Alan Skeoch

Year: 2024

  • EPISODE 1056 ANDREW TARNOWSKI — A STEP AT A TIME


    “Alan, Your may not walk normally ever again. “
    “No hope?’
    “Hope remains.  I have seen clients triumph but it takes a lot of determination 
    “I am 85 years old… is that a factor.”
    “Maybe…maybe not…depends upon your determination Alan”

    EPISODE  1055     ANDREW TARNOWSKI — A STEP AT A  TIME


    alan skeoch
    may 9, 2034

    Today I managed to dress myself including my socks. The last time I did that was December 12, 2023.
    Socks remained the final frontier.   I had lots of complications.  And I also had  Several
    caregivers  but Marjorie was preeminent.  Not an easy thing caregiving.

    Our hospital, Trillium of Mississauga,   sent word to the VHA that I was being released and would need help.  

    “VHA Home HealthCare (VHA) is a not-for-profit charitable organization that offers 24/7 health care and support services to people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. Founded in 1925 as the Visiting Homemakers Association, VHA’s goal is to provide clients with spectacular service when, where and how they want it to support their independence.”   VHA



    HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED THE DAY AFTER MY RELEASE

    1)  A  lady arrived to help  Marjorie with anything…diishes, getting dressed, making a bed   
    she arrived early with words “what can I do?”

    2) A nurse arrived to take my blood pressure and, I assume, to take a look at
    the living conditions.  Our house had been rearranged totally.

    3) George arrived tp give me a shower.    Both of us jammed into our shower stalll where he undressed
    me , turned on the shower after he stepped out then rubbed me down showing me how to 
    put underwear and pants on at the same time    Over the top care on my first dayl

    4) Andrew Tarnowski arrived to supervise my exercises and put me on track to a systemtic
    steady recovery.  I cannot say enough about Andrew TARNOWSKI.  Very professional.  No hurdle missed.
    Close attention to detail.  My fear of falling again was forgotten.  He knew every muscle in 
    my body and patiently stretched some muscles to the pain threshold.  My self confidence
    returned in stages.  “You are not ready for a cane yet Alan…you need a good walker
    and will do so for some time.   Do not rush things.”

    Andrew came every day for two weeks.   He demonstrated each new step as if he was
    instructing a ballet dancer.  I began to hold my head up as my pacing became automatic.

    ANDREW  TARNOWSKI



    Our dialofgue went something like this when we first met   Andrew is a physical therarpist who was 
    assigned to my case the’VHA charity.  I had never heard of the VHA  — 
    but I sure learned a lot about it from Andrew .

    NOTE:  there are two Andrews in this story.   Our youngest son, Andrew and my physiolotherapist  

    “Take a step or two,, Alan“
    “I can’t….need (our son)  Andrew to hold me up;”
    “Sorry …cannot do it.”{ hobble)
    “That’s OK, do not try anymore  Now I know what has to be done.”
    (Andrew concluded my case would be difficult. Physical therapy works best
    closest to the operation. My knee operation was Dec. 2023.  I  met Andrew 
    early in April 2024…five months later.   Why  so late?  Many reasons latest of which
    was falling five  times in one week.  I would be a tough case for Andrew.)

    Any hope?”
    “Some ,I suppose.   Depends on your determination. 


    “first let’s take a look at the house.  Seniors often resist the changes thst are
    necessayl’”

    alan skeoch
    may 9, 2034

    Today I managed to dress myself including my socks. The last time I did that was December 12, 2023.
    Socks remained the final frontier.   I had lots of complications.  And I also had  caregivesr.   but Marjorie was preeminent.  Not an easy thing caregivig .


    HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED THE DAY AFTER MY REEASE

    1)  A  lady arrived to help  Marjorie with anything…diishesk getting dressed, making a bell   
    she arrived early with words “what can I do?”

    2) A nurse arrived to take my blood pressure and, I assume, to take a look at
    the living conditions.  Ourhouse had been rearranged totally.

