Home Away From Home

For the past year and a half, my nana (my mom's mom) has been living with us. My mom served as her primary caretaker, bathing her, feeding her, dressing her, and including her in family outings such as going to the theatre. To put it simply, my mom sacrificed a lot to make sure my nana was taken care of.

However, there were a few occasions over the past few months that made us question whether or not she needed to be somewhere where 24-hour care was available. After returning from our cruise, we found out that my uncle decided to put my nana into a home.

At first, the idea of putting my nana in a home was disheartening. When I think of a home, all that runs through my head are the reports seen on the news about how the elderly are mistreated. But he insisted it was a good place and that she would be better off as there was 24-hour care available.

Long story short, my mom and I took a tour of the home the day my nana was taken there and I have to say it's quite nice. It's very intimate with only 15 residents and it's set up to look just like a house, with cozy living rooms, clean bathrooms, a large kitchen, and comfortable living quarters. The staff is extremely friendly, offering to cook some of my nana's favorite Cuban dishes in order to cater to her own preferences. Best of all, the home is close to our house so we can visit her whenever we have the chance and she can come to our house for holidays.

With all that being said, my family went to visit my nana on Saturday and while we were there, we met Josephine, one of my nana's housemates. Josephine is a ball of fire, to say the least, and wasn't too happy to see us at first. My mom explained to her that we were there to visit my nana and within seconds, Josephine's demeanor changed and she happily shook each of our hands, telling us to have a good day and behave ourselves. Meeting Josephine and observing her attitude towards people made me wonder if she is ever visited by family or friends. It made me sad to think of the possibility of her family dumping her there and never coming back to visit. The sad truth is, that's not too uncommon these days.

You may not have a family member in a home, but take it from someone who does - a familiar face or friendly gesture makes their day. It doesn't take much to make them happy - play a card game with them, sit with them while they watch TV, ask them how their day was, etc. They just need someone to talk to and need to know that someone - anyone - cares about them.

More importantly, don't forget that these men and women are mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and close friends. They are still human beings who deserve the same quality of life as anyone else.

So the next time you come across an elderly person, be sure to say hello and smile - it might be the only friendly gesture they have received all day.

~Brooke