Former President George HW Bush, 91, Doing Better After Fall

Updated: September 21, 2019

President Bush passed away in November 2018. Read the story here: https://www.ltcnews.com/articles/news/george-hw-bush-the-41st-president-dies-at-age-94

Former President George H.W. Bush fractured a bone in his neck when he took a tumble at his oceanside summer home, but he suffered no neurological impairment and the injury will be allowed to heal on its own, which is expected to take three to four months, officials confirmed on Friday.

George H.W. Bush, the oldest living former U.S. president, fell at his summer home on Wednesday, July 15th.

Bush, 91, was in stable condition and was doing "fine" after Wednesday's fall, spokesman Jim McGrath said. McGrath tweeted that the 41st president would be in a neck brace.

Bush, the 41st U.S. President, has a form of Parkinson's disease that has forced him to use a motorized scooter or wheelchair for mobility, has suffered a few other recent health setbacks. He was hospitalized in Houston in December for about a week for treatment of shortness of breath. He said he was grateful to the doctors and nurses for their care there.

Dr. William D'Angelo, a neurosurgeon who is treating Bush at Maine Medical Center, said the former president was lucky the fracture wasn't more serious.

D'Angelo said the injury is common among seniors who fall and can be painful. He said a patient in his 90s would generally take three or four months to heal.

"It's a significant injury, but right now the president is in excellent shape, and we anticipate he'll make a full recovery."

Dr. William D'Angelo, a neurosurgeon

Former President George H.W. Bush had talked about the medical condition that has restricted his ability to walk.

"They call it vascular Parkinsonism." 

"It just affects the legs. It's not painful. You tell your legs to move, and they don't move. It's strange, but if you have to have some bad-sounding disease, this is a good one to get."

George H.W. Bush, Former President

He spent Christmas 2012 in intensive care at the same Houston hospital while being treated for a bronchitis-related cough and other issues. He was discharged on January 2013 after a nearly two-month stay.

Bush said it's been hard adjusting to his mobility issues.

"I love being active, (playing) sports, being in the game,"

"But you just face the reality and make the best of it."

George H.W. Bush

This has been impacting his ability to get around and perform some of his activities of daily living. This is why planning ahead for Long Term Health care is key to retirement planning according to many Long Term Health Care planners.

Bush, a Republican, served two terms as Ronald Reagan's vice president before being elected president in 1988. After one term, highlighted by the success of the 1991 Gulf War in Kuwait, he lost to Democrat Bill Clinton amid voters' concerns about the economy.

Bush, the father of Republican former President George W. Bush, was a naval aviator in World War II and was shot down over the Pacific. He also was a former U.S. ambassador to China and a CIA director.

He has skydived on at least three of his birthdays since leaving the White House. He celebrated his 90th birthday by making a tandem parachute jump near his summer home in Kennebunkport.