How could I have ever thought a nursing home visit could be dull?

Yesterday My 82-year old Dad and I visited a nursing home in Brentwood, Tennessee.
I had no idea it would become an adventure.

We were visiting a 97-year old lady who told us a childhood story of almost flying with Lindbergh.

I was intrigued.

"How did you meet him?"

"We lived in a small town in Mississippi and he had had some trouble with his plane. He was barnstorming in those days. The propeller broke, and he had to stay in our town until a new propeller was sent. This was before he became famous flying the Atlantic.

He offered to take anyone up for $5.

A neighbor realized it was a grand opportunity for me so he offered to pay my way."

She looked off into the distance.

"Did you get to go?"

"No, my mother wouldn't let me. She said it was too dangerous."

She also told us about being in a serious dormitory fire at David Lipscomb University back in the early 30's. She woke up suddenly realizing flames were within a few feet of her and there was only one way out.

She would have been killed except for the fact that the girls across the hall had not locked their room. She received very serious burns on her hands as she grabbed their door knob. It was blazingly hot and seared off some of the flesh. But that didn't stop here from climbing down tied together sheets.

The story telling was interrupted as we looked out the window on a beautiful June afternoon to watch 'Western Day' in the courtyard below.

Someone had brought in two baby burros and the older people were sitting around in their wheelchairs petting them. A toddler was trying to climb up on them.

"Well, I guess we'd better go," my Dad said, "We don't want to tire you out."

"Oh, I'm not tired," she said, but I could tell he was.

We had to ride the elevator with a gentleman who looked like he had Parkinson's and we made sure he got off his floor okay.

"Are you new here?" he asked Daddy.

"Just visiting," he answered with relief in his voice.

When we reached the lobby, there was a lot of commotion. People were trying to get inside the automatic doors and one little old lady was almost caught. She was crabbily complaining for someone to come get her through that door. I volunteered while she fussed all the way in.

I looked through the windows to realize a storm had suddenly arisen within less than seven or eight minutes from the time we had left Mrs. Vaughn's.

The dark sky just didn't look right, and somebody said something about tornado warnings.
We were stuck and we might as well make the best of it as an energetic black lab passed by heading behind the counter and most likely for a treat, tornado or no tornado.
"You'd better not go out there," an old man told another old man as he headed out the door.
"I'm going to smoke a cigarette."
"You'll get wet."
"I'll risk it."
Would one more cigarette make too much difference now? I guess you could debate that, but I'd let him have it.
Finally, we left and drove back toward Nashville and home. We didn't hear the tornado sirens until we got home. They were blarring loudly so we turned on the T.V. We don't head down to the basement any more unless a funnel cloud has been spotted for sure.
I made fresh juice for all of us while I planned my next visit.
I'm looking forward to going back.

Popularity: 8% [?]

• How to Avoid Nursing Homes  Are there good workable long term care  alternatives to nursing homes?Will it be  possible for most seniors to age in place- in the comfort  and security of their own homes?Yes, according to trend-setting financial planners.But there's a catch to the good news. Most financial planners are not taking into account......
• More Nursing Homes Losing Federal Funding, Part 1 State inspectors across the country  are cracking down on nursing home violations.These violations can be serious enough for some nursing homes to lose their Medicare and Medicaid funding.  Because they can not operate without the government's money flowing into their coffers, many are being forced to close.Exactly what are the types of violations......
• In-Home Health Care for the Elderly Trumps Over Nursing Homes Expanding in-home health care for the elderly is catching on. Oregon and Tennessee are two states which are pushing public money away from nursing homes and into more individual care given to the elderly in their own homes. This is major. We're looking at a big shift in the elder......
• Warning: A Trip to the Emergency Room Could Kill You  This is a subject I debated about discussing.  However, it's so important I think I need to write about it. It is about empowering ourselves as wise medical care consumers.Within the past 24 hours I have heard two horror stories involving  two different people who are  of different races, economic and......
• 3 Reasons Why Adult Day Care is Gaining Popularity  Yesterday we talked about some of the  most serious problems with nursing homes.  Since the government is cracking down on elder abuse in nursing homes are there other alternatives for your aging parents?Adult day care may be a good option if you want more supervision over your aging parents' care, but......

• So What Does A Man Want In A Woman... by Tessa Radley, guest blogger and author of Millionaire Under the Mistletoe. I’ve been thinking a lot about heroines lately. About the careers they have, the jobs they do, and the effect their career, earning ability and self-esteem have on their relationship with the hero. I write romance for......
• Home Improvement Grants for Home Improvement Help If you are seeking out home improvement help, then one of the best things that you can do, at least on the financial side of things, is to get the home improvement help that you need by way of home improvement grants. If you are looking to sell your home......
• Selecting the Best Garage Door Today, we have so many options when it comes to picking a garage door that it can be a bit overwhelming. However, there are a few guidelines and tips you can use to make the selection process a lot easier. Let's take a look at the four main types of......
• 12 Oddest Stories of 2009 [/caption] 1. 6 year-old boy misses bus and takes mom's car instead (Jan 2009) In Virginia's Northern Neck, on a random Monday morning, a 6-year-old boy drove his mother's Ford Taurus for more than 10 miles, weaving in and out of oncoming traffic, to finally slam into a utility pole,......
• follow the white rabbit to financial freedom Trinity: Please just listen. I know why you're here. I know what you've been doing... why you hardly sleep, why you live alone, and why night after night, you sit by your computer. You're looking for him. I know because I was once looking for the same thing. And......