Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis
Sally Senior is an 85-year-old widow in good health. She recently gave up her car. She lives in a mortgage-free three-bedroom home where she raised her family. Sally pays the property taxes, insurance, and escalating utilities. She is concerned about deferred maintenance, lawn service, and snow removal. Sally quit gardening because of arthritis. Her new neighbors are busy and gone all the time. Sally’s daily routine includes: coffee and toast for breakfast, reading the paper, waiting for the mail, organizing bills to be paid, and tossing the junk mail. She opens a can of soup for lunch, watches some TV and naps in the chair. She hopes the kids will call. Her son in California calls once a week for sure. She feels lonely but is looking forward to church on Sunday. Sally Senior pops in a frozen dinner for supper and watches the evening news. She calls her daughter, but no one answers. Sally dozes in her favorite chair and then decides to go to bed. She has trouble sleeping because of daytime napping but listens to late-night radio.
The second scenario goes like this. Sally moves out of her home to a senior living community. The move was a big job, but with the help of her family, it was completed. After a few days of settling in, Sally gets into a new routine. She loves her new apartment filled with her special treasures. She has only one bill to pay for her housing, with no insurance, maintenance, or taxes to pay. She gets to enjoy the beautifully manicured grounds. Her day starts with breakfast in the dining room with other residents. Morning exercise class has become a favorite activity, which is followed by a trip to the grocery store for favorite snacks. Meals are prepared as a part of her new community, and they are fresh and delicious. Afternoons are filled with card games, parties, movies, and visits with new friends. When Sally returns to her apartment, there is a message from her son. She’ll call him when she has time! Worth a consideration, right?
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