Miracle

(The usual "Here be bodily functions" warning obtains here; I'll try to be gentle.)
    When Dad left the previous nursing home, he needed help with both of the popular excretory functions we all enjoy or at least have difficulty living without every day. Between yesterday and today, all that changed. He did each of the first two ordinal numbers by himself with no assistance from enema, in-out catheterization or nurses in any way. It's hard to convey how major this is; try to remember that it has been many months since either thing has happened. Try to imagine how hard it would be to live independently if you couldn't do either #1 or #2 by yourself.
    Although I kid a bit about this being a miracle, all it really took was for him to have a comfortable chair so he could sit up most of the time and a walker to be available to him at all times. At the other place, he only had a walker or a cane for physical therapy. The chairs available in his room were two uncomfortable chairs for visitors and a wheelchair that was too small for him. And anyway, not having a cane or a walker, he couldn't get there. So he spent 23 hours a day in bed. Not surprisingly, this didn't do a lot for his digestive system. At the new place, just add recliner and walker and SHAZAM: instant miracle.
    There's still a lot of work to do. He still needs to be stronger. He still needs to be able to give himself insulin injections. Somebody has to be able to drive. (The doctor had suggested that Margaret might not be allowed to drive for months, though she is sure that this won't be the case.) They ought to move into a house that has rails to hold onto in every room, and ideally located near a nursing home so that medical care is available immediately if needed. But things certainly look a lot rosier than yesterday.