- Richard Chandler
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Commentary on Low-Tech Fixes for High-Tech Problems
I was inspired by reading Low-Tech Fixes for High-Tech Problems . When money is a little tighter for most all of us, and a lot tighter for a good many, it makes sense to have some fun with finding a better or lower cost way to get something done. Bonnett and I take delight in getting good deals on what we buy and sometimes being fortunate enough to find new less expensive ways to obtain what we need for our home or business. And in addition to your immediate savings, you get an added benefit... a good story to tell your children and grandchildren about 'the good old days' of 2009, when you discovered a novel way to keep things going, despite having less money to work with.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Aging Parents - Navigating Very Difficult Decisions
Commentary based on this article link: What I Wish I’d Done Differently Please read the Jane Gross New York Times article here first, then afterward please read my commentary. What I Wish I’d Done Differently
Commentary
The article immediately below is ‘must reading’ for any of you that have a parent of retirement age or beyond. The writer, Jane Gross, lays out a summary of the progression of health decline of her own mother over a period of years, and what she would do differently with the wisdom of hindsight.
Ms Gross’s story reminds me of what my wife, Bonnett, and her family, have gone through as they increasingly had to manage the healthcare and the living situation of their parents, who are both now age 96. Thankfully, many of the decisions that Bonne and her brother Douglas made on behalf of their parents have proved to be very good ones.
The fact that her parents are still alive, and living a reasonably engaged and happy life together, is evidence of the wisdom of their decisions. This would not have been their fate had Douglas and Bonnett failed to be proactive in navigating through an often complex process without clear indicators of how to best proceed.
We are also thankful that the healthcare is very good in Minnesota. As you read this, I am happy to report that Bonne and Douglas’s parents are living together in a room in a first rate nursing home with an on-staff geriatric medical doctor. Prior to that, they were in a nursing home that was at a much different level of care than is the case in their present home, Country Manor in Sartell, Minnesota.
Before entering the nursing homes, Bonne and her brother moved them out of their apartment and into an assisted living facility, which had reasonably good resources. All of these moves were necessitated by a reduction in her parent’s capacity to keep living where they were. None of these moves were easy for her parents. But they were necessary. And Bonnett, her brother Douglas, his wife, his sons, their wives and children, (the parent’s great grand children) are all very engaged and visit Bonne’s parents frequently. I am very proud to be a part of this family.
Commentary
The article immediately below is ‘must reading’ for any of you that have a parent of retirement age or beyond. The writer, Jane Gross, lays out a summary of the progression of health decline of her own mother over a period of years, and what she would do differently with the wisdom of hindsight.
Ms Gross’s story reminds me of what my wife, Bonnett, and her family, have gone through as they increasingly had to manage the healthcare and the living situation of their parents, who are both now age 96. Thankfully, many of the decisions that Bonne and her brother Douglas made on behalf of their parents have proved to be very good ones.
The fact that her parents are still alive, and living a reasonably engaged and happy life together, is evidence of the wisdom of their decisions. This would not have been their fate had Douglas and Bonnett failed to be proactive in navigating through an often complex process without clear indicators of how to best proceed.
We are also thankful that the healthcare is very good in Minnesota. As you read this, I am happy to report that Bonne and Douglas’s parents are living together in a room in a first rate nursing home with an on-staff geriatric medical doctor. Prior to that, they were in a nursing home that was at a much different level of care than is the case in their present home, Country Manor in Sartell, Minnesota.
Before entering the nursing homes, Bonne and her brother moved them out of their apartment and into an assisted living facility, which had reasonably good resources. All of these moves were necessitated by a reduction in her parent’s capacity to keep living where they were. None of these moves were easy for her parents. But they were necessary. And Bonnett, her brother Douglas, his wife, his sons, their wives and children, (the parent’s great grand children) are all very engaged and visit Bonne’s parents frequently. I am very proud to be a part of this family.
- Richard Chandler
First Published on Famous Quotes Homepage
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