Yesterday my wife and I received the distressing news that an elderly friend of our had entered what is likely to be a final decline. One of the many aspects of old age I don’t think people appreciate sufficiently is that however independent you’ve been throughout life inevitably there comes a point at which you will lose that independence and others will start making decisions for you.
That was true of my mother, one of the most staunchly independent individuals let alone women I have ever known. After having lived nearly a half century following my dad’s death as sole guide of her own life and fate at the end my siblings and I were making decisions for her. For some, like my mom, those making the decisions are spouses or children and these individuals may have different levels of ability, inclination, or even good will. For others it is strangers.
I won’t burden you wish the details of our friend’s situation. Suffice it to say it’s not a good one and there’s nothing any of us can do about it.
As Bette Davis put it, old age is no place for sissies.
