I am used to talking to family members seeking placement for a loved one who they had promised never to "put" in a nursing home.
I have heard Medicare officials say nursing home owners were encouraging the unnecessary insertion of artificial feeding tubes to qualify people for Medicare payment.
I am less likely to defend the nursing home as a provider because, as an aging Baby Boomer, I will soon be a consumer.
I will be a geezer from hell (as elder activists were called, for those too young to remember).
Let's create the places we want to call home while we feel young and strong, even if we are middle aged.
5 comments:
It's easy to accept infirmity as part of aging. Perhaps we should be looking to avoid a nursing home. My reading has convinced me that the lifestyle we choose has more to do with what befalls us than our genetic heritage. The book I'm reading now: "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell.PhD
I believe we will see more communal living situations amongst friends and families. Perhaps even at younger ages and not just "elderly". This seems to make sense to me. Economic times and good old fashioned common sense may bring this back. People are often strapped financially to have their own piece of paradise and others can not take care of what they have. Maybe I'm a socialist?
Yes John, It is easy to accept infirmity. But even fighting against it the worst can happen and you can have an accident, or your genes can get the better of you. I am reminded of the Walter Willett Book Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating [Paperback]
M.D. Walter C. Willett (Author), P.J. Skerrett (Contributor) a good source for wise nutrition and lifestyle info.
Carrie,
There is a co-housing movement of young and old starting to set up communities sharing what they have to offer for services check out this link http://www.culturechangenow.com/stories/cohousing.html
The latest studies seem to show that your genes play a much less significant role in your health than once thought. "The China Study" presents results of many studies, of the author and others, including the massive study of rural Chinese. The problem according to these studies is animal protein and fat. Recommends a whole food vegetarian diet and convincing reasons for doing so. Also interesting is information on how the food,agricultural, and medical establishments confuse the issues and why we have so much conflicting information about nutrition.
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