My grandmother's health has been
deteriorating lately which has caused her to go into an assisted
living facility. I recently went to visit her there and got a
glimpse of what life is like for many older people who are not able
to care for themselves.
Overall the place was nice, but it was
kind of depressing seeing all these old people in a hospital like
setting. They are not able to do much and it seems there are not to
many visitors for them. It made me realize that this is what life is
like when you get very old.
It seems like when you are at the end
of your life it should be good, like you made it to the end and you
should be rewarded, but upon this visit it looks like the end is not
so great. Most of these people have health issues and cannot take
care of themselves. They must rely on other people to help them with
everyday things such as eating or going to the bathroom. It made me
think, we all may end up like this and it is not really something to
look forward to.
I always tried to live a safe and
healthy lifestyle in order to have a long life. I always looked down
upon the "live fast die young" lifestyle. I figured it was
better to "live slow and die old" but if living in a
nursing home is what you are rewarded with for living a safe and
healthy life, is it really worth it? It makes me wonder that maybe
those who live the risky lifestyle and participate in activities that
may be more fun but more dangerous might be doing it right after all.
It does not make me want to change my
lifestyle though. I would still rather live a long life and be able
to experience more over a long period of time. With this lifestyle,
you can have a good life for a long time but the end is inevitable.
It is kind of depressing but it is part of life I guess. So what
have I learned from this experience and reflection? I guess it is
just a realization of the reality of what it is like for people when
they are near the end. Life goes faster than we realize so make the
most of it!
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