A Day In The Life of Grandpa

Grandpa John wanted to visit his wife, Diane, of 50 years, so his daughter Sara drove Grandpa John to the ambulatory elder-care facility.  And they went inside.

In the lobby, Grandpa John & Sara, his daughter, walked up to the minimum-wage, entry level receptionist, sitting idly behind her desk.  “I’m here to visit my wife”,  said Grandpa quietly to the attendant, who then leaned over to the wall behind her & pressed the button that opened the security doors (meant to lock people in, not out).

Grandpa John and Sara walked the gauntlet of residents – some appearing to be cognizant of where they were, others appearing to be living in another reality – to the nursing station, all-the-while looking around for Grandpa John’s wife, Diane. 

Grandpa John noticed that some of the people seemed to be happy, some appeared to be indifferent, and some appeared to be in anguish and despair.  But, there were a lot of people just wandering about the facility, making it hard to find Diane. 

Sara and Grandpa John walked down the corridor – looking for Diane, and along the way they checked out some reasonably comfortable-looking rooms (they looked like small, college dorm rooms).  Not finding Diane, they slowly wound their way through the facility and stumbled upon the cafeteria where they sat down for some watery lemonade flavored drink and some crème-filled cookies.

Walking back through the facility toward the exit, Sara asked Grandpa John to leave the sack of clothes they had brought for Diane (“we’ll see her in a few days”), so they left the sack at the nurses’ station.  After all, Sara said it was time to leave now.

Back up front at the security door, Grandpa John saw something he didn’t fully comprehend.  Grandpa saw, through the 2-foot x 8-inch window in the security door, Diane waving goodbye to the receptionist.  But, John couldn’t open the door  to follow her – he had forgotten the code.  He called out, but Diane didn’t hear him.  He pounded his open palms on the security door, trying to catch Diane’s attention as she bolted away and out of the facility.  But Diane, overcome with tears and the emotions of a lifetime together, couldn’t look back.  

John turned to Sara for help, but it wasn’t her who was pulling at his sleeve.  It was one of the residents who wanted John to open the security door and let her out.   

I hope this got your attention.  Long Term Care protection can help pay the cost to keep you at home, not just for in-facility expenses. Stay home as long as you can without physically or financially burdening your family; call us for a quote for Long Term Care.

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 So, does it make sense?  It may not “hit” you unless you have actually had to do that:  leaving a family member in a facility for the first time.  I have, and it’s brutal.

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