Still Happy — and Healthy Again

By Bobbie and Tom Merrill

In May of 2023, we sold the treasures of two people collected over a period of 84 years, along with our home, and moved our remaining things into RVM. We had bought into our Manor Unit sight unseen and quickly noted that there were a large number of ‘old’ people here, along with their various aging markers, including walkers, canes, and scooters.

Within a few days, we had a good laugh about our lack of awareness that we not only fit in perfectly, but were also not even close to being the youngest ones here! Plus, we loved the upbeat, friendly, and helpful attitude of everyone from staff to residents. We were already happy here and congratulated ourselves on our wise decision to be a part of this community.

By June, we had signed up with the delightful Dr. Rushton and Veronica Burke, along with Mercy Flights as advised by others and had also met most of RVM support staff. We were in the midst of completing the final touches on our Manor unit and felt ready to participate in the upcoming Olympic games. So, after our daily lunch and cribbage in the Deli, we decided to brush up on our ping pong games, since I can no longer compete on tennis or Pickleball courts, and Tommy (Tom to others), a past ocean paddler, marathoner, rugby, soccer, football, and volleyball player was also slowing down.

Five minutes into our ping pong warm-up, Tommy’s athleticism kicked in, and he went for a ball out of reach. His shoe caught and down he went, hard, on the ping pong room floor. I screamed and people outside the room began to scurry in all directions. Tim Miller called for the security team, who arrived with amazing speed and called Mercy Flights. We were soon in an ambulance on our way to Asante hospital, where good doctors fixed his broken femur and their wonderful nursing and support staff cared for us with triple A+ quality.

Tom and Bobbie watch the US Open in the Health Center while Tom’s hip heals.

When it came time to transfer Tommy to an Inpatient Rehab Center, the staff who had bonded with us made a strong recom-mendation that we not go anywhere but to the RVM Health Center, since it’s the best in the valley with a 5-star rating. They didn’t know we were residents.

The transition went smoothly and Tommy was gently turned over to the competent care of our RVM Health Center. Neither of us realized at the time that he would be there for five weeks, but the staff made it bearable. Everyone in the Health Care Center, from the top administrative staff to those keeping the daily program running, was exceptional.

The nurses, physical therapists, and support staff were, without exception, competent, helpful, willing, and friendly. We even felt so relaxed and cared for as demonstrated in our photo, that it felt bittersweet when it was time for Tommy’s discharge. We happily see many of these Health Center staff passing through during our resumed daily lunches and cribbage in the Deli.

Tommy has since joined the group sporting walkers before graduating to a cane, and I also purchased my first cane to help me maneuver with the neuropathy in my legs. This is definitely our group and place, and we are so happy that we moved to the Rogue Valley Manor retirement community.