Most people believe that it is “unfilial” to send their elderly family members to a nursing home, or that it is a form of abandonment. Some believe it denies elderly people the ability to experience the domestic bliss of a leisurely old age. Some even say that sending a family member to a nursing home is the equivalent of forcing them to sit around and wait for the end.
However, after a deep discussion with his family at the age of 79, the father of one of my friends chose a different approach. He completely subverted expectations by choosing the nursing home system.
My friend’s father moved into a home rather than live with his children because he believed that they should have a life of their own. They could not and should not spend every day by his side caring for him. He did not want them to spend the best and most important time of their lives shackled by the last few years of his.
He had also seen news reports saying that aside from the pressure of shouldering care responsibilities, many children also grow exhausted from having to endure emotional blackmail from their parents and moral grandstanding to pressure them into doing what they ask.
My friend said that since moving into the home, his father no longer has to wait painfully for his children to finish their workday or his grandchildren to get out of school. He can avoid spending all day at home with absolutely nothing to do. Instead, he is guided by the nursing home schedule — he works on handmade art projects, exercises and gardens. He even made a group of friends his age who he interacts with every day. The daily activities and interpersonal relationships have allowed him to rediscover his happiness and self-esteem.
His father said that he does not regret his decision to move into the home whatsoever.
If he had to point out one flaw in his otherwise perfect situation, he said it was that he should have taken the nursing home’s location into consideration before moving. If he lived in a home that was a bit closer, it would be an easier commute for his family, who visit him often.
Who said that nursing homes are not for healthy people and only allow elderly people who absolutely need care? In reality, many people are beginning to accept the idea of nursing homes. Not only do they provide specialized care, but their professional facilities and staff are of much higher quality than anything that can be provided at home.
A change of ideas and a shift in mentality can open a door to an entirely new world. My friend’s father broke the long-standing stereotype that elderly people reject nursing homes. Not only did he give himself a wonderful time in his old age, he also reversed my negative impressions of getting old.
Dino Wei works in the information technology industry.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
The EU’s biggest banks have spent years quietly creating a new way to pay that could finally allow customers to ditch their Visa Inc and Mastercard Inc cards — the latest sign that the region is looking to dislodge two of the most valuable financial firms on the planet. Wero, as the project is known, is now rolling out across much of western Europe. Backed by 16 major banks and payment processors including BNP Paribas SA, Deutsche Bank AG and Worldline SA, the platform would eventually allow a German customer to instantly settle up with, say, a hotel in France
On August 6, Ukraine crossed its northeastern border and invaded the Russian region of Kursk. After spending more than two years seeking to oust Russian forces from its own territory, Kiev turned the tables on Moscow. Vladimir Putin seemed thrown off guard. In a televised meeting about the incursion, Putin came across as patently not in control of events. The reasons for the Ukrainian offensive remain unclear. It could be an attempt to wear away at the morale of both Russia’s military and its populace, and to boost morale in Ukraine; to undermine popular and elite confidence in Putin’s rule; to
A traffic accident in Taichung — a city bus on Sept. 22 hit two Tunghai University students on a pedestrian crossing, killing one and injuring the other — has once again brought up the issue of Taiwan being a “living hell for pedestrians” and large vehicle safety to public attention. A deadly traffic accident in Taichung on Dec. 27, 2022, when a city bus hit a foreign national, his Taiwanese wife and their one-year-old son in a stroller on a pedestrian crossing, killing the wife and son, had shocked the public, leading to discussions and traffic law amendments. However, just after the
The international community was shocked when Israel was accused of launching an attack on Lebanon by rigging pagers to explode. Most media reports in Taiwan focused on whether the pagers were produced locally, arousing public concern. However, Taiwanese should also look at the matter from a security and national defense perspective. Lebanon has eschewed technology, partly because of concerns that countries would penetrate its telecommunications networks to steal confidential information or launch cyberattacks. It has largely abandoned smartphones and modern telecommunications systems, replacing them with older and relatively basic communications equipment. However, the incident shows that using older technology alone cannot
RSS