- Sep 3, 2005
- 4,070
- 300
- Faith
- Non-Denom
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- CA-Greens
I work in a facility which is both nursing home & retirment community. The home I work in, is absolutely beautiful. They have wonderful amenities (pools, horticultural rooms, wood working, arts and crafts, music lounges, great food, in house theatre and entertainment, a gorgeous atrium with exotic birds and fish etc... and I'm saying all of that so that no one is under the illusion that the place is a hole.
I love what I do, because I really enjoy elderly people. I spend a lot of time talking to them and visiting and what I've come to realize is that not one of them is happy living here. They are all miserable and hate it because no matter how beautiful it is- it's just not home. For those who are married- who both live here it's a bittersweet situation. On the one hand, they get to see their spouse daily - but on the other hand 99% of the time they do NOT get to share a room with their spouse or sleep with them at night. Sometimes due to their cognitive awareness and needs, they are not even on the same floor or in the same wing. Then there are others whose spouses don't live here. It's hard in different ways on each of them. The commom theme is that none of them ever thought they'd end up where they are and it got me thinking of me and hubby's retirement when we've gotten so old.
Have you guys ever thought this far ahead? Have you built it into your retirement savings plan (ie: home based care instead of institutionalized care?)
I love what I do, because I really enjoy elderly people. I spend a lot of time talking to them and visiting and what I've come to realize is that not one of them is happy living here. They are all miserable and hate it because no matter how beautiful it is- it's just not home. For those who are married- who both live here it's a bittersweet situation. On the one hand, they get to see their spouse daily - but on the other hand 99% of the time they do NOT get to share a room with their spouse or sleep with them at night. Sometimes due to their cognitive awareness and needs, they are not even on the same floor or in the same wing. Then there are others whose spouses don't live here. It's hard in different ways on each of them. The commom theme is that none of them ever thought they'd end up where they are and it got me thinking of me and hubby's retirement when we've gotten so old.
Have you guys ever thought this far ahead? Have you built it into your retirement savings plan (ie: home based care instead of institutionalized care?)