    3) George arrived tp give me a shower.    Both of us jammed into our sower still were he undressed
    me , turned on the shower after he steppe out then rubbed me down showing me how to 
    put underwear an pjs on st the same time    Over the top care on thst first dsyl

    4) Andrew Tarnowski arrived to supervise my exercises and put me on track to a systemtic
    steady recovery.  I cannot say enough about Andrew.  Very professional.  No hurdle missed.
    Close attention to detail.  My fear of falling again was forgotten.  He knew every muscle in 
    my body and patiently stretched some muscles to the pain threshold.  My self confidence
    returned in stages.  “You are not ready for a cane yet Alan…you need a good walker
    and will do so for some time.   Do not rush things.”

    Andrew came every day for two weeks.   He demonstrated each new step as if he was
    instructing a ballet dancer.  I began to hold my head up as my pacing became automatic.
     
    “Clear some the clutter, push the dining room into a  pile ,install a hand rail from
    first to second floor, instal hand three  hand rails in the shower room…forget about ever having
    a  bath in thte uspstairs tub, iinstal two hand rails on house exterior.  Move a bed into 
    the living room.   Make sure we can push the walker in a circle in the house.’


    Then began the exercises.  All focused on my new knee.  Bending exercises that were initially
    painful.   Andrew came each day forjrmore the two weeks.   On the third or fourth day he surprised
    me.

    “Put on a warm coat.  We are gping for a walk.”

    I did not expect that until the end of Andrew’s visits.  His goal, however, was to get me out on
    the street as fast as possible.

    “Take a rest whenever you want.  Short walk to first Stop sign.  Maybe longer walks later.
    Must get you out of the house.”
    “Am I ready?
    ”. See if we can improve each day.”
    That is the way Andrew worked.  A step at a time.  But make
    sure the steps are taken   Scuffling steps with the walker at first..then no more scuffling
    lifting feet.  Then short steps became bolder steps.   Then I began looking ahead
    letting my steps became normal.    

    Evey time I hesitated Andrew had me pause.  He would demonstrate like a ballet instructor,…a rubber man who could mimic my hobbles and then show me the way.  Nice.  One of his
    steps was as smooth as a gazelle jumping across an African landscape.   He did this
    without being a taskmaster.  :He made me want to improve…I looked forward to
    his daily visits.

    “Do you think a cane will be possible Andrew?’’
    “Let’s give it a try…two canes first.  Like this.  Sartt here  in the kitchen and do same
    circle you did with the walker.”
    “Not wobbly.   Feel confident.”
    “Do the double canes in the house.  Not out on the street yet.:’


    “Andrew, each day you come  i seem to be making incremental steps.   Step at a time.
    Heading for real walking.   But  I know I am not there yet.”  

    MUSUC 

    While I lay in my hospital bed at Trillium there was music softly playing al the time.
    Barely decipherable words.   “I’m on my way”  Some years ago it
    was the featured gospel song in the film Elmer Gantry sung by Burt Lancaster.  The song
    was best done by Mahalia Jacksonl It is a wonderful
    song.   

    “I’m on my way”
    “I’m  on my way…on my way…on my way.”

    (chorus by many voices)

    “He’s on his way.”
    “He’s on his way””

    “I’M on my way to Canen
    On my way to the promised Land
    On my way Home.”

    “He’s on his way…on his way Home”

    There are many choristers who have heiped me.. prominent among them is Andrew 
    but many others.  Marjorie Stands highest among my  heroes as does Our son Andrew.  They have lifted me up. LIKE Maria, Eva and Susan at Queensway
    Rehab centre who  worked   hard to straighten my leg.  And Doctor Paige and 
    Doctor Grant at Trillium Hospital who tried to fathom why I had fallen.
    And the Emergency wards at Toronto Western and Trlilium hospitals who
    tried to find a diagnosis that made sense.  

    Some chorus.

    “I’m on my way.”
    “He’s on his way.”

    ‘ON MY WAY HOME

    alan skeoch
    May 12,2024

     13 fans

    Mahalia Jackson

    Mahalia Jackson ( /məˈheɪljə/ mə-HAYL-yə; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as “The Queen of Gospel”. Jackson became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world and was heralded internationally as a singer and civil rights activist. She was described by entertainer Harry Belafonte as “the single most powerful black woman in the United States








    It was spring time…and I was mobile.



