The Aging Parent

The reason I read this article is because I can sort of relate to it in a sense. My father just had surgery a week before Thanksgiving. Nothing of too much concern, it was planned and went so smoothly that the doctors sent him home a day earlier than expected. Everything was fine, that is, until the operation sight started to bruise and bleed the day after Thanksgiving. So how did I spend my Black Friday? No, not shopping, but at the ER. From 2pm-11pm I was there with my father, waiting, demanding and hoping for some medical attention at the insanely overcrowded hospital. The article I read was about how the Baby Boomer generation is now imposing on their golden aged childrens' lives. Yes, I am not a 60 year old, but I can understand why the children might feel selfish in taking care of their parent. Did I want to spend my Friday night in the hospital? No. But out of concern for my parent I stayed there. And I would do it again next Friday night if that's what had to happen. Just like the Baby Boomer's children are forcing them to make tough choices that are affecting their lives greatly, whether that means taking the parent or parents into your own home, or financially straining oneself to get the parent some outside help.

This article had an interesting point of view, as it was written from a 87 year old woman who faces the same problem that the others of her generation are. Funnily enough, the article remains unbiased, and presents the sides of both the adult children and their parents. There's a lot of pathos in this article, as many people can relate to having concern for their parents at some point in their lives. There was also some logos in the form of statistics. When speaking about the adult child's responsibility to their parents now as compared to a century ago the author stated "Then, life expectancy at birth was just over 48 years; today, it’s close to 80. Then, so few lived to 65 that there is no record of life expectancy at that age. Today, if we make it to 65, we can expect to live another 20 years. And one-third of those over 65 need some help in managing their daily lives; by the time they reach 85 (the fastest-growing segment of our population today), that number jumps to well over one-half." This explains why this issue is becoming unique to modern day society, and as we live longer, it seems our responsibility to others grows as well.

The article: http://www.salon.com/2011/11/26/the_no_win_situation_of_caring_for_mom_and_dad/