Hope was moved from her home to the hospital with pneumonia. During her week stay she suffered a small stroke. She couldn’t walk or feed herself. She was sent to Rehab.
Hope doesn’t remember the ambulance ride, the first weeks of hospital or rehab. Her reality tells her she was doing well in her own home with her own things. As long as she is sitting comfortably she thinks she can do everything she used to do.
She is confused and angry. She is fed food she didn’t order. (The home must be a restaurant.) She doesn’t have her purse to tip the girl who does her nails. She forgets she can’t walk and tries to get out of her wheel chair.
Hope and her now deceased husband gave a home to over 200 foster children. She is frustrated that she can’t even get out of her chair to reach the tissue box for “that woman there.”
Lloyd delivered newspapers when he was 10. He was forced to retire from his sales rep work because of a heart attack and open heart surgery. He never developed a hobby and doesn’t care to read. He walks twice a day and then comes home and sits in a chair by the front window. Lloyd’s wife continues to work and volunteer. Lloyd stays home and cooks supper. He can’t seem to find a satisfying routine.
Routine gives us a sense of purpose and hope for the future. When we are abruptly removed without warning we have no time or help transitioning to an acceptable routine.
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