The New Decade: Personal Update on How 2010 is Coming Along

At the beginning of the year, a new decade, I put to paper not so much of a list, as some random thoughts, observations, expectations and realities of the upcoming decade. Not many specific definable goals were found here. There were a couple, but not many. There were a few things I'd like to see or do.

Places I'd like to visit. A plan to walk at least 500 miles, and recumbent cycle 500 miles each year until twenty-twenty.

A realization that during the next decade I would likely experience significant losses in the two generations ahead of mine in our families. People still wear out and pass on to the next plane, remaining in our memories, our hearts, and the fabric of our being.

Two days later my father was in the hospital in terrible condition, and went to skilled nursing, followed by a nursing home a week or two ago.

Two weeks into January, my inlaws both required hospitalization and skilled nursing care.

My grandmother who will be 100 on the last day of this year has been in a group home for the last few years. She has good days and bad days. This week she had a couple very poor days.

My husband and I have learned more about Medicare, Medicaid, nursing care and assistive devices for the elderly than we could have imagined. We have learned that our particular elderly folks are extremely hard-headed, strong-willed, and not easy to manage. We have learned that plans to walk at least 500 miles and recumbent cycle 500 miles each year are even tougher under these conditions. Only last week did I get to the gym to renew my membership, and it has been a struggle and a challenge to get there 3 of the last 7 days (and that's assuming I make it there today).

I have watched Keith Olbermann and the Healthcare Reform Debate, and his specific issues with his father's medical care, and those people he met along the way that are less fortunate financially and with healthcare insurance than he. It has been painful and heart-wrenching. We have talked with our elderly folks about their wishes. My parents have put their wishes to paper. My husbands have not. I wish they would. We at least know what they wish.

Have we put our wishes to paper? Not yet. I'm still having trouble wrapping my brain around what I really would want. Would I like to donate anything I have that is usable? Yes. That said, I want someone, several someones, to make damned sure that I'm really, really DEAD. Very DEAD. Never coming back kinda DEAD. Worse are the decisions about what specific kinds of life support I may or may not want. A lot would depend on what condition I'm in and what the prognosis for recovery and quality of life would be. What will be the state of medical technology when all this will happen? These decisions are revocable and changeable, as long as you take care of it while you are still competent. I think, at present, if several competent doctors deemed that I was in great pain that could not be managed, and was terminally ill (with a guestimate of less than 3 months remaining), I would opt for no feeding tubes, no CPR, and no life-saving gestures, but as much morphine or other narcotics as they could legally pump into me. If I were in a persistent vegetative state, and several competent doctors certified that there would be no return, I would opt for no feeding tubes, no CPR, and no life-saving gestures, but as much morphine or other narcotics as they could legally give me to make me comfortable until the end. Other than those specific conditions, I think I would prefer for all possible life-saving measures to be utilized.


I also am committed to making specific plans about living arrangements as we age. Our present home is fairly ideal for the next 10 to 15 years, after which something much smaller and without yard care is in order. The time to start paring down and preparing for that is now. Our home was built in the mid 80s. It's a slab ranch, one-story, in great shape. The roof is good for 30 more years, the windows need replacing and some solar upgrades and neutralizing of décor would be useful. As the entire population is aging, it might be wise to invest in railing in the baths, and perhaps renovate the bathrooms and the kitchen.....replacing cabinetry, counters and appliances, showers and bathtubs. We're accomplished do-it-yourselfers with plenty of practice, so this will give us something meaningful to do with retirement.

And still, by the time 2020 rolls around, my present grand kids will be adults. I will be eligible for Medicare, and ALL senior discounts will apply. My kids will both be in their mid 40s. The best thing I can do for all concerned is get into better shape and make going to the gym a commitment. The last thing I want is for my kids to be having to deal with my deteriorating health between 2020 and 2030.


And still, some of the general things I'd like to see our world working on:
desalination plants and wind farms along our vast coastal regions,
greater use of cisterns for water supplies to use in swimming pools, yard watering, car washing, etc
use of more drought resistant plants in our landscaping that are consistent with and suited to their local climates
greater recycling
increased use of solar panels, solar roofing and solar-siding on homes to generate personal electricity and heat

What after all, are the really important things in life:
clean water
clean air
available food supplies
shelter
love
a sense of peace, and freedom from fear.
I would like to see people making rational decisions which are
information and fact-based,
which assist in preserving life, health and well-being of selves and others,
which reduce unnecessary conflicts,
and are not based on exaggeration or magical thinking.
Let's all work on these important things.