Grandpa and Nina at Easter in Cincy last month
We got a call last Friday that Grandpa was in the hospital. A massive stroke, the poor guy was taking his trash out that Wednesday night and by Thursday night the neighbor thought it was a bit weird that his garage door was still open and called 911. They found him lying in the garage - had been there 24 hours. It didn't sound like he was doing very well so I headed down to Cincinnati that morning where I spent the next six days helping my mom get his affairs in order and dealing with other crazy family members. I am taking over as Power of Attorney and, let me tell you, that is a very overwhelming job.
More stressful, I believe, is that Keith handled the kids all by himself for six days straight. Trying to manage soccer games, practice, swim lessons, school and working a full time job somewhere in between.
To say the least, we are a bit spent.
But Grandpa is doing better. He is still paralyzed on his left side and, according to doctors, will need 24/7 care from here on out. A far cry from his highly independent 83 year old lifestyle. So now we start to look down that road of nursing homes and other options that I hoped we would never have to reach.
One thing I have learned from this experience:
Getting old sucks.
11 comments:
What a great picture of Grandpa and Nina! We are so glad you got to have a nice visit with him at Easter. Our love and prayers are with you and Grandpa as you work out the details of his care. Karri, you are tops in the granddaughter department and Keith is as helpful and supportive as they come. We love you and hope you can get some relax time :)
Getting old can't suck so much when you have a great family to watch grow and caring people to take care of you! Hang in there!
Jemel
I'm so sorry to hear about that. But he's got lots of love behind him now and he's a very lucky man to have you and such good people taking care of him. Best of luck!
I am so glad that someone finally found him. So scary that we all eventually get old. However he is very lucky to have such a good family behind or beside him.
Thanks all - he is coming along well. Thanks for keeping him in your prayers :)
Karri
I experienced a similar thing in January with my grampa and can relate. Having a support network is crucial. Good luck to you and let me know if you need any of the numbers in Cincinnati that are advocates or resources for the elderly. We've worked with most now and the council on aging is really good at identifying needs and providing help.
Katrina
We were so sorry to hear about your Grandpa. We're thinking of you all.
I'm so sorry to hear about his stroke, but glad he's doing better. I'll keep him, you and your family in my prayers. Kudos to Keith for handling everything while you were gone. You both are amazing, caring people.
I am sorry that your grandpa is in this position. If there is anything I could do you let me know.
POA is a very important job, and I am sure you will do a great job making decisions for him. It can be a very overwhelming job making life decisions for him. Again, we are sorry for his deterioration.
Carrie we are so happy for you two,having had three wonderful babies we know that the "surprise" is a wonderful way to round out the group. I am really writing to respond to your blog ending with Getting Old Sucks. I just had this conversation with my 86 year old Mom, and my 30 something daughter so here is my take on the subject.
THe art of getting old is one that we have , especially in this country , viewed as a curse, all the negative that seems to accompany the ageing process is what is used to define getting old. My deep belief is that if we teach our children that the "getting old is a wonderful natural process that comes as a reward for staying healthy and invested in life, they will in turn when it is time, value themselves as "old people". Being old is not the same thing as being sick. The messages that we send our selves about life starting at a very young age are what helps to form our own reality. ( Am I sounding very "Deepak?") As I get older I try to seek out older people that are still fully invested in life,just to try to overcome the life time of bad messages that I have collected. Turning around the perception on ageing will not happen in one generation I'm sure, but how you think about ageing at thirty will be your reality at 80. Getting old does not suck, being sick sucks.
Being old is being able to enjoy a lifetime of experiences and insights. It is being able to have an opinion based on "having been there, or done that or having seen someone else do it! And the best part, being old allows you to spout off and go back to drinking your morning coffee. Love to you and Keith and your beautiful little growing family.
You are so right Donna - I should revise that a bit.
Aging does not scare me - it's that last stage of life that I've witnessed all of my Grandparents go through that I cant' stand. In their cases, the last stage was stripped of freedom, dignity, sound mind, and will. I had to endure some images of my Grandmother that were totally unlike her and she would have been horrified had she known what she was doing. But those images stick with me no matter how hard I try and erase them - for it wasn't her.
So that is the part of life I am talking about - and I know it doesn't end that way for everyone. Just everyone in my family so far. But I definitely enjoy myself the older I get and I wouldn't go back for the world.
Love to you guys!
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