Future Requirements

I had lunch with a fellow RN girlfriend this past week. We talked specifically of what kind of services are needed in the coming future regarding health care. Elder care, or a lack there of, is the major concern we both agreed existed. We, as a nation, are so utterly unprepared for the onslaught of our aging Baby Boomers and the needs this population will require. Really, think about this, people usually DIED before the mind completely left the building. Modern medicine can intervene in such incredible ways, we now have a healthier population who will reach a much older age...but have no idea of the accomplishment they achieve. I am well aware of what I speak of as when pressed for a cardiology appointment for my own demented mother, I refused. As a nurse, I knew her "it gets dark," statements were most likely syncope - fainting spells - most likely triggered by an irregular heart beat. The fix for this? Pacemaker. I talked it over with my siblings, and we all agreed, prolonging her torture of feeling abandoned, alone, unloved - regardless of the fact that one of us was there almost daily- we agreed prolonging such desolation was wrong. No pacemaker. She became unresponsive about 20 days later and died peacefully, as we kids agreed, was best. Just because we can, does not mean we should. There are fates worse than death. I can think of nothing worse than thinking one's self alone, unloved, confused and not understanding anything about one's surroundings.