The past few days I have been trying to find help for a friends mother. She is receiving hospice care, which is extremely minimal care, just a nurse to come a couple of days a week and an aid for a couple of hours. The family is trying to keep their mother in her home, and unfortunately that is so expensive, financially and emotionally.
Talked with numerous agencies, all of which either had no funding or waiting lists of 3 to 6 months long. Medicaid waivers are almost nonexistent and Medicare only pays for limited services.
Getting old, and especially when one is at the end of their life is an exhausting process, that takes such a toll on everyone involved.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The 60's
Well the last two weeks have been fraught with concern for some old friends. One went into the hospital and ended up have his kidney and some other things get removed, he had cancer. Phil has been a friend from 40 years and is only 62, he is also my birthday brother and I love him a lot and was so sad to hear of his health crises.
Then the same day my friend Bill called from the hospital, he had fallen and looked kind of messed up. It was decided he was going to need a heart procedure done and the following week it was done, so far so good, he is also 62.
Then two days later my friend Corey had a "small heart attack" and she spent a couple of days in the hospital, she is 60.
The 60's suck..........that is the conclusion that I am coming up with. Because most of my friends are that age it is really become prevalent that 60 sucks and God forbid you make it to 70.
My generation is not nearly as tough as my parent's generation was, and the generation under us is even less tough. The scientific studies are showing for the first time in history that the younger generations are dying sooner than the older ones. A lot is contributed to diet, but also the lack of physical activity, which I see all the time with the kids and grandkids. Is there a way to reverse this trend? I don't know. After going through 4 days without power, I found even I was suffering without my favorite TV show or the internet. So how does one withdraw from this addiction also?
It appears to me that country is full of addicts...food, sex, drugs,internet, tv and any new trend. I wonder if it is because this country was founded by those who had the adventure gene, those who had the wanderlust, those who were ADHD.....could it be that we are all genetically addictive and that something triggers it? I know my generation got hooked on the drugs,sex, fast food and pop.....it didn't take much in the 60's....Oh my, back to that number 60....
Then the same day my friend Bill called from the hospital, he had fallen and looked kind of messed up. It was decided he was going to need a heart procedure done and the following week it was done, so far so good, he is also 62.
Then two days later my friend Corey had a "small heart attack" and she spent a couple of days in the hospital, she is 60.
The 60's suck..........that is the conclusion that I am coming up with. Because most of my friends are that age it is really become prevalent that 60 sucks and God forbid you make it to 70.
My generation is not nearly as tough as my parent's generation was, and the generation under us is even less tough. The scientific studies are showing for the first time in history that the younger generations are dying sooner than the older ones. A lot is contributed to diet, but also the lack of physical activity, which I see all the time with the kids and grandkids. Is there a way to reverse this trend? I don't know. After going through 4 days without power, I found even I was suffering without my favorite TV show or the internet. So how does one withdraw from this addiction also?
It appears to me that country is full of addicts...food, sex, drugs,internet, tv and any new trend. I wonder if it is because this country was founded by those who had the adventure gene, those who had the wanderlust, those who were ADHD.....could it be that we are all genetically addictive and that something triggers it? I know my generation got hooked on the drugs,sex, fast food and pop.....it didn't take much in the 60's....Oh my, back to that number 60....
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Seniors and Hospitals
My friend Sue's mother, who is 86 years old finally got released from the hospital. She went in because the doctor thought it was her heart. It turned out after putting her through another cath, her heart was find but she had an infection. She had to go off her blood thinner to have the cath and they gave her antibiotics to fix the infection, but that screwed up her blood sugar. So even though her doctor said not to give her insulin, the hospital did so her blood sugar dropped to dangerous levels, so she could not be released. The longer someone stays in the hospital the more risk they are at having infections and getting weaker. She is finally home, but weak and worn out.
this is one of the common problems with hospital stays, the hospital does not listen to the attending doctor, someone always trys to re-invent the wheel. Unfortunately, that tactic kills more people then anyone wants to admit to.
this is one of the common problems with hospital stays, the hospital does not listen to the attending doctor, someone always trys to re-invent the wheel. Unfortunately, that tactic kills more people then anyone wants to admit to.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
More Social Unsecurity
http://news.yahoo.com/social-security-disability-verge-insolvency-090119318.html
More issues to frighten people
More issues to frighten people
Friday, August 19, 2011
A Concept
A friend forward these thoughts to me.....interesting concept
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO
SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's
And 70's!
First, we survived being born to mothers
Who smoked and/or drank while they were
Pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in
Baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode
Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children,
We would ride in cars with no car seats,
No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and
Sometimes no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day
Was always a special treat.
We drank water
From the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends,
From one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And, we weren't overweight.
WHY?
Because we were
Always outside playing...that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day,
As long as we were back when the
Streetlights came on.
No one was able
To reach us all day. And, we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
And then ride them down the hill, only to find out
We forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes
A few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes.
There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable,
No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
No cell phones,
No personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.
WE HAD FRIENDS
And we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth
And there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
And the worms did not live in us
Forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
Although we were told it would happen,
We did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
Knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
Walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal
With disappointment.
Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
Was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best
Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years
Have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility,
And we learned how to deal with it all.
If YOU are one of them?
CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others
Who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the
Lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives For our own good.
While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know
How brave and lucky their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run
Through the house
With scissors, doesn't it ?
Those Born 1930 - 1979:
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO
SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's
And 70's!
First, we survived being born to mothers
Who smoked and/or drank while they were
Pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in
Baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode
Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children,
We would ride in cars with no car seats,
No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and
Sometimes no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day
Was always a special treat.
We drank water
From the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends,
From one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And, we weren't overweight.
WHY?
Because we were
Always outside playing...that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day,
As long as we were back when the
Streetlights came on.
No one was able
To reach us all day. And, we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
And then ride them down the hill, only to find out
We forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes
A few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes.
There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable,
No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
No cell phones,
No personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.
WE HAD FRIENDS
And we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth
And there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
And the worms did not live in us
Forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
Although we were told it would happen,
We did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
Knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
Walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal
With disappointment.
Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
Was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best
Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years
Have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility,
And we learned how to deal with it all.
If YOU are one of them?
CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others
Who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the
Lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives For our own good.
While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know
How brave and lucky their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run
Through the house
With scissors, doesn't it ?
What Golden Years?
As one of the millions of baby boomers out there I have seen the impact of the global economy nightmares and wonder, will there be golden years for any of us.
My mother, who died last July, said she was the lucky one. Her generation was able to benefit from the hard work, good investments and higher interest rates. She said that "plastic or credit" was the downfall of the future, because no one seemed to think forward anymore. Remember the story of the grasshopper and the ant? The financial crash impacted her income, but not as bad as those who were due to retire in the next few years.
Mom always said "getting old is not for wimps". No truer words were ever said.
So many of my peers have lost their retirements, health benefits and jobs, that the future does not look golden, or even rosy. Any idea of where this country is heading?
More to say later.
My mother, who died last July, said she was the lucky one. Her generation was able to benefit from the hard work, good investments and higher interest rates. She said that "plastic or credit" was the downfall of the future, because no one seemed to think forward anymore. Remember the story of the grasshopper and the ant? The financial crash impacted her income, but not as bad as those who were due to retire in the next few years.
Mom always said "getting old is not for wimps". No truer words were ever said.
So many of my peers have lost their retirements, health benefits and jobs, that the future does not look golden, or even rosy. Any idea of where this country is heading?
More to say later.
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