I love taking my father for a walk. He’s in a wheel chair due to the effects of strokes, heart issues, and pneumonia that has stolen his strength. It’s a little like strolling a child. He’s happy to see everyone we meet and waves to them on the walking path around Back Bay.
It’s a spectacular walk. There is a strata of wavy grasses, rippled water, skyline of Portland, and puffy clouds aloft with shades of greens and blues painted with splashes of yellow Goldenrod, dots of Queen Anne’s Lace and pink wild roses. Sea gulls and Cormorants ride by on the wind and slip into the high tide to find lunch.
It is healthy for my father to leave the nursing home for awhile, enjoy the sunshine, and breathe in the salt air – a great appetite enhancer. It is a good work out for me, pushing a wheel chair two to three miles, not to mention the mental health benefits of getting away from the office and home chores.
In Maine, the summers are short, and I am sad to think it will be too cold for him to go on walks soon. Stroke victims tend to have very cold hands. The lack of physical activity contributes to poor circulation and feeling chilled.
I am hopeful and committed to finding a way for him to keep warm so we can walk and spend that special time together into October. I think wrapping him in a good warm blanket, a Neck Warmer under his coat, a Back Warmer on his lap under the blanket, and Hand Warmers on his hands may make the walks comfortably warm so that he will want to continue to walk.
Post script: My father didn't make it until October, but in his last moments awake, he had a smile on his face and his family surrounding his bed. He didn't suffer any pain. I will always remember his positive attitude and his life-long desire to have fun.
Helping elderly parents, relatives, friends to enjoy life as they navigate the later years.