    Notice the canes…also notice the new handle/bar on the wall













  • EPSODE 1054 CHELSEA BUN — OUR FEREL CAT—OM THE REFRIGERATOR

    EPSODE 1054     CHELSEA BUN — OUR FEREL CAT—OM THE REFRIGERATOR


    alan skeoch
    May 7, 2024


    Some people do not like cats.  My good friend Russ Vanstone for instance.  We, however like
    cats and kittens and so many other living things.  Marjorie and I even like most  humans with
    the exception of the worst President 9f the USAl…ever…

    This story is about Chelsea Bun,  our cat.  She is partly feral and finds places to wait 
    and watch for a mouse.   Her favourite toy is a ruibber alligator that she carries here
    and there in her mouth.

    She loves to kiss our dog Woody … and to steal his bed.  She also loves us and
    rubs against us …loves Marjorie’s lap.  Domesticated.

    Her ferel side surfaces sometimes when she tries a swipe with scimitar claws.
    Ferel.   I doubtt Russ could love her as we do.

    alan (photo by Marjorie.

    P.S. Thanks to Elizabeth from whose barn she came.  She liked the high
    barn beams.   Best we could provide was our refrigerator.


  • EPISOde 1053′ MARY FIX PARK IN SPRING RAIN SHOWER MAY 5. 1053



    The Road Not Taken

    (robert frost)




    Wwhat a grand feeling it was to be once again in Mary Fix Park — 
    a wilderness park where trees live and die where they stood or fell.
    The park is located on an acreage where iwldernesss would be
    least likely.  — the junction of QEW and Hurontaio — dense population yet also room
    for wild creatures like the pair of coyotes who seem to
    be able to raise a [up or two with little difficulty.  

    Mary Fix Park has many Roads Not Taken.  Come walk with me.

     



    Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
    And sorry I could not travel both
    And be one traveler, long I stood
    And looked down one as far as I could
    To where it bent in the undergrowth;

    Then took the other, as just as fair,
    And having perhaps the better claim,
    Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
    Though as for that the passing there
    Had worn them really about the same,

    And both that morning equally lay
    In leaves no step had trodden black.
    Oh, I kept the first for another day!
    Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
    I doubted if I should ever come back.

    I shall be telling this with a sigh
    Somewhere ages and ages hence:
    Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
    I took the one less traveled by,
    And that has made all the difference.


  • EPISODE 1052 SIXTEEN DAYS IN TRILIUM HOSPITAL, APRIL5 TO 20, 2024, WHAT WAS DISCOVERED?

    EPISODE  1052   SIXTEEN DAYS IN TRILIUM HOSPITAL, APRIL5 TO 20, 2024, WHAT WAS DISCOVERED?


    alan skeoch
    May 5, 2024


    MRI — MAGNETIC  RESONANCE IMAGING 

    “IF YOU GET SCARED PRESS THIS RUBBER BALL AND WE WILL GET YOU OUT”
    “I WILL JUST CLOSE MY EYES.




    “Why did he fall?’”
    “Why did he not recover from surgery in a normal manner?”
    “What was wrong with him?”


    I would like to thank the staff at Trillium Hospital, Mississauga, for their
    time and effort spent trying to discover why I fell and could not get up in
    early  April

    Doctor Grant and Doctor Paige were in charge of my case and authorized
    a host of tests to determine why I fell and lost control of my recovery from
    knee surgery on d/ecember 12, 2023.  

    WHAT WAS DONE?

    1) Four doctors tried to determine why I fell.  Two used hammers to gently
    see if there was   a physical problem.   They found nothing.
    2) An MRI imaging machine was used twice.   One of the occasions lasted for 35 minutes
    Nothing  was found.  I kept my eyes closed but remain mystified how powerful
    magnets and mirrors can provide doctors with images of the internal body
    of human being
    3) A host of tiny wires were attached To my brain to determine if I had
    heart trouble.  ECG – Electro Cardio Graph.  Nothing irregular was found.
    4) Sixteen days of observation most of which were spent flat on my back 
    in the geriatric ward where there were cases far more serious than mine.
    Nothing was found.
    5) Dr. Grant discussed the case in detail with my wife Majorie.
    6) Dr. Paige authorized home care and released me from Trillium hospital
    as an outpatient  A professional therapist was assigned to  supervise my recovery 7) Marjorie and our son Andrew rearranged our house — beds moved, railing installed,
    five pull bars installed in shower and external doorway ,   House was was made safe.
    Sending a man to bathe me seemed ‘over the top’ however.
    7) Marjorie would take care of the rest.  No easy task,  Marjorie thought the problem
    was a yeast infection which caused severe swelling in legs and groin.

    alan

    WORST PART OF HOSPITAL

    Wearing adult diapers that were changed regularly by no  nonsense nurses.
    Most embarrassing.

