Thank goodness you posted about your taxes; I nearly forgot I have an appointment this afternoon to have mine done.
I totally get how your FIL doesn't take to the walker each time; there's something "in them" that makes them think they are stronger one day than they were the day previous. My husband uses a rolator (wheeled walker with brakes), but has a cane for short distances. Nothing to do with arthritis, but the same chance of falling without using his aids could result in serious injury. He is still on the frail side so if he breaks a hip; they estimate 3 months recovery depending on the severity of it and they wouldn't likely let him return home. Even now they don't think he is safe here, but trying to make it work out.
A few days back, he tried to get to the washroom using the walls for balance; took him ten minutes and then I heard him go down and call for help. I was already up before he called for help. He has a commode in the bedroom, but was determined to get to the "real toilet". He was lucky that fall only resulted in a small skin tear on the elbow and another bruise on his back.
Wednesday, he fell around 10:00 and he was alone. I came home to check on him because he didn't answer the phone. He was on the floor, there was blood on the kitchen floor, but he was over on the other end halfway in the dining room and half on the living room carpet; the rolator was nearby. He banged his pretty good, but I managed to doctor him up. He seemed fine and he was hungry so he had half a thick tuna sandwich and some green grapes.
The home care nurse arrived about 10 minutes after I left and 10 minutes later she was on the phone to 911 to have him assessed. He was acting strange and not remembering things correctly. When I got in the EMS was already there and the cat was hiding under the bed.
He kept asking for his nighttime meds and thought it was 2008. I followed the ambulance up in my car and arrived at 12:45. He is still there. He was admitted at 6:45 and at 8:00 I had returned home to get some rest and was called back up to the hospital at 9:30. He gave the doctors and nurses an awful scare. They thought he was dying so I had to go back up and stay with him through the night. They moved him to CCU and set up a cot for me to keep him company.
By then he kept switching the date from 1928 to 2028 and then back to 2008 a few times.
They gave him over 15 litres of oxygen to get him stabilized and are running a bunch of tests.
At 11:30 a.m. they sent him for x-rays and then back to the inpatient surgery ward in a semi-private quad (big space separated with two beds on both sides. Usually one nurse for two quads, but sometimes 2 quads and 2 semi-privates (that's a tough task for those nurses).
Good sign that he is in that section and doesn't need the round the clock care.
He looked much better when I was heading home.
Boy did I ever sleep lastnight. O'Malley the cat didn't even wake me up at 4:00; he let me sleep until 5:00.
I hope he slept well too; I'll be heading up there for 8:00. I bought him a TV and telephone card, but if the unit isn't close to him, he can't answer the phone. 1 son called, but he didn't answer.
I was arranging for a swallow test by speech for Thursday so they were able to do it in the hospital.
I think he'll be okay once they can figure out why the liquid he consumes is going down into his lungs instead of his stomach. There seems to be three medical things going on at the same time and none of it would have been discovered if he didn't bump his head.
The cat didn't come out of hiding until I returned that night before I went back up. He had become so nervous and blocked up that he missed the litter box and urinated all over the spill mat and there were some clumps of poop around the litter box and some inside too. I felt so bad for him. I bought him a new spill mat and set it up yesterday.
I had a short nap yesterday when they took my husband for x-rays and switching accommodations and O`Malley snuggled right down on the spare mattress with me. Last night I was in my own bed and whenever I woke up I thought it was nearly time to get him only to discover I still had plenty of time for more sleep.
Hopefully, your FIL will surrender to the idea that the walker is his "ticket out"; maybe he should give it a name so it's more friendly than foe-like.
Jolly on! 
