One thing about aging we don’t give much thought to is that the older our bodies get, the more time they have to develop new ailments.
My body has been busy in this department, busier than I realized.
On Nov. 4, I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent, checked into Cariboo Memorial Hospital, and four weeks later I’m still a patient in the rehab ward while the medical staff look for ways to make me better.
One major obstacle - my 92-year-old body doesn’t get the ‘feeling better’ part.
The problem is, there are too many of us oldies in this situation - we are living too long.
According to studies, the latest report by provincial seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie, there aren’t enough places to put us. There are horrendously long waiting lists for long term care facilities and more are needed than are being built.
This situation has been growing over the last few years and is worse than it seems because the quality of care and standards are different between government-operated facilities, for-profit facilities and those operated by non-profit agencies.
The problem isn’t just a Canadian one. The province of B.C. has a plan to fix things but who knows when.
The problem with plans is that some group or another needs to be pushing them in this case, those of us who need the solution have neither the energy nor the means to do the pushing.
Young people already have their hands full with all the world’s problems. So what’s the answer?
We oldies will eventually die off, but more keep coming.
I don’t think even our current non-caring society wants to put oldies out in tents with the homeless, and even if we are not the “I have rights” generation we won’t accept mandated medically-assisted suicide.
I hope someone comes up with something. Maybe the NDP, United, Green and Conservatives can put their heads together and do something.
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