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Originally Posted by senior citizen
"Unforseen" is always possible.......and does occur.....sorry for your loss.
Losing one's mom is very difficult, to say the least.
Aging is a fact of life. Visit a skilled nursing facility as we did every day for 18 months at the end of my own 91 year old mom's long journey with Alzheimers. Like your mom, she was also super active; in great shape as told to me by our neighbor, friend and her internist.......that she had the heart, lungs, bones, etc., etc. of a much younger person........illness free except for the "brain"........at the end. I still remember when her doctor called me with that "news"; I recall exactly where I was sitting when the phone rang........she had been taken to the hospital when she became "dizzy" momentarily from the new drug Aricept that her other doctor, a gerontologist (?) had prescribed for her.....as a test.....so they did some brain scans, etc.etc., etc............the doc said that for her age, all of her organs, etc. were that of a much younger woman.
Alzheimers is for sure "The Long Goodbye". She lived with us for six years until I could not bathe her anymore............and if you want to see aging up close and personal, visit a nursing home. Not assisted living........but the Alzheimer's wing.
Many of our elderly friends and neighbors were all there at the same time as my mom.........many of my friend's parents as well.......the end of an era...........no, they didn't play tennis and golf, but they were active in their community and church, etc........and PHYSICALLY HEALTHY and very mobile until the dementia hit........so one really never knows, does one?
Everyone ages. We don't have our heads in the sand as we've seen it up close and personal............it kind of just sneaks up on one.
Some things that one never imagined would happen, do happen.
My mom was always "young at heart" as well as in great shape physically. Who would have figured she'd end up that way?
She had never had a single surgery in her 91 years, never broken a bone; had all her original "parts"..........and had never been on prescription meds until the Aricept, which didn't help at all......just made her light headed. He took her off of it. Dizziness can cause falls and broken bones.
Again, we saw all of our peers / friends / neighbors' parents take the same trip..........I "inherited" my mom when I was 49........she moved in with us for 6 years.....then assisted living for 2 years, followed by skilled nursing care facility for 18 months.........it truly is the "long goodbye".
My mom was one of the most positive thinking ladies I knew.
I'm sure she never thought she'd end up that way. It's very sad, to say the least.
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This is a terrific....if sobering....reminder that the continuum of life has an inevitable endpoint. It's said that a major differentiation of humans from other species is the ability to contemplate their own mortality; while we can never be absolutely sure that we're truly unique in this cerebral ability, it certainly is part of the human condition and becomes more meaningful as we age.
Coping with the loss of a loved one is very difficult, as can be the challenge of aging for the living. We often hear trite phrases such as "enjoy every minute" or "every day could be your last" or my personal favorite "don't sweat the small stuff...you're going to be dead a long time" but I've never figured out how to incorporate this in a realistic way into the real world of challenges, disappointments and conflicts. But I
have learned to look back on each day and be grateful for the "good stuff" and reflect on the lessons learned from the bad. Each day presents a new chance for fun, love, learning and joy.
Vic