Question

You are now 80 years old; you have lost your spouse, your children are grown and now live out of town. Your vision has failed so you no longer have the ability to drive. Osteoarthritis has made it difficult for you to walk and raise your arms above your head. This has forced you to use a walker. You no longer have the ability to prepare your own food or to bathe yourself. Your hearing has also failed you and so the television is no longer a form of entertainment. Your children have had to put you into an assisted living facility .You must live in a 8 x 24 square foot room. Because of the cost, you must have a roommate.

1. Describe three possessions you will keep to take with you to the facility. (No pets).

2. List 5 cherished freedoms you will miss the most.

3. In a paragraph describe how it makes you feel.

4. Write a second paragraph using the phrase "Growing old is not for the faint of heart."

Answer 1

1. hearing aid

magnification loop for reading

walker for walking

2. Abelity to enjoy evening walks

Reading newspaper

wathching Telivision and using computer

Preparing food of own wishes

Self driving a car

3.

I’ve had health issues in the past, so I know the importance of having someone there to support you — through doctor appointments, outpatient treatments, even drugstore visits. Growing old on my own didn’t sound great for a number of reasons, but who would take care of me In the two dark days of waiting, I wondered: Who will take care of me? Whose shoulder will I cry on? Who will drive me to the doctor? Who?

4.

The process of aging creeps up on you rather slowly and suddenly surprises you; you may still be working in your life career as you enter your sixties; you are coping well, you manage a full day without any problems; you admit you are needing a rest on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon; but by and large, you are enjoying your grandchildren, and you run around the lawn being chased by that little adorable of three years old on his bicycle, without a problem; you hide behind garden shrubs and play hide-and-seek to his, if not, your, heart’s content; or have that round of golf, play a few tennis matches, and hike in the hills with abandon like a thirty-something, or at least a forty-something. Deafness and the loss of sight cause much irritation as you age; a certain despondency settles into your consciousness, that you now rely on a hearing aid; that your sight is fading, and one day you may need a weighty magnifying glass to read the print; you take note of the existence of audio-books and large print books, and you rejoice that there are such inventions.