Aging in Place: I Will Go
Life’s most rewarding challenge lies in defeating the temptation to merely exist. - Laurie Harper, A Taste for Life (1983) I called my friend Frances the other day; she’s in her 90’s and residing in a traditional nursing home. Our conversation always gets around to her anguish over being “stuck in this “godforsaken place.” Her home defined her in a very real sense; it was her life’s purpose. She now depends on a wheelchair for mobility and her mind has atrophied from the lack of stimulation. I miss our challenging conversations in her home office and watching
Aging in Place: The Loss Of My Dad’s Glasses Still Haunts Me
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.
One of the many lessons that one learns in prison is, that things are what they are and will be what they will be. -Oscar Wilde My friend and colleague, Emory Baldwin AIA, sent this thought-provoking piece his father shared with him; after contemplating the merits of institutional living. This will get you thinking about how society treats its “interned.” Subject: Jail vs. Nursing Home Food for thought: Let's put the seniors in jail, and the criminals in a nursing home. This way the seniors would have access to showers, hobbies, and
Aging in Place: I Will Go
(Photo ehow.com) Life’s most rewarding challenge lies in defeating the temptation to merely exist. - Laurie Harper, A Taste for Life (1983) I called my friend Frances the other day; she’s in her 90’s and residing in a traditional nursing home. Our conversation always gets around to her anguish over being “stuck in this “godforsaken place.” Her home defined her in a very real sense; it was her life’s purpose. She now depends on a wheelchair for mobility and her mind has atrophied from the lack of stimulation. I miss our challenging
"Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home." - Phyllis Diller Often parents don’t want to "burden" adult children; and those same adult children are caught between trying to help, yet not insult parents by asking questions about how they are getting along day-to-day; it can be a touchy situation. The "Aging in Place in America" study commissioned by Clarity® and The EAR Foundation, examined seniors' and