Dinner with Paw

Garrett C.

For this assignment I chose to spend a day with my grandpa. My grandpa is 88 years old. He can still walk, but not without a walker. If he does not use his walker he will fall. In fact he has fallen many times. My family takes him to dinner every week. But this week it was just Paw and me. We started out by going to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse. My grandpa loves steak but does need help cutting it, as he has a shoulder problem and cannot raise his right hand very far.

 Crowding/Adaptability: When we got there it was really  busy. There was a wait. I was so relieved to find a place for Paw to sit. But we were squeezed in very tightly at the front. Luckily there was plenty of room for him and his walker as we went to our table. They have ramps so getting to the table was very easy. Unfortunately after dinner, as we were leaving there was a group of  eight people sitting at a table by ours. There was not enough room for Paw to get through with his walker with how the restaurant had put the tables together. But the people were very kind and stood up to allowed us to walk by them. I was so grateful for their kindness. I had worried ever since I saw them set up the table.

Accessibility: I was very pleased with how easy it was to get into Longhorn. They had a ramp for Paw to walk up. The entire restaurant had ramps instead of stairs with lots of room for a person with a walker. I also saw two people leaving that were in wheel chairs. The hosts at the front were great to hold the door for Paw which allowed me to help and make sure he did not lose his balance. Plus, the food was awesome!! I was very happy with our meal at Longhorn.

Comfort: Longhorn was a very comfortable environment. People were kind and helpful with Paw. He really enjoys going there. He is at ease. Some restaurants we have been too are smaller, and it is not as comfortable for Paw. It was amazing how much I take for granted being able to move around without a walker no matter how small a space.  For our activity we just went to Paw's apartment at his assisted living. I was hoping to go to my house and watch a football game but there are steps at all entrances. So I decided it was easier to go back to Paw's.

Control:  Paw's room is set up for him to be able to move around with his walker. It is his space. He has it decorated with his pictures and things from his home before he lived in assisted living.  Adaptability: We have recently taken out a few pieces of furniture to allow more room for Paw to move around. He used to not be able to use a walker in his room. But now he really needs to always use his walker, to keep him from falling. So we have made that easier for him in his room.  Sociality: His assisted living has many senior citizens living there. This gives Paw many people to talk with everyday. He has lots of friends there.

Activities: They have activities like Bingo, painting, and exercises. So if he wanted to do something else besides watch TV, we had the option. This was another reason I went back to his assisted living. But we sat and talk and watch football where he is the most comfortable. He gets very tired and does not like to be out and about for too long. So just sitting and talking is what he enjoys more than if we went somewhere. Privacy: Being in his room, he feels more relaxed talking. He doesn't like to talk where people can hear him. So being home, he is more comfortable to talk more than out in public. It was a great way to spend one on one time with my grandpa. He is a great man and has been so good to me. I enjoy being able to help him and take him out to eat. After all, he has done so much for my family and me.

(I forgot to get someone to take a picture of us that night. This one was taken a few months ago)