15
Nov
Aging in Place: Addendum to Men + Ladders = Trouble
posted by: Patrick Roden PhD | category : Aging In Place,baby boomers,Home Modification | comments : 0 Comment
Carelessness doesn’t bounce; it shatters.
~Hartman Jule
I was reminded of a life-altering experience between man and ladder at work this week. A colleague, let’s call him “Stan,” recounted a run in with some cement involving a ladder years ago that changed his life forever.
Our story begins with a very athletic middle-aged man on his way to go snow skiing (that would be Stan). With the truck fully loaded, one foot in the car door, one foot on the driveway, Stan glanced over at his yard and noticed a few stray shingles from his neighbor’s roof on his grass. A December windstorm had blow through the night before and Stan hesitated for a moment to ponder how his recently re-roofed home had faired in the high winds.
It’s at this juncture in the story that I need to provide some insight into Stan–He’s a veteran, a college graduate, an accomplished amateur athlete, husband and father, a handyman of the old school type (think of a domestic MacGyver) …in fact, he had re-roofed his house without any difficulty two months prior to this fateful day. And did I mention, he was a battle-worn charge-nurse in a busy emergency room for more years than he’d like to recall. I add this here to explain he’s no slouch, and is burdened with the insight that comes from seeing human tragedy involving everything from the mundane to the headline news makers; he’s pretty much seen it all.
So, Stan was anxious to hit the road and get a jump on a day of skiing at the mountain, yet concerned about the state of his roof. His account of the story goes like this:
Home alone, he RUSHED to set the ladder and recounts the two dichotomous voices in his head: “Go it’s only once…Don’t go, it’s not safe.” Literally, he recalls these two voices playing off each other in his head.
“My thought is if I check the roof and it’s OK, I will NEVER have to go up there again.”
The Screams heard 3 Blocks Away
The screams were heard three blocks away by neighbors who thought someone was being murdered…Stan didn’t make it to the mountain for an exhilarating day skiing, instead his fall landed him in the hospital with a broken back.
The Results
-Two compressed vertebrae
-One completely shattered vertebrae
-10 days in the hospital (using a bed pan)
-Reconstruction surgery (this involves pain and exposure to secondary infections)
-Titanium rods and screws to fuse vertebrae together (problems at airport security ongoing for a lifetime!)
-Recovery with a Jewett Brace for 5 months
-Couldn’t do old job anymore
-Can’t lift anything over 30 lbs for life
-Constant low back pain and spasm
-Must exercise daily
This falls (sorry for the pun) under the category of you can take the time to be healthy–or you’re going to have to take the time to be sick–as I’ve always said.
Stan knew the second he hit the unforgiving ground that he had broken his back–think what must go through your mind at that instant…his sin was carelessness. He also knew (in part) he had rushed to set the ladder and it wasn’t safe; the consequences will forever be an unrelenting and unwelcome companion.
Aging in place will require your body to be available to you; don’t make this mistake if you plan on using a ladder anytime soon–you’re risking future mobility and independence. If it can happen to Stan, it can happen to you too…
See
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(photo dispatch.com)
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