Page 60 - Harnett Life Summer 2018

Living in

Assisted

Living

By Imogene Holmes and
Sheila R. Stamey

in my right mind although there are good days
and bad days. These are the things I need you
to understand about me as a person so that you
may understand the rest of this true story. I am
very thankful for the blessings God has seen fit
to give me.

The general public perceives the life of a nurs-
ing home resident as an entirely negative prop-
osition. That Assisted Living facilities are a
dumping ground for the elderly and disabled
where only the uncaring or extremely hard
hearted person would exile a family member.
There are feelings of extreme guilt and anxiety
I am 91 years old. I was born in 1926. The world that I was from loving people who find themselves at a
born into has moved on. I am a devout Christian. I have loss as to how to care for mom or dad. When it becomes
made a practice in my life of being gracious, well mannered, painfully obvious that a parent or other family member
and being a positive person in general. I have been bless- cannot live alone, or that care in the home of a family
ed in my health and in my standard of living. I came from member is no longer feasible or safe.The certainty that a
a highly educated family, and I married a gentleman, who nursing or care facility is just a substandard place to wait
loved me dearly and kept our children and myself comfort- to die. Elderly parents have often begged their children
able and we lived well. My life has been a very good one, not to ever place them in a “home”. This is definitely how
I have been very blessed. My four children have been the I perceived it when my children placed me here a number
delight of my life. The loss of my adult son and his wife of years ago.
a few years ago was the most devastating thing that ever
happened to me. My life has been a good one, and there My children made the decision to place me in the facility
are few things I regret. I try to lead my life in a manner where I currently reside, after it became painfully obvi-
that when I face my Heavenly Father, I hope there won’t ous that living alone was no longer a healthy or workable
be many things I have to be ashamed of, although I am sure option. I had started falling a bit, and one day I had an
there will be some. I believe in loving my neighbors and do- incident where I could not get up by myself. I, of course,
ing what I can to leave the world better than I found it. I am felt that they had no idea what they were doing. I did ev-

Page 60 Harnett Life ~ Summer 2018