Care Giving

  To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter. -Euripides I recently posted a “best-of” (retread) blog titled: The Meaning of Things to make a point that meaningful objects from home lose meaning in institutions like nursing homes. When bloggers share ideas/concepts/stories on the net, we can only hope—like sending children off to school, they will do good in the world or have some positive influence. This post evoked a response I will always remember—and made my point more eloquently and personally than any of my efforts may have engendered.

    I often hear people say that a person suffering from Alzheimer's is not the person they knew. I wonder to myself - Who are they then? --Bob DeMarco   The Present-absence and the long-good-bye of Alzheimer’s disease is heart-breaking. I sat with my once brilliant friend, Frances Gabe, holding her hand and longing for the excursions into the deep end of ideas that we once shared. But that is in the past; to quote Chuck Heston quoting Shakespeare in his statement, they bade farewell

  Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young.  -Fred Astaire I returned from Europe last week, which always gives me a fresh perspective on my own country. Yesterday doing pre-holiday tasks I got caught up in the bustle of shopping and completing my to-do list. I was in an old school hardware store watching customers buy plastic American flags, charcoal briquettes, portable grills, and soft drinks—the usual stuff. I began to notice a trend with the folks around me that I didn’t

  A Chinese proverb says that we naturally see the beauty of youth, but must learn to see the beauty of age.   I read an article recently by Susan Jacoby titled The Myth of Aging Gracefully. It is a thought provoking piece about the over exuberance with which our culture embraces anti-aging—or the triumph of hope over experience. Since January 1, 2011, the demographic transition became real for baby boomers…the oldest turned 65. This frequently stated fact is almost tired now, but the reality is still settling in (however uneasy it makes us all feel).

  Everything I do is the environment. -Arthur Boyd Green Home Modifications for Elder Comfort and Safety I told my grandmother about our plans and asked her to walk through the house with me to share any problems she might currently have or could envision in the future. Her first suggestion was to move everything upstairs, including her bed, to a lower floor, but this seemed impractical. Instead, we’re going to look at reconditioned stair lifts. Most have been used for only a short time, and we like the idea of being able to