Citizen Cane…

There is an old riddle out there that most of you have probably heard…It goes like this;

What starts out with 4 legs, then has 2 and ends with 3?  Of course the answer is “man.” The 4 legs are when we crawl as a baby. As we grow we learn to balance on 2 legs and continue that way until our senior years, when a cane becomes our constant companion (the 3^rd leg).

Red (Kerry’s dad) is now dependant on what we lovingly refer to as his 3^rd leg; and being forgetful as he is, he constantly goes around complaining that he can’t find his 3^rd leg. Kerry and I usually find it quickly. He also uses a Zimmer (one of those “walker” things with 2 wheels on one side and tennis ball covered legs on the other). Add to that his new 4 wheeled walker, with basket, brakes and a seat and you have a complete set of 3^rd legs for Red. He will grab whichever one is nearer to him when he needs to be mobile. It can be comical at times when you look at his recliner, with him sound asleep, surrounded by his entourage of balance aides-a 3^rd leg traffic jam.

Kerry’s mom (Chris) was entered into hospice last week. It was amazing…as the hospice nurse was here to evaluate Red, she kept looking over at Chris, with concern (and compassion). After Red was taken care of she spoke with Kerry and me. She asked, “Have you ever thought about signing up your mom into hospice?” To be honest, we never even considered it-not for a moment. But after hearing her suggest it, and seeing all that they are doing for Red, the concept of hospice for Chris started making more sense. She was signed up later that day. She too now enjoys the fact that there is a 4 member team assigned to her, to answer any need that she may have. This also gives Kerry and me a little breathing room.

Things lately have been crazy around here, starting with Chris’ fall a few days ago. Her mobility dropped down to ZERO leaving it up to me and Kerry to transport her here and there and to be there to assist her with the simplest tasks. Today she is doing much better, but still needs some extra care from us – Amazingly, now that hospice has her as a patient, we were able to utilize hospice nurses for some of Chris’ immediate needs.

John (Kerry’s brother) came down from Oregon for a few days. With the rapid decline of his dad (Red), John knew that he had to make the trip now, while there was still time to spend quality time with his father. On Friday morning, everything started out great with John bringing his dad the breakfast tray. Surprise Surprise Surprise…

After insuring all was well I headed to the gym for a quick run. While on the treadmill I got a call from Kerry – she had some questions about the pain control for her dad. She needed to administer some additional meds as her dad was now in severe pain. His gut was on fire. His constipation quickly became painfully serious. By time I got home all hell broke loose. The hospice nurse was called and within 15 minutes she was here. Kerry had already administered the pain meds and Red was starting to pass what he needed to pass. In some ways I was surprised (and in other ways I wasn’t) at how fast Red went from “all is well” to “take me now Lord, I’m tired of this.” I was glad that John got to see what we go through.

As children of God, caring for the elderly, we call out this healing prayer:

“Heavenly Father, You are intimately aware of the struggle that our elderly parents are experiencing -- the pain and the despair. You know the desire of their heart to be comforted during this time of decline. I ask now for Your soothing touch. I know that You are able and that just like in Bible times, You can bring peace to the minds and bodies of those we watch suffer.

“I also understand that You will chose what is best for the elderly.  I pray that through this trial, we will all draw closer to You -- that You will be our comfort and strength. I pray that ultimately, whatever happens, You will be glorified through Kerry and I and what we do here today. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”