Support for My Mother

In the spring of 1991, my mother fell as she walked down the steps outside her doctor's office. She had broken her hip many years before and walked with an uneven gait. When she lost her balance on the steps, she feared that she had broken her hip again. An ambulance took her to a nearby hospital for X-rays. The doctors there thought she had a hairline fracture in her hip. She couldn't walk well enough to be on her own at her apartment, so the hospital discharged her to a nursing home.

            I lived about 2,000 miles away at the time and arrived in town after my mother had settled into the home. My sister and I knew that she could only stay in the nursing home for a short time under Medicare. The costs would start to mount after that. So we created a discharge plan that would allow my mother to move into her own apartment after a short stay with my sister. To carry out this plan, we had to find the health care and social supports she needed to live on her own. I had to get back to work and my family. I felt unsure we could get my mother the support she needed.

1. Before reading the passage, read the title. What do you think the meaning of the title is?

1. Read the first paragraph. What does the selection seem to be about?

1. Read the second paragraph. What do you think was the author's purpose for writing this story?

1. What is the unstated main idea of each of the paragraphs?

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   1. Par. 1

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   1. Par. 2

1. What is the unstated main idea of this selection?