Sometimes, it’s the simplest of pleasures that can make all the difference in the lives of nursing home residents. For John Buller, an 89-year-old retired farmer, all he really wanted was to get on a tractor at least one more time.
But scaling a tall, powerful vehicle can prove difficult for someone who receives skilled nursing care, as Fuller does at the Waterford Crossing Health Center, part of a continuing care retirement community in Goshen, IN. Buller suffered a stroke about four years ago, and his left side is paralyzed, so “he’s pretty limited mobility-wise,” his son told local media.
After months of planning, however, the former farmhand got his wish earlier this month, as part of the “Live a Dream” program, offered by Waterford and its parent company, Trilogy Health Services.
“We have been working on John’s Live a Dream for close to a year,” Jenna Barghahn, life enrichment director at Waterford Crossing, said in an email. “It is quite challenging getting on board a tall tractor due to his physical limitations, but we were not going to give up!”
With a hand from the local church, friends, family, nursing home staff and a forklift, Fuller was raised off his wheelchair onto a tractor at Deer Grove Farm, in Goshen, for a quick ride on Sept. 5.
He wasn’t disappointed.
“It was a big deal, really, I don’t know why. It’s just something that I enjoy, that’s all,” Buller told the local media.
“I thank them very much from the bottom of my heart,” he said. “I just really enjoyed the minutes, yes I did. It’ll be a memory I’ll cherish for a long time.”
