Rhonda Bracey: At Random

My uncle is 85 this year, and last year he broke a femur — in the same place as a previous break about 5 years ago. He was in hospital for some weeks, then in rehab, and then at home with a 24 hour a day carer for a few more weeks. He had to learn to walk again, was then on a walking frame, and now uses a cane occasionally. I’m concerned about him and have been for some time, as he lives at home alone. Being an ornery sort of guy, he won’t consider moving into a care facility. And really, he doesn’t need a lot of care at this stage — he’s still able to drive, still cooks, still does his laundry etc. However, he is getting frailer and if he has a fall, there’s no-one to help him in a timely manner.

So I was delighted to find yesterday that he’s now employing a caretaker some 5 hours a day, 4 days a week. She’s lovely. She keeps the house clean and tidy and makes sure he’s OK. Right now she’s cooking lunch for us all (chicken fajitas). I’m really pleased my uncle has decided to employ her as he really needs someone to keep an eye on him. His son lives in Texas, his daughter lives some 400 miles away, his adult grandsons live at least 70 miles away, and his granddaughters are in Georgia and Arizona respectively.