad to answer either phone or to get the police department or the local church to answer either, they worried and kept trying. Sunday, Roy got a call from their dad’s neighbor to let him know that his dad had fallen and was going to the local hospital by ambulance. The hospital confirmed he was there. While Roy followed up to get more information through multiple calls, the hospital sent Roy’s dad to the hospital in Odessa because “he broke something.” They couldn’t provide further information because he was already transported. Roy’s sister lives in Fort Worth so she went west to Odessa to the second hospital while we prepared to go ourselves. Roy was exhausted so we delayed our travel until Monday morning.

Roy’s dad broke a hip and had to be in Odessa to have the surgery. He spent about two days on the floor in his house before the elderly neighbor, who was out of town, noticed the blinds looked wrong and went to check. Fort Stockton does not have sufficient medical services to provide such surgery. It went well and Roy’s dad spent most of the week in the hospital in Odessa before being transferred to rehabilitation at a center in Abilene. Abilene was the furthest east we could get him so that he will be closer to Roy and his sister. He will be in rehab for his hip for four to six weeks minimum.

Roy was able to explain to his dad what would be needed for him to rehabilitate well – he’s done this hip replacement rehab himself before – and his dad agreed to do his best to get the best results for himself.

Meanwhile, Laura got concerned about all the anti-vaccination families possibly coming to campus this summer and the recent measles outbreaks. She was immunized as a child but it was done during a period when the newspapers reported the vaccine might not have been effective. So on Monday, Laura got a blood test to confirm her immunization. Today, Laura got a brand new MMR shot – no real explanation for this, but the mumps and rubella worked so long ago, but the measles vaccine didn’t take. Otherwise, though we’re both just very tired from our trek west.

And now for some unsolicited advice, if you are 40 or older please take action on these items for yourself and any of your elders:

• If you live alone, who checks on you? how often? who can your distant family members contact if they can’t contact you?
• Do you have a medical power of attorney? A will? Are your papers in order? Does your family know what you want?
• Make a plan – where do you want to do things like rehabilitation? or assisted living? Who will look after paying your bills? picking up your mail? feeding your pets? Or taking care of your house if you have to be away?
• Clean up after yourself – if you are holding on to newspapers, magazines, old files, photo albums, clothes, tools, etc. that you are not using on a regular basis, pass them along for recycling or as donations to people who can use the items.
• If you decide to feed stray cats or dogs, have them spayed/neutered because you are responsible for them. If they are feral, use the Trap-Neuter-Release policy.