Look into the tarot cards by Andrea Campbell
I know none of us like to picture growing older ... but think on this: My mother lived to 101—and of course she outlived her assets. I took care of her for thirteen years, but eventually I had to move her into assisted living because I was working full-time. In other words, all her years of care gave me a lot of time to observe her in assisted living at Garrett Manor, and still many more years in the nursing home, Village Springs. Luckily, both places were very clean, and the menu was not disgusting.
One good thing, there were typically two attendants always within earshot of my mother, Anna, and they loved her. Why? She was a hoot! You know those cones that are put up when a floor is newly mopped and still wet? Well, my mom had her own brand of wheelchair hockey and would kick them into other people’s rooms!
I always brought the attendants dozens of magazines and was a frequent visitor—besides, they all knew me from the casino I work at. In this care facility, I observed them braiding her hair, painting her nails, and, more importantly, giving her hugs. Nice picture.
The whole picture
But if you spend a whole day in a nursing home you will be eager to get out.
You will see them:
· feeding people who can’t chew—like a baby;
· bathing them with a sponge, changing their diapers, and wiping their bum.
You will see:
· people with disorders that make them talk aloud to themselves;
· others who are rocking incoherently and many twitching their limbs—
Or, with some closer watching:
· there are those shut-ins that can’t remember where they are, or even who they are, from the brain fog that is their daily misgiving
· And we are not even talking about the thousands of dollars spent for this privilege.
(p.s.: and the doors are code-locked like a jail.)
Is that your future?
Or will you really do what you can to combat your own age-related deterioration? Can you age like you look right now into your eighties, nineties and beyond ? Will you be able to stay in your own home? Will your children let you?
Prolonged health spans are in the future, no, they are inevitable! I can show you what I’ve learned so take a chance. Knowing what to expect is your life-line. Take some action. You must treat it like a part-time job. You must care enough to take up your own reins and travel your own path.
Now, will you take your imminent future into your own hands?
Will you really buckle down and do what you need to do to avoid this indignity that is the nursing home of today and tomorrow?