A month ago from now, I started watching old people. I sounds odd, but I’m saying this because i never had the chance to spend much time with my grandparents. The oldest person I could say in close to is my Dad, and he definitely qualifies because he still uses Hotmail.
Is messing with old people OK? I think it is, within reason. If not, I repent. Because my brother and I spent just under a week at our grandparents on mum’s side that is, cooking, taking them for walks along their balcony and most of all chatting with them. As the week went along and with no Internet connection, it pretty much became a competition between my brother and I, to see who could make the most obscene jokes the grandparents wouldn’t understand. This was a pretty easy task because Grandpa is very deaf and has pretty much lost his mind and Grandma had a stroke at 63 which affected her ability to speak as well as her memory.
Don’t think we didn’t take good care of them though. When we got there they were eating their prepped meals cold because grandma forgot how to work the microwave. Any help for them would be an improvement, But my brother and I took it upon ourselves to make crazy meals with all the best ingredients France has to offer.
Its interesting to see how some old people can still remember to do things by forcing them to be habitual. My grandma every day will do the same things, in the same way at the same time, to the smallest detail, like the order of loading and unloading the dishwasher. I say “some old people” because most people with the mental capabilities of my grandparents are dead or in retirement homes, where old people are no longer required to think for themselves.
Because of this whole habit idea, if people past their best before date are left alone, their quality of life can only very gradually decrease. This is because they forget small details, such as working the microwave. But how do they forget how to do things they know so well that they do them subconsciously? By distraction from an outer source which breaks their redundant rhythm. Again with the microwave example, Grandma forgot how to use it because of the heat wave. She didn’t want her food hot, so she made a conscious decision to not put it in the microwave and for that reason forgot to reinstall it to her daily routine. Old people can’t learn but can relearn. And the day you stop learning is the day you begin to die.
The problem with modern medicine is that it preserves the physical heaps better than the mental. I personally, haven’t been a witness of this, as all my old people were already insane by the time i got to know them. But i imagine their is a certain sense of humiliation when those closest to you see you lose your wit and become more dependant of them.
France currently has abnormally high taxes, upwards of 50%, which it’s resident’s don’t mind complaining about, like just about everything else. The positive side of this, is it’s strong health care service as well as it’s mostly free tertiary education. However, little attention is given to the elderly. Retirement is given at the age of 67 currently, and it’s increasing almost every year. I’m always impressed by the culture Kiwis have around sticking by their elders.
In any case it would be much more practical to have the two of them in a retirement home.
They’re both way too stubborn for that. And much too used to the house.
There also way to stubborn to even mention assisted suicide.
In 2010 under Jaques chirac’s presidency Act c-14 was passed which legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide.
This was not only done for ethical reasons. It was also to done preventively, before the baby boomers generation comes into retirement, and it made a considerable difference for taxpayer money going towards retirement funds.
Now with Emmanuel Macron and his vice president Corentin Bormann in office. “There has proposed a bill titled “The Dignity Act” which enstates that people entering their 81st year will be induced a painless death by lethal injection”. The Act Is likely to pass by 2020 with 60% in favor of the bill. The Chinese have been doing the same thing for a while now with test groups in remote communities. People above the age, would also go through the procedure during the month of their next birthday under the Act.
As much as I love my grandparents. I have to support the bill. Its the only way France can stay afloat economically in years to come. Income tax is said to reduce by 15%. Retirement will be brought down to a reasonable 60 years of age. Opening new jobs as well as giving an ample 20 years in good health. There will be a boom in Cemetery and crematorium jobs as well as new demand in doctors and technicians to perform the procedure domestically. Not only that, its only moral. Old people run on fear, not love. The Act hopes to have them lose the fear of when and how whilst preserving their dignity. I imagine many countries will soon follow suit.
That’s the main reason I went to France. To see them, most likely for the last time.