Elderly in America
After 26 years of living away from my hometown of Clinton, Illinois, I am finally moving back. As with most changes in my life, dreams of how my future may be in my new life path wake me from my slumber. This dream was about my life and retirement in Clinton. My Mom retired in Clinton and part of the reason for reflection is my part in her life. For reference purposes, my Mom adopted me when she had just turned 40. When she remarried in 1985, her new husband was 69 years old.
I am now 44 years old and I think this may be the last time I move...to a different town. I have lived in 10 states in my lifetime and about 25 locations in those states. In my life, Clinton has taken about 11 years of that. I can easily see myself retiring in Clinton. There are some motivation factors in the past that have prevented me from making the move to Clinton which include money, money, money...oh, and money. According to the Census bureau, Clinton's median income is roughly $40,000. Also, my particular job skills are not in demand in Clinton which is the other reason I have never made the move.
State Farm insurance is based in Bloomington and my only chance of finding a job to support me enough to move back to my hometown would have to be there...well, kinda. As technology and job requirements have changed, I also came to the conclusion that there are a lot of "work from home" scenarios for my career path as well...so I have a backup plan. After talking with a few people that already work at State Farm, I found out it is pretty much a work there until retirement place...not like the "only coal mine" in town, but like the "it is a good place to work" scenario.
So, back to my topic. I do not feel guilty about putting my Mom in a nursing home as much as I find it interesting that it is culturally "OK" to put family in a nursing home. I actually talked to my Mom about the options and her view on this is that she did not want to put any strain on her children for the breakdown of her body that would cause her to be in a nursing home. This is just one of the key differences in how the U.S. handles the elderly.
In many other culture including most Native American cultures, the elderly are revered and are consulted in tribal decision making. They are the people from which history and the lessons learned from history come from. All over the world, this belief system and adoption has benefited not only the younger generations, but the older generations. Families (including the Waltons, and $%*# my Dad Says) would take in their elderly and take care of them instead of tossing them into a room where "they can live with there own kind in a managed environment".
As the baby boomers come to the age of retirement, I have to wonder how America will handle the critical mass of parents moving into nursing homes. Economically, this is a huge burden on the health care system that is less than able to handle the health care of the existing elderly. Many of these leftover hippies that rejected the teaching of elders for their own alternative did not plan out their retirement and expect the government to provide a social security check and Medicare and Medicaid.
From a humanity perpective though, which is better? Is it better to place your elderly on a long boat and send them out to sea to their die with their deity? Or is it better to bring in the elderly and cause a financial and emotional strain on the family unit to gain knowledge and insight into life, history, and humanity? These are the decisions that Americans face and often...they will choose the easy way out. I admit that I did. Instead of forcing my Mom to come with us to Virginia, I let her live...and die in the nursing home. Just before her death I had applied and had taken a job in Chicago to be closer, but it was too little too late.
Is the mindset just different in America? How is it that immigrants can come from other countries, become American and within a generation have the same belief that the elderly should be stored in longhouses? Is it due to the parent? My Mom told me she didn't want to be a burden, but I always felt she was the exception and not the rule. I intuitively felt that what she said and what she really wanted were two completely different things.
This brings me to my point (as I almost always have one). Make your intentions clear. To my children...Place me in a nursing home. I like playing card games...and by then, they will have computers in all of the rooms. Maybe I can program a little while I eat my jello.
I am now 44 years old and I think this may be the last time I move...to a different town. I have lived in 10 states in my lifetime and about 25 locations in those states. In my life, Clinton has taken about 11 years of that. I can easily see myself retiring in Clinton. There are some motivation factors in the past that have prevented me from making the move to Clinton which include money, money, money...oh, and money. According to the Census bureau, Clinton's median income is roughly $40,000. Also, my particular job skills are not in demand in Clinton which is the other reason I have never made the move.
State Farm insurance is based in Bloomington and my only chance of finding a job to support me enough to move back to my hometown would have to be there...well, kinda. As technology and job requirements have changed, I also came to the conclusion that there are a lot of "work from home" scenarios for my career path as well...so I have a backup plan. After talking with a few people that already work at State Farm, I found out it is pretty much a work there until retirement place...not like the "only coal mine" in town, but like the "it is a good place to work" scenario.
So, back to my topic. I do not feel guilty about putting my Mom in a nursing home as much as I find it interesting that it is culturally "OK" to put family in a nursing home. I actually talked to my Mom about the options and her view on this is that she did not want to put any strain on her children for the breakdown of her body that would cause her to be in a nursing home. This is just one of the key differences in how the U.S. handles the elderly.
In many other culture including most Native American cultures, the elderly are revered and are consulted in tribal decision making. They are the people from which history and the lessons learned from history come from. All over the world, this belief system and adoption has benefited not only the younger generations, but the older generations. Families (including the Waltons, and $%*# my Dad Says) would take in their elderly and take care of them instead of tossing them into a room where "they can live with there own kind in a managed environment".
As the baby boomers come to the age of retirement, I have to wonder how America will handle the critical mass of parents moving into nursing homes. Economically, this is a huge burden on the health care system that is less than able to handle the health care of the existing elderly. Many of these leftover hippies that rejected the teaching of elders for their own alternative did not plan out their retirement and expect the government to provide a social security check and Medicare and Medicaid.
From a humanity perpective though, which is better? Is it better to place your elderly on a long boat and send them out to sea to their die with their deity? Or is it better to bring in the elderly and cause a financial and emotional strain on the family unit to gain knowledge and insight into life, history, and humanity? These are the decisions that Americans face and often...they will choose the easy way out. I admit that I did. Instead of forcing my Mom to come with us to Virginia, I let her live...and die in the nursing home. Just before her death I had applied and had taken a job in Chicago to be closer, but it was too little too late.
Is the mindset just different in America? How is it that immigrants can come from other countries, become American and within a generation have the same belief that the elderly should be stored in longhouses? Is it due to the parent? My Mom told me she didn't want to be a burden, but I always felt she was the exception and not the rule. I intuitively felt that what she said and what she really wanted were two completely different things.
This brings me to my point (as I almost always have one). Make your intentions clear. To my children...Place me in a nursing home. I like playing card games...and by then, they will have computers in all of the rooms. Maybe I can program a little while I eat my jello.
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