Flipping Difficult
This morning I woke up with a bit of a heavy heart because there was a chore waiting for me that I do not enjoy. The bit of the mattress I was sleeping on had gone a bit saggy and it was time to flip the mattress so that the opposite side was on top. We do this every four weeks or so. It gives the squashed side a chance to recover and gives you a nice new firm surface to sleep on.
Now, my partner and I are not spring chickens and we find this job difficult. We wear gardening gloves to be able to grip the mattress more effectively. But a king-sized mattress is a large object. The job requires a lot of undignified shoving and straining.
On this particular morning, the task was extra difficult because we had decided it was time to flip the mattress longways too. To achieve this without hitting the light bulb, meant we had to take the entire mattress off the bed and out of the room. Then we’d walk in a semi circle and re-enter the room with a different bit at the head end and also with the mattress surface now facing the other way. The final step was to heave it back on the bed.
Needless to say, we don’t have anyone that can help us with this so we struggle on. But I do worry there will come a time when we are just not strong enough.
How do you tackle all those jobs in the house that get more difficult as we get older? Do you have people willing to help you or do you have to be fairly self-reliant.
Ladders are an issue now. Also heavy chores in the garden and anything that involves low level maintenance where you have to crawl around on the ground. We do everything we can to stay safe while doing tricky jobs such as changing a lightbulb. How do you decide when you are just not up to the job?
It’s good to stay active and keep fit but you don’t want to injure yourself or push your body too far. How do you set these boundaries?
There’s no manual for growing older. I have to admit there are times I look at jobs that need doing and think ‘How are we going to manage this?’
When do you decide flipping difficult has become flipping impossible?
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Great article. My Mum has got to this age at the same time as me which I find rather bitter sweet. She has been struggling for while now to change her fitted sheet on a kingsize mattress. She will be 94 on Friday. So last time I was home. We employed ‘staff’ not carers. To do the heavy work. But as I was there I thought Id do the dirt deed. Could I lift the damn thing and stretch the sheet over at the same time. No way. Mum shouts up the stairs from which she is now banned, at least when Im watching. You will need the fish slice to do that??? No Im still bamboozled???
@tjay I loved your description of your Mum directing you to use the fish slice. I guess she meant as a sort of arm extension. My bed is against a wall and to put the fitted bottom sheet on the far top corner, I have to make my way across the bed and then kneel on the mattress. The best way to do this is to do a sort of fireman’s roll across the bed! Your mum sounds like an amazing lady.
@Rain I thought I commented on this blog, but its gone now
@grandmaj Oh that’s very frustrating when you reply and the machine eats it.
@Rain, I was having trouble with my wifi this morning, so it probably didnt publish. Thats my excuse and I am sticking to it haha
@grandmaj Sometimes I leave a post thinking I’ve pressed ‘enter’ but it hasn’t quite worked.
I usually have perfect wifi signal, but all this week it has been bad.