I was walking to a friend's house a few weeks ago around 10 pm. I had a really big bong to myself before walking over. 1 block from my house I was stopped by an old lady who asked me if I could help get her mother into bed. She had called an ambulance but they weren't coming so she was in the street looking out for them. So I asked if she had a mask, she said yes, and I followed her into an apartment building. She didn't mask up, but she was very old, so I figured she's unlikely carrying Covid...
Come to think of it, she is very old... and I'm helping her mother?.... confusing... so as I enter the room, I'm told "you'll need to be very careful, my mother is a hundred and eleven."
In the room is a 60ish year old personal care worker, short and out of shape, plus the woman's 90ish year old daughter, and the 111 year old woman lying on the floor. If you didn't tell me, I would have guessed she was 115, she was nearing the end.
The woman was tiny, curled up on the floor and surrounded by medical support walker and braces and equipment. I had to step over this pile of plastic crap to get into the circle where the woman lay. I was so terrified of breaking something, the smallest action could seriously injure or kill her. So I lifted under her butt and her back, and laid her in bed like a child. She was so light, I would guess under 70 lbs. She seemed to be sleeping from exhaustion and pained by the move, but relieved. As her daughter was phoning to call off the ambulance I snuck away.
The entire incident really messed me up. Has me thinking about mortality a lot. Life is just a collection of moments. One moment you're helping an old person into bed, then boom, the next moment you are that old person. I would feel so weird to be infantalized in such a way, but I guess I would also cling to life. My mom thought that it showed people sometimes keep their loved ones alive out of a sense of obligation or devotion that's misplaced.
I wonder if the woman still has good days. I wonder if I would wish that fate upon myself, my daughter flagging down a stranger to lift me into bed 80 years from now. Personally, I wanna see the ice caps melt completely before I die, see capitalism fall under the weight of climate disaster, and aliens to reveal their presence. I would wish to live to 117 and a few days to see 2100, but I think all of the things I'm waiting for will happen before then. Pretty sure the world will end before I hit 100+, but I'll stick around as long as I can to verify.
I honestly just needed to get this off my chest.
Come to think of it, she is very old... and I'm helping her mother?.... confusing... so as I enter the room, I'm told "you'll need to be very careful, my mother is a hundred and eleven."
In the room is a 60ish year old personal care worker, short and out of shape, plus the woman's 90ish year old daughter, and the 111 year old woman lying on the floor. If you didn't tell me, I would have guessed she was 115, she was nearing the end.
The woman was tiny, curled up on the floor and surrounded by medical support walker and braces and equipment. I had to step over this pile of plastic crap to get into the circle where the woman lay. I was so terrified of breaking something, the smallest action could seriously injure or kill her. So I lifted under her butt and her back, and laid her in bed like a child. She was so light, I would guess under 70 lbs. She seemed to be sleeping from exhaustion and pained by the move, but relieved. As her daughter was phoning to call off the ambulance I snuck away.
The entire incident really messed me up. Has me thinking about mortality a lot. Life is just a collection of moments. One moment you're helping an old person into bed, then boom, the next moment you are that old person. I would feel so weird to be infantalized in such a way, but I guess I would also cling to life. My mom thought that it showed people sometimes keep their loved ones alive out of a sense of obligation or devotion that's misplaced.
I wonder if the woman still has good days. I wonder if I would wish that fate upon myself, my daughter flagging down a stranger to lift me into bed 80 years from now. Personally, I wanna see the ice caps melt completely before I die, see capitalism fall under the weight of climate disaster, and aliens to reveal their presence. I would wish to live to 117 and a few days to see 2100, but I think all of the things I'm waiting for will happen before then. Pretty sure the world will end before I hit 100+, but I'll stick around as long as I can to verify.
I honestly just needed to get this off my chest.
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