Three weeks ago I went to my doctor for a checkup. She was so concerned about my difficulty with mobility and the knowledge that I had taken so many falls that she contacted the Home Health Care physical therapists that are covered by Medicare. I had only just before my visit heard that this kind of help was possible for me. I have had Medicare for over 2 years and I had no clue. I am writing this post in an effort to help others who may need this kind of help.
Last Friday afternoon I got a call from the Physical Therapist who works with Home Health Care. She asked if she could come the next day, Saturday, to do an assessment of me and my situation here. It was an amazing appointment, and scary, and rather profound in relation to the findings and what they mean for and about me and what it might portend for my physical future. Sunday I binge-watched Netflix all day and into the night because I was in shock and very depressed and anxious.
That was just the assessment visit to see how much PT I qualify for based on the severity of my disability which was both shockingly worse than I had imagined and yet it gave me 9 sessions over the next 6 weeks. 2 sessions a week for 3 weeks and then 1 session a week for 3 weeks. The PT that came on Saturday did a mountain of paperwork with me for Medicare, then did a number of tests to assess my physical condition, and then went room to room with me in my house to check for safety issues or hazards in my environment and recommended adjustments to be made here so I will be safer. A “rollator walker” was ordered for me because my walking stick is no longer enough if I am outside or have to walk very far, like to get my mail which is across the street from the end of my long driveway, or even in my house if I am feeling unsteady because it will have a seat I can sit down on, and a number of physical adjustments need to be made to my home. She was very gentle and kind but after she left I truly was in shock and felt more than a little broken and frail. With all of the falls that I have taken, I was still in denial about how serious my situation was and it was very hard to face. I will not be able to garden almost at all except in a few pots because I cannot, absolutely cannot walk on soft ground, even in my own yard. She explained to me that with the severity of the neuropathy and damage to my feet they simply cannot feel the ground they are walking on nor sense the physical changes of the earth beneath my feet.
To give you one example of what I learned is my TUG Score (“Timed Up and Go Test”) in which you have to get up out of a chair, walk across the floor 10 feet, turn around, walk back and sit down, and receive a score based on how long it took you, and assesses mobility, balance, walking ability and fall risk in older adults. I am elderly based on being over 65, and my score indicated that I was both high risk/frail in my current condition which mostly will not change due to the damage to my feet being irreversible although the PT I will be getting can hopefully help me get stronger and learn how to do things more carefully and safely.
About the “TUG” score: “One source suggests that scores of ten seconds or less indicate normal mobility, 11–20 seconds are within normal limits for frail elderly and disabled patients, and greater than 20 seconds means the person needs assistance outside and indicates further examination and intervention. Mine was 31…
Even my son-in-law Jeremy, who is a physical therapist, was shocked by how poor my scores were in the assessment I had the PT write up to share with he and my daughter Rachel. She is my only child of 3 that lives in town. Just a paragraph or so of PT jargon I couldn’t really understand but the PT explained it to me and he explained it to Rachel. We were all shocked, and worried, and grateful I can get this help. No matter the ultimate outcome I learned so much on Saturday I am amazed. I have been living with this and didn’t have half a clue either how bad my disability is and more that there was help available. I could have used it over 2 years ago when I first fell in my garden outside and lie in the dirt for over half an hour before I was able to get hold of help. At that time I ordered a “Fall Pendant” and wear it 24/7 in case Emergency Help is needed. The EMT’s had to come once this summer. There was, of course, much more, I needn’t go into the whole 9 yards, but I felt that it was important to share what might be available through Medicare and hopefully what I am able to share through this experience will be of help to other older people who both need help and perhaps have no clue that this kind of help is even available. I surely didn’t know about it until just weeks ago.
This will all be written about after I’ve gone through the whole 6 weeks of therapy and know what the outcome of it all is, at least for now, in my book Days At Dragonfly Cottage (A Chronicle of Old Age, Grace & Joy) which my Patrons at Patreon are supporting me to write, which it has become evident will be an important chronicle for those who are elderly and/or disabled, and how we cope with everyday life, and how to make the best of it. And to be blunt this whole experience is affecting the book in a very positive way, less “airy-fairy” and “magical” and more realistic and practical, while heartfelt and true, and hopefully helpful to my readers. It is a daily accounting of what it is like to be older, and disabled, and how to cope, and how to create the best, happiest, and most joyful life for yourself if you live with any kind of limitations, but it will especially deal with aging — what we lose, and what we gain — and life here at Dragonfly Cottage as an elderly writer and artist who lives alone with her dear animals and continues, in even the smallest ways, to create a fulfilling life. It is my hope that I might be a beacon of hope for others who have perhaps dealt with the depression and often despair that aging and the consequent losses might bring.
I am truly sorry that I cannot blog more these days but with what I am coping with physically, and my ongoing mental health struggles, and in an effort to get my book written, and because I need financial help at this time in my life, I created Patreon so that I could receive that help and support while also giving my Patrons a lot of content, resources, free art, and more as a thank you. This is more critical than ever for me now and my Patrons have been a godsend to me in more ways than you can imagine. I love them all dearly. On my hard days they are what helps me even get up some mornings.
I am thinking of you all, always, and holding you very close in my heart and prayers. I hope you are having a lovely autumn. Stay safe, and enjoy the many blessings, even tiny ones, in your days.
With all my love…
