Imagine for a moment that your elderly mother slips and falls and breaks an arm and a leg. She is hospitalized and undergoes rehab — for 12 weeks. Most people think of chronic illnesses when they think of long-term care, but accidents can also trigger the need for extended nursing care, as well as physical and occupational therapy.
It’s funny, sometimes I run into people in the street who ask me how my grandfather is doing – not because they know him, but because I quite often write about him and how his advice has had such an influence on me.
I recently returned from Australia where I visited my grandfather each day in his nursing home. It was hard to see the change in him and how, at 99 years old, his body is clearly shutting down. His 100th birthday is in March and, as we say in Australia, “He has had a good innings.” But the question is, will he bat a century? (more…)
