My Mum, has had a fall.
Some months ago, I wrote an article for this blog about when my Mum was in the middle of a bushfire alert and, at midnight, I did not answer the phone. Given that my Mum is 87, lives alone, how dreadfully irresponsible I was for not leaping to the telephone just in case it was my Mum, letting me know that she was about to be burned to a crisp and she thought it would be a jolly good time to remind me that I hadn’t cleaned my car for 2 years. Or that she was not about to be burned to a crisp but was heading off to the beach with the neighbours, given that the roads were closed.
Well, I didn’t answer the phone and Mum wasn’t burned to a crisp and my car still needs a clean out and the tissue that has lain on the floor on the driver’s side is still there… just to taunt her.
This morning, I got an email from Mum. She had gotten on a plastic stool to get something out of the hall cupboard. It was about 5.30 am. The stool was brittle and she fell through the plastic and ended up on the floor, bleeding, wounded and unable to get to a telephone or to help. She managed to call out “ Help! “ to her next door neighbours who managed to come to her rescue, get her upright and dress her wounded leg and ankle.
About 30 minutes later, I received an email.
“ Hi! “ it said.
“ Just to let you know that I had an accident and the neighbours rescued me. I am OK “ … ( stuff about the fall, the plastic stool, all being OK … )
“ but the good thing was I had my nightie on. “
Now, I am sorry. I must sound heartless. But only an older person would be thankful that they were not lying in the hallway at 5.30 am, bleeding from a wound, and being thankful that they were not in the “ nuddie after having had a shower. “
I laughed, rang her and we had a good chat about the need to buy new stools, the advantages of carpet in our homes as we age ( it would have been a different scenario had she had tiles) and how very fortunate it is to wear a nightie and undies, just in case you happen to die or have an accident when you live alone.
“ Imagine being found in the nuddie?! “ she said. “ I would have been mortified.”
My Mum, who writes in this blog under a pseudonym that has something to do with being a Red head, would be most displeased if she knew that I was sharing her story with you all today… not really… she is as amused as I am.
We both decided that it was my late Dad, warning her that she is NOT 10 foot tall and bullet proof, letting her know that she must be more careful in the shower, always stay on good terms with her neighbours and under NO circumstances walk around the house in the nuddie when she did not do so when he was alive…. !!!????
As Mum said, she would never have walked around the house in the nuddie when Dad was alive because “ you don’t need to tempt them. “
Oh bless.
Oh, and she should NEVER have left him on White Island .
On a serious note, Redhead is fine, doing well, still lecturing me about cleaning my car and I do, truly do, love her with all my heart.
And we do need to look after each other.
Get well, Redhead and I look forward to your side of the story.
Shaydee.
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