The Nursing Home

Having looked into the various alternatives and talked at length with dad we decided that full time care would be the best solution and that was that. Fortunately the nursing home was close and I used to visit every day, not for long so as not to tire him out but long enough to tell him what was happening and reassure him that he wasn't being abandoned.  When I first went to visit him the staff told me that he'd been found wandering through the corridors at night babbling incoherently and that it was apparently alcohol withdrawal, their solution? - to prescribe a measure of whiskey each night - What's more it worked!  (and yes, rightly or wrongly I did used to take him a small bottle of whiskey every week) I'm of the opinion that when you get to a certain age, if you can't enjoy the odd small thing that may or may not be good for you then what's the point in going on!  And there he stayed until passing away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 73.

Looking back, I know that I could never have coped without the nursing home, it was a very difficult time but I like to think I did what was best for both my mother and my father.  I suppose that the one thing that should have been done long before was to get some sort of insurance in the event of needing care but of course you always think it 'won't happen to you' and then suddenly it is happening and it's too late.  I'm not going to sob into my coffee but with hindsight there are quite a few things that can be done to help ease the financial situation. 

So how did I manage? Well I had to sell what was left in the shop,which was unfortunately only rented with the flat above, leaving just about enough in the bank to pay for the funeral and leave the place that I'd grown up in all my life. A pretty poor end for the wonderful, rich life that my parents had lived. 

And the reason I'm telling you my story?  Simply this; don't put off getting insurance or any other form of financial help before it's too late and don't be frightened of nursing homes, hospices, assisted living and the like. Investigate your options thoroughly and make the right choice for all concerned.

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