Hi. my relatively healthy 88 y.o father fell in march and fx 12 ribs on his left side. he has recovered pretty well. what is happening now is he is very short of breath, still having a hard time taking deep breaths. his 02 saturation is okay?

Ouch!!! It must hurt. Major danger with rib fractures (in anybody, but especially in elderly) is that you try not to cough or take deep breaths (it hurts too much). People need to occasionally cough and take a deep breath to avoid getting pneumonia. If he is short of breath, he needs to see a doctor and probably get a chest x-ray NOW to be sure pneumonia is not developing.

Are you really 1 year old?. Regardless, I am pleased at your concern for your grandfather and frankly think that he needs follow-up evaluation to be sure that there is nothing else underlying his symptoms. Given the history of his rib fractures, there may be nothing of concern. Given his age, it will be good for him to be followed up. Incentive spirometry may help expand his lungs.