A FEW SHORT THOUGHTS
· I have looked at some other blogs on aging, and am intimidated by their thoroughness and professionalism (written by professional journalists). I am beginning to realize that to make this blog meaningful, much learning and research will be required.
It is also helpful to these blogs that they have a much broader base of readers (ex. The New York Times subscribers, for instance), and the feedback from the readers helps focus the discussion. They are a conversation, not a lecture.
· Some advice to those of you still having families: Have Daughters! They are the ones who seem to step up to care for elderly parents. Sons just don’t cut it. I believe there is something at the core of daughters – guilt, loyalty, nurturing instinct, something – that makes them unable to walk away from the needs of others. This must be the reason why most nurses seem to be women. If you only have a son now, trade him in.
· We plan to be cremated, and to have our ashes mingled and scattered. We have made this clear in our wills and with our estate executors. But our executors are of the same generation as us. So, what happens if our executors are no longer executive? If we are in the care of (somewhat) impersonal hirelings or agents, who don’t have an emotional connection to us, how do we ensure that we end up together in the ocean and not the landfill? Will we, at that point, even care?
· Perhaps this project is not just about aging without a support network, but also about keeping control of our lives. Of being self-reliant to the end.
Michael
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