    END RESULT

    THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME.”
    “Then why did you fall so often?”
    “That will remain a mystery”
    “Your task now is to begin therapy all over again.”

    There are a lot of people who fall and  have no one to help them recover.
    I am a lucky man.

    THANKS

    Tg nurses from Tibet and Figi and a ll places in between.   Additional thanks
    to recreational therapists Natalie snd Pakizah who took me out in the
    sunshine and awarded me a tiny chocolate bar when I won a game of
    inpatient Bingol





  • EPISODE 1050 FALLING (A[RIL 3, 2024) FELL FIVE TIMES ONE WEEK

    EPISODE  1033    i’M ON MY WAY..PART RWO  : FALLING


    alan skeoch
    APRIL 24, 2024


    FALLING (April 3k 2024)

    Such a simple thing.   Falling into bed on an evening.
    Not simple for me.  I missed the bed and hit the floor  Do not know
    why my knees buckled.   One  knee was brand new.  The other knee
    was battle worn I must admit but had served me well for 85 years
    with no complaint.  
    suddenly m y legs quit….refused to work,

    “Get up Alan…please get up.  Can’t lift your 217 pounds.”
    [217 became 201 in next 17 days)
     “Cannot lift myself…flat face to floor best I can do.”
    “Call 911 now!”
    “ Did…they want to know more about situationl”
    “Tell them dire.  slide that plastic pillow under me…I will slide to the basement stairs
    and let my legs hangover…maybe get purchase on something ….swimming
    cross the floor with hands….made it ..now to get legs on stairs….failed ….slid down stairs
    to cellar and hauled myself back up stairs  step at a time.   Took ages.   Medics arrived
    and assessed situation then a burly man hoisted me 
    erect.
    “Embarassing!”
    “Forget it….we do this every day

    MY PLAN BEFORE 911 HELP ARRIVED

    Stupid plan of mine… I figured I could get on my feet
    by sliding to cellar stairs.  Needless to say 
    the plan did not work and I ENDED UP IN THE CELLAR.





    Great!  Then I fell again and needed rescue.  An hour later with 
    different rescuers…..same good hands.

    THEN CAME THE WORST FALL…COULD HAVE BEEN TERMINAL

      I fell into our small shower cubicle,  Both Legs telescoped.
    Impossible result as my flesh snd bones were contorted into
    the shower stall.  My operated leg folded worst….like a jackknife blade
    folds into the jackknife jacket.  I was trapped.  Dire situation. 
    Majorie wedged the walker into the stall.  No help.  Stay calm
    until Andrew could drive here from his home.  

    “Can you help?”
    “Don’t move.”
    “Fat chance of that…feel like a sardine in a fish can.”

    Andrew  scooped me out.  The stitches in my new knee did
    not pop out.   All seemed well.  Except for one question.

    “Why did I ciollapse?  I was doing well in recovery.  Was able
    to walk to Mary Fix park and back without a difficulty  Then suddenly my
    strength was gone.   I was on the floor….helpless.  A sardine.

    TRILLIUM HOSPITAL EMERGENCY


    So we drove to Trillium … emergency   “We will have to keep him…”

    Seems the hospital  was full but able to find a space in the the basemen hall
    …in front of a row o lockers with my feet blocking entrance to some kind
    of storage room.  My toes ticked every person seeking entry;

    I spent three days and nights on a gurney tightly wedged.,,in adult
    diapers…on my back.  A notice told nurses to keep me immobile
    until a better place could be found.l

    I was a lost soul.  No one ventured to speculate on what had gone wrong.
    People passed me in the narrow hall.  Seemed forgotten  Like the ancient mariner
    ‘who stoperth one in three’.  I asked passers by to phone my wife  Most ignored 
    me then one person, Jane, phoned Marjorie and things began to change  .

    Three days in a hospital locker wall…in diapers for both #1 snd #2…alone..weak…
    mysteriously ill…on a gurney.  Playing ‘footsie’ with staff seeking entrance ti’a mystery room.  

    END PART TWO

    p.s.  two of my helpers in happier times on floor C3 of Trillium
    \\