THE ADVERSE CONDITION OF OLD AGE

This story involves primarily the condition of my old aged father, Julian. I was his personal caregiver and my sister, Meredith, supports for his medical needs and food. This is how I wrote the story about title: THE ADVERSE CONDITION OF OLD AGE

In the morning of September 18, 1988, while almost done with the household chores, Leonito, jobless, constant companion, third and youngest son of Julian heard a loud heavy sound as if something fell on the floor inside their house. Sensing odd, he rushed up the stairway and found inside his father lying on supine position with his left leg under his right leg. The old man was fainting, gasping, and agonizing.

As the son brought his father up with his hands under the latter’s armpits, he found out that the oldie could no longer stand, heavy to lift up, in pain, and the left leg dangled. He then transferred his father to the leatherette sofa, laid him there and observed his condition.

Julian, 89 years old, was in bed right after his accidental fall on the floor inside his house. During the incident, his second child and daughter, Meredith had gone to work at a government bureau in Oroquieta City. Meredith’s only son, Hanford, had also gone to a grade school early that morning. Her husband was out of the country working in an overseas log ship.

Out of Julian’s three siblings, the oldest, Telesforo, died of cerebro vascular accident (CBA or stroke) who left a wife and six on October 18, 1979. His wife, Juanita, also died of stroke on April 13, 1986.

It was believed that a sudden impact from the fall of body weight towards the center of gravity with the left leg under the right leg caused the dislocation of his left hip-joint. The adverse effect of the fall left him bed-bound and unable to go back to his normal daily life activities.

The patient was already noticed of having Alzheimer’s disease two years before the incident. His inability for weight bearing due to weakness, very common to elderly persons in a period of retirement and decline, was the factor for the accidental fall and dislocation. He suffered from pressure sore at the back of his pelvis or sacrum which soon developed in two days while he suffered the pain of the dislocated and inflamed left hip-joint. Relying on the belief that amoxicillin (antibiotic) could prevent infection and inflamation or swelling of both sore-wound and dislocated joint, the son and daughter administered it to their father.

The daughter, Meredith, called a reputable doctor, Henry, who helped ease the discomfort of the patient. The doctor prescribed memory enhancer (nootropil) so that the patient could somehow regain memory which was caused by the taking of high dose of antibiotic 500 mg twice a day. Another meds prescribed is analgesic which relieved the pain and eased gradual disappearance of edema in the affected part, and a generic meds named metronidazole (Flagyl) which was powdered tablet that hastened the healing of sore-wound.

Instructions to turn the patient’s body to each side for every two hours to prevent bed sore, to care for sore-wound including skin allergy were written on a prescription pad paper. He taught about insertion of condom catheter to patient’s genital, perennial care, and change of condom catheter. A nasal gastric tube (NGT) was once inserted through the patient’s nasal cavity by the doctor to facilitate feeding of semi-liquid food for a short period of time only. Later, feeding shifted to semi-solid food.

Every time Doctor Henry came to do physical check-up to his patient, he often asked the caregiver about the development of Julian’s physical condition and gave reminders to follow the routine concern. Henry recommended the patient’s case to the nearest town’s rehabilitation center, ”The Great Physician Rehabilitation Center”, which thereafter sent a team of two physical therapist interns to the patient’s house in November 1998. From them Leonito had honed his skills on the upper and lower body range of motion (ROM) exercises done with the patient in bed. Other techniques learned from them were moving of the patient in bed or to an erect sitting position/ standing position, transferring of a patient from bed to a wheelchair/ chair with armrests, application of hot pack to affected part (left hip-joint), body massage, and changing of bed linens (making an occupied bed) while the patient was lying in bed.

After almost a year, the rehabilitation center assigned one therapist each month. Since the demand of medical services was increasing and therapists were limited in number, the rehabilitation center could no longer give attention to Julian’s case and gave priority to more serious cases on disabilities some time in 2000. But, the ROM exercises and other techniques that Leonito learned were continued for his father up to the years onward.

Though, care giving went on without the physical therapists, only the doctor’s visits became the consolation to Leonito’s sacrifice for his father. He was under the doctor’s supervision until Julian passed away on April 18, 2004 at the age of 95.

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