I did get a nice note from Rosie after posting the above update, reporting that John's surgery had gone well, that they've had him up and walking, but that "...because of his delirium, he is quite La-La..." about his hip injury and other events. No mention of any fall, so my thought is that one of his friends may have called him, found his responses strange and told others "It's like he fell and bonked his head!!", which may have started the story (just me thinking about the different stories, nothing else). Doesn't really matter, Rosie says that until they figure out what's got him confused, he'll not be going home.
Hoping they find a chemical balance issue or a reaction to some medication, and get them both fixed and back at the ranch!