Preparing for Aunt Mary

Posted by TeamCharlie on August 12, 2008 under Wags for Hope | Read the First Comment

It’s getting close to the time when we go back to Norristown, PA to visit my 98-year-old Aunt Mary in the Regina Nursing Center.  The whole family (including Charlie) will make the three hour trek again.  Normally this sort of thing would be considered a chore to some, but I am really looking forward to it.  Having visited hundreds of people in nursing homes I do not hold it against them if they are bitter about the experience – I constantly wonder what my disposition would be given the same set of circumstances.  And to be honest, the ones that complain are not the most fun to be around.  But Aunt Mary is different.  You can sense that she’d be happier at home, but never complains about the situation.  In fact, she is a joy to be around (and always was).

After seeing digital picture frames in some of the rooms that I normally visit, I thought this was a wonderful idea for a gift for Aunt Mary.  We went to Costco and got one – then the chore became filling it with pictures.  I solicited pics from the family and added many of our own.  My sister Maureen had several pictures of Aunt Mary and her husband George, and kindly sent them for me to scan.  Looking at them made me think about my own mortality, and reminded me again how special the elderly are.  Here is a picture of Mary and George from somewhere around 1940 (my best guess), followed by a picture we took on our last visit:

I hope this new found respect for the elderly that I have gained is a result of visiting Aunt Mary and others at nursing homes, and not just because I am finding myself to be close to the “on deck circle”.