I have been fortunate to enjoy my good health all of my adult life, until I didn’t. Out of the blue, unbeknownst to me, I was quite sick. It announced itself on a Friday morning as I was preparing for work. I doubled over in pain and was taken to the emergency room. After many hours, I was taken upstairs to a room where I stayed for eight days. Two weeks at home to recover before starting back at work part time.
My entire life was changed in two seconds and I’ve spent the last many weeks trying to feel better but not always having luck. I will have surgery in 5 weeks, with many more weeks to recover before I know if I will feel good again. All of this to say that things can change quickly, before you even get a chance to grasp it. Everything doesn’t fall back in place as it was. We plan to age, yes, but we don’t have a plan. I am very blessed to have family who picked up where I could not, at home. A son and granddaughter who cared for me. Had I been on my own, it would have been a very different picture to look at. Knowing this, I am inspired to put plans into place that did not exist before.
Being very independent, it was a rude awakening for me to find myself so compromised. Life doesn’t issue warnings all of the time, you find yourself at the mercy of the situation. Putting safeguards into place in case something does happen is a wise idea. Plan to plan for the unexpected. You never know when it will be your turn, and I hope you are more prepared than I was!
Warmly,
Eileen McGuinness
Elder Care Navigator
