How do you feel about getting older?

twoinanddone
Sun, 15 Dec 2024 19:03:24 +0000

My best friend’s MIL lives next door to her. MIL is 102. It is really a miserable existence. She hasn’t left the house since covid except to get covid shots (drive thru) and go to the emergency room or dentist. Even her health care comes to her now. She has workers that come 3x per week. Friend and husband feed her breakfast every morning, open the drapes, bring in the mail, etc., then either they or a grandson bring dinner on the days the workers aren’t there at 5 pm.

She is, overall, healthy. But she’s almost blind (listens to the radio at a high volume), has this big reader machine to read a few pages of the newspaper, talks to her daughter on the phone each night for 10 minutes. She enjoys the great grandchildren for about 10 minutes a week. I visit for about 10 minutes if I’m in the neighborhood. She’s outlived just about all her friends.

Another acquaintance’s mother is 99 and just as bossy as ever. ‘Take me on vacation, take me to the theater, to dinner, to friend’s house…’ The mother is a large person and in a wheelchair and it takes a lot of effort to ‘take me’ places. The daughter is exhausted.

Why aren’t these people in nursing homes? Oh, they don’t want to live with old people! And it is no trouble at all for their children to walk next door several times a day to wait on them. Of course their OTHER children don’t live nearby to help with the care but are quick to criticize if the care is late or not up to par.

I only want to be 99 if I can be like Betty White. Otherwise, push me in front of a bus when the time is right.