I’ve written a couple of lengthy similar articles recently about caregiving challenges facing the elderly (here’s one: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/december/aseniormoment.html.) As we live longer thanks to medicine and technology, that life isn’t necessarily filled with quality health wise. For every codger on the tennis courts, there are five more wheezing in a nursing home.
In fact, only 5 percent of Americans older than 85 are fully functional. I come from hearty stock. Uncle Ralph on my dad’s side is 92 and living alone, in full mental and physical control. Uncle Joe on my mom’s side is similarly fit at 87.
My own mom is nearing 94. Five years ago she was peppy, able to operate a computer and drive. Now she spends most days lying in bed, unable to read or concentrate fully. A broken hip started a gradual decline from walker to wheelchair. Still, she gets quality care in a nursing home, both from staff and hospice workers.
I have a little more sympathy for the elderly now that middle age is advancing and I see retirement a little more than a decade down the road. This past year has brought bouts of arthritis, tendonitis and bursitis, bringing my mortality into sharper focus.
That means it’s all the more essential to eat right and exercise while I’m still in relatively good health.
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