Georgia Needs Help at Home

Once Rosemary and Georgia are inside the foyer of Georgia’s expansive two-story house.  Rosemary notices some changes in the house.  Georgia has always been a flamboyant collector and exuberant fan of knitting and bead projects.  Georgia was always piling up things along the floor in the hallway that she said she ‘would get to later’.  The hall has been cleared and Georgia’s many projects have been put away.

Georgia is using a walker after her hip surgery.  It appears to Rosemary that Georgia is getting along well with her walker, and seems to be overjoyed to have a visitor.  Rosemary informs Georgia that she has bought her some groceries and makes to go out to the car to get them; Georgia states that she will help her pack them in.  Rosemary opens the door wide enough for the walker and follows Georgia out to the front step.  Georgia thankfully only has one step in front of her house and expertly guides herself down the step with her walker, and makes her way to Rosemary’s station wagon.  Rosemary unloads the groceries and is not sure how Georgia is going to carry any groceries while holding on to her walker with both hands.  Georgia senses Rosemary’s hesitation and carefully bends over to pick up a grocery bag by the handles.  Georgia then places the bag on a little seat situated in the middle of the walker.  Rosemary is astonished; she did not notice that the walker had a seat.  The two ladies finish bringing in the groceries and they finally get a chance to sit down and talk in the kitchen after Rosemary makes them some tea.

Georgia talks and talks and talks about how nice it is to be home again and how she missed all of her things and how she never had any privacy at the rehabilitation center.  She liked all of the opportunities to make friends and be social, but Georgia complains that staff and other inpatients would just walk in her room at all hours of the day.  Georgia tells Rosemary that she had a friend from her dancing days clean up all of her projects from her hallway, so she would not fall now that she is using a walker.  Georgia tells Rosemary that the physical therapist completed a home assessment before she could come home to make sure that she would be safe.  All of her projects were relegated to cardboard filing boxes from the office store and placed in a spare bedroom.  Georgia appears sad about this but brightens when she tells Rosemary about a new dance she would like to learn.  Georgia reports that she will not be using the walker forever, but just until she can get her strength back.  Rosemary asks if there is anything else that she can do for Georgia now that she is home.  Georgia sips her tea and after a very brief pause, Georgia explains that she is having trouble getting into the tub by herself and asks Rosemary if she would be willing to come over to help her take a shower a few times a week.