Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

Have your Parents/Grand Parents ended up in a Nursing home?

I am watching this movie and one scene brought back memories of my Grandmother.
My parents divorced when I was 7 and us children stayed with Dad.Mum got remarried immediately.
My Mother Mother came to raise us kids. For 20 years she done everything required to raise 5 rowdy children.
When all is said and done, 15 years of her last 20 years were virtually as a maid running a household.
There came a time when at 75 years of age? she was too much for my Father to look after and a danger to herself being often at home by herself. Her mind had started to "Wander"
The final event was when she attempted to throw some rubbish into the creek running past our place. In throwing the rubbish, she ended up in the creek and was unable to get herself out.
Apparently she was laying in the slow running creek for at least 5 hours before a passer by heard her plaintive cries for help.
Unscathed really, she spent a couple of nights in Hospital and was back home.
Dad in the mean time had rung his ex wife and told her what had happened and said to her.
"I can not look after her anymore and because she is your Mother I think she should go live with you."
Mum agreed and within 2 weeks my Grandmother had moved to Hobart, 260 km's away where she was almost immediately placed in a nursing home.
I went to visit several months later and my first view of her was my beautiful Grandmother tied to a chair.
I asked the staff why was that necessary? There response was, "She likes to wander"
The Nursing home was fully fenced with a locked gate and a beautiful Flower Garden.
My Grandmother loved gardening. So before they come up with the tie down regime, Nan would go out into the garden which the staff did not like residents to do.
My Grandmother died about 6 months after my visit.
So her last 20 years were not how she would have expected or wanted them to be .
So sad how many Western Families treat their elderly. Almost as if they are a burden, getting in the way.
This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
Picklebobble2 · 56-60, M
The western world has had the wrong ethic since the 80's in my view.
As @eqfish rightly points out, governments insist we think about work before anything else !

This to the exclusion of our parents and more importantly, our children !
The price for that one remains to be seen ! But you can bet it won't be good !