Living, and caring, longer
April 22nd 2009 08:05
The New York Times web site has a section about issues relating to the aged and aging. They call the section The New Old Age (which they clearly borrowed from the name of this blog and I expect royalty cheques to start arriving any day).
An introductory blurb to the section says that, thanks to modern medicine, the over-80s is the fastest-growing segment of the population. This is positive in many ways, but requires adjustments from their children who are finding themselves involved in caring for aged parents for longer.
My father, who died a few years ago, needed a lot of care, of the hard, grinding, invasive, truly dedicated kind, in the final period of his life. I lived on another continent and the job was done, magnificently, by my stepmother.
My mother, who is close to 80, lives alone in a three-bedroom house with a large garden and works every day helping to run a national organisation. We think she might slow down when she hits 140, but it's no certainty.
The big issues of caring for a loved one with dementia or any other debilitating restriction have therefore so far passed me by. But they are a major consideration for the baby boomer generation — the generation which currently has the job of worrying about the frail aged.
A recent post on The New York Times site has some excellent advice, not to mention some great reading. It is here. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in the subject.
An introductory blurb to the section says that, thanks to modern medicine, the over-80s is the fastest-growing segment of the population. This is positive in many ways, but requires adjustments from their children who are finding themselves involved in caring for aged parents for longer.
My father, who died a few years ago, needed a lot of care, of the hard, grinding, invasive, truly dedicated kind, in the final period of his life. I lived on another continent and the job was done, magnificently, by my stepmother.
My mother, who is close to 80, lives alone in a three-bedroom house with a large garden and works every day helping to run a national organisation. We think she might slow down when she hits 140, but it's no certainty.
The big issues of caring for a loved one with dementia or any other debilitating restriction have therefore so far passed me by. But they are a major consideration for the baby boomer generation — the generation which currently has the job of worrying about the frail aged.
A recent post on The New York Times site has some excellent advice, not to mention some great reading. It is here. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in the subject.
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