I’ve spent lots of time over the past three years on I-95 between my home and my mother’s home. My mother has lived alone since my dad died about 3 years ago.
My mother lives in the same town where she was born and lives in the same house for at least the past 40 years. She still has dinner with her friends from high school about once a month, attends church where she knows not only most of the members, but their parents and assorted relatives. She knows stories about all the major events that have happened in this town over the past 70+ years. Recently, though, her world has started to change in ways she hasn’t liked.
Over the past year, my mother has fallen on ice (and thankfully didn’t break anything), spent time in rehab, has had to face diminishing vision and the likely loss of her driver’s license. Many of her friends are facing similar or worse health issues. Though she still counts on them to help her when she needs it, they cannot offer her all the help she needs at this stage of her life.
Without more help, she has to ask the big question — when do I move? When do I leave all I have known and face a new world?
For my mother, that answer is now. And, happily, she has chosen to face her new world much closer to me. We found a great place for her to live, one with a very pro-health attitude and facilities. She can still have her own place with her own furniture and memories, new friends her own age and never a worry about transportation or meals. It was scary for her at first, the thought of leaving behind all she’s ever known, but she’s starting to get excited about life again. I will keep you posted as we make the final move in early October. We still have many challenges ahead, but with the right attitude, this will be an exciting adventure.
