Rescue 143

Last night - rather this morning - was surreal. It is so frustrating to not be able to just stand up and move myself to a "normal" position. I got into a precarious situation as I was trying to transfer from the bed. After evaluating my problem, my resident hero again rescued me. Using an old hydraulic hoyer, he was able to maneuver me back to bed. I went from a difficult position of being on my face lying in a doorway to being lifted onto my bed. His engineering skill is used not only in the oil field but also in the moving of a lump of dead weight. I have been in love with my hero since I was sixteen. We would always use the code "143" to mean "I love you." He is here for me, not because it is expected but because he wants to be. What do people do in this situation "normally" with no resident hero?

There is help for the elderly and the disabled if one knows where to look.

1. Adult Protective Services (APS) is a source of help. The state provides relief in the area of individual care and in the area of group care (i.e. nursing home and assisted living). One needs to not expect instant relief; nursing homes know how to cover all the bases and "play the game." After I left the last "rehabilitation" facility, I asked for a copy of my chart. I was charged over $200 dollars for a copy of my chart. I did not recognize the patient described; in fact, one page was on a different patient. I had kept a log of my treatment and none of those events appeared in my chart. Keeping a log is important.

2. Cities and counties provide services in times of distress. I was concerned about evacuation from my town if a hurricane is eminent. I evacuated when Hurricane Rita was baring down on Houston. Travel was such a nightmare that I will not do it again. I will just take my chances. My town has no services for the evacuation of the disabled, but my county does. I did inquire about help with the city of Sugar Land. A most helpful member of the city administration led me to a county service - S.N.A.P. She sent me the link to the county program. I filled out a complete but simple survey of needs. I was assured that a link to S.N.A.P. is on the city of Sugar Land web page (http://www.sugarlandtx.gov).%20help/. If that link is not obvious, the helpful Sugar Land employee shared the following:

The link to register with the Fort Bend County S.N.A.P. program is:http://www.co.fort-bend.tx.us/getsitepage.asp?sitepage=3182Just in case this link does not work their site address is www.co.fort-bend.tx.us and the department you would need is "Health and Human Services".

Help is available for those who need it if the source is known. Surf the Internet. Check with your local, county, and state government. Don't just sit ideally by; be proactive in personal care.