"But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and
especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse
than an unbeliever."1
Timothy 5:8
WELCOME! I am not a
senior citizen, nor a specialist in elder care, but just a concerned person, a
son, an educated person, & with a little personal experience caring for an
elderly man with alzheimers disease many years ago. During college I took a part-time job working as a home
healthcare aide for an alzheimers patient whom I will call "Mr. E".
He was a retired boat propeller manufacturer who had done very well,
financially, in life, and was able to afford to hire
full-time home health care for both himself & his wife (who was mentally
lucid, but had broken her hip recently in a fall). Mr. E could NOT remember
things he had done ten minutes ago. Probably the best
example was his habit of asking for a cookie. Every day he would have his
breakfast, and a few minutes after he finished he would ask for a cookie. We were instructed to
give him one cookie, but no more. HOwever, almost always, as soon as he
finished the cookie he would say, "Can I have a cookie?" And he would
literally forget that he had just eaten one. It was not an act. And
this would go on for the next hour or two, every five or ten minutes he would
ask for a cookie. We would say, "You just had one." And he would say,
"I did? I forgot...I'm just an old fart..." He
was self-depregating. Sometimes he would have moments of lucidity. He would
know who he was, where he was, etc. Other times he was completely unaware.
Sometimes his wife would snap at him and tell him to "shut up." It
was funny but also sad. I imagine it was difficult for the family. Albeit
because of his wealth it seemed nice. He lived on a country club, and we would drive him
to various clubs for lunch & dinner every day. As aides, we had nice jobs,
always having a great meal or two every day that cost about $30 per plate or
so. But we also had to help him sometimes at night while sleeping. He
couldn't go to the restroom alone. He needed help in the shower. So we always
had be to alert. Anyways, we have an increasingly aging society where more and
more elders will need to be placed in "assisted living" or have home
healthcare to survive.
I will be posting a little information, links, articles, & educational pieces about the topic of elder care. I do NOT believe in "euthanasia" . I am highly concerned that so-called "mercy killing" is a cop-out. And now there are those talking about "stealth euthanasia." We must show care for our elders, our aging parents & grandparents. They have worked all their lives with the expectation of enjoying their retirement, not being "put out to pasture." Let us show love, care, & patience .
"Rebuke
not an elder, but intreat [him] as a father; [and] the younger men as
brethren;..."
'You shall rise up before the grayheaded
and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD."
Leviticus 19:32
