“You took care of me and now I will take care of you,” was one of the last things that I have told my Grandmother. The idea being that now, with her having Alzheimer’s, it was one of the last things she would comprehend.
The idea of a nursing home did cross through the mind of my family. But it just wasn’t right. How could I put someone so close to my heart in a place where other people would take her. I just don’t think it would be right. My personal belief is that you should always take care of your family and never let them go. I believe its what we are supposed to do. We are supposed to take care of our family through the good and bad and not just give them up because it’s too hard on ourselves. They should be with us through their entire life.
Never would I have imagined, being in seventh grade, that I would have to take care of my grandmother. Now, as a senior, it has become part of my daily life. It hasn’t been a chore or a hardship for me. It has just been a job that I have been doing that I know my grandmother would have wanted. Well, its not just on me though, my mother watches her during the day, and I take over after school. It’s a job that I believe should be done by every family. Everyone should savor the moments they have with their loved ones when they can.
I have seen nursing homes. My mother was a caretaker for two patients at two different ones, and her friend lived in another. I have no problems with them. I think they are great for people that need a certain level of medical care that cannot be provided at home. They are great for the others that have no family to watch over them. But when you do see the people inside, at times, it can be sad. To me, it just seems like they are being left there, alone, with nobody around. This goes mainly for the type of “lock-down” units in nursing homes, not the assisted living type.
Personally, I just don’t feel it is right to have people that are immobile to just sit in their chair, eat three meals, and then sleep. On occasions they would see a family member, but mostly not. I’m not saying this happens everywhere, but it happens more that you think. It’s happening too often and I just cannot imagine what is going through the minds in the family members. I just don’t understand how someone can leave a loved one and have other people take care of that person. That’s just my opinion.
The idea on a belief is a hard thing to do. The one thing that I truly believe in and that I am faced with throughout my day is this one. It’s a belief that I will strongly support. Everyone should always savor their moments with their family as long as they can. They should be with us throughout our entire life.