Those words hit me like a punch. For me, a nursing home meant the end of the road. Surrender. Stop deciding for myself.
Today I am 75 years old, I live on barely 500 dollars a month, I am not in a nursing home nor do I depend on a permanent caregiver… And I want to tell you how I got here.
When life changes suddenly
For more than 40 years I worked in a large company, I reached a high position and I thought that my retirement would be peaceful. But seven years ago I lost my wife, and with her went the balance of my life.
The house became silent. Hospital visits became more frequent. Simple tasks began to weigh heavily. Every day I asked myself the same question:
Where do I belong now?
First option: living alone… Until it’s no longer easy
At first I could manage. I cooked, I managed, I did my things.
But little by little the signs came: constant pain, tiredness, clumsiness in my hands, fear of falling.
One night I slipped in the bathroom. It was not serious, but the scare was real.
That’s when I understood that living alone was no longer as simple as it used to be.