“I was always big for my age,” said David “Dave” Aikins. “I had a tendency to try to be the strongest and be able to outlift anybody else in the crowd and do all that kind of stuff, before you realize someday, you’re going to need that body for something else other than showing off.”
From his early days on the farm to the football field and beyond, Dave Aikins has always been active. He was even a member of the KU Football team that won the 1968 Big 8 Championship and played in the 1969 Orange Bowl. After his time as a defensive end for the Jayhawks, he went on to work at and then co-own a painting business, Lawrence Decorating Service. Over the years he lifted many five-gallon buckets into the back of trucks, painted, and completed other job-related tasks, keeping him physically active in his work as well. While his active lifestyle was probably good for his overall health, it also may have done some harm to his body as well.
Chad, a Certified Physical Therapist Assistant, CPTA,with Visiting Nurses Home Health, checks Dave Aikins' temperature while recording his vitals on a visit.
In the early ‘90s, Dave started to experience pain in his hips, knees, and back. Some of the treatment options presented might have relieved the pain, but would have also forced Dave to stop painting. He opted for some temporary fixes and ended up trying a neurostimulator. This treatment worked well until last year. “It got to where it just wasn’t enough to get through the day,” Dave said. The pain was bad enough it kept him from being able to drive to see his grandchildren for Christmas. At this point, Dave’s best option to get relief from the pain and get his life back was an extensive back surgery. The operation was a two-day process. The first day of surgery took eight and a half hours. The second day took 14 and a half hours. The surgery provided Dave relief from his backpain, but required its own recovery.
When he was wrapping up his rehab in the Kansas City area, Dave was asked what he wanted to do for home health care. He knew exactly who he wanted to provide the care for the next stage of his recovery. “I’ve had several friends that have had Visiting Nurses before and was very familiar with it,” Dave said. “Everybody just speaks very highly of the organization. That’s why I chose Visiting Nurses.” With Home Health care from Visiting Nurses, Dave was recovering well from his back surgery, but started having serious issues with his hip. After multiple hip dislocations, it was determined that Dave now needed a hip replacement. Following his return home after hip surgery, Dave once again chose Visiting Nurses to aid in his recovery.
Chad, CPTA, takes a short walk with Dave Aikins to assess his mobility and get him some exercise to aid his recovery.
Dave was pleased to work with the same staff members again that had helped him previously, both for the care they provide and for the familiarity. He describes his care team as being “friendly people, very professional, knowledgeable, punctual.” Having a reliable care team allows Dave to focus on what is most important: reaching his goals. Dave wants to get back to his active lifestyle, but is especially motivated by his grandchildren. “I want to be able to be independent of using any walkers,” Dave said. “And be able to get back into the vehicle to drive to Grove or Ashland, see grandkids, maybe take some trips and get back to doing stuff that I couldn’t do even before the back surgery.” Dave’s personal motivation and positive attitude, combined with the support of his Visiting Nurses care team, should help him reach his goals as soon as possible.
Dave is certainly appreciative of Visiting Nurses’ services and the care he has received. “Five stars out of five is what I would rate,” Dave said regarding his care. “I think it’s a great organization.” Despite his appreciation for the care he has received and the staff members caring for him, Dave would prefer to not need Home Health services again. “Like I tell them, I hope the next time I see you is in the grocery store or somewhere like that,” Dave said in reference to his care team.
Dave Aikins and Chad, his CPTA from VNA, share a laugh during some Physical Therapy exercises.