FMS-Blog : The Wildly Whimsical, Mostly Musical WebLog
Monday, July 10, 2006
Granddad's 80th Birthday
My grandfather turns 80 today - born on July 10th 1926, he has lived through some of human history's most turbulent and most creative times. He has seen a boom in technological development from the existence of a few fairly basic electrical devices such as the radio (or 'wireless') to an age in which our very lives often depend on the many thousands of computerised machines that we have come to depend on. Jack Lawton fought in the Middle East, a member of the parachute regiment, and watched with the rest of us as the cold war developed into an all out nuclear standoff between the two most significant super-powers on earth.
And now, having suffered a number of strokes over the past decade or so, my Granddad's existence is one of closed doors - he is unable to properly comprehend what is going on around him, struggles to vocalise more than a couple of words at a time, does not have any concept of the happenings beyond the walls of the home he lives in and is barely able to perform the most basic animal functions without assistance from the staff at his dwelling. A very sad twilight of a life that was once so active - this is the man who people would go to if they needed to know something or required assistance with something technical like a car engine or electrical circuit. And it just seems so cruel that many of us end our days in a condition similar to the one he is in.
Having said all that, he does seem happy, of course. The nurses and other staff at the home he resides in in Undercliffe, West Yorkshire, look after their patients well, waiting on them all day with food and drinks and doing their best to provide a variety of entertainments such as games and other leisure activities. But it doesn't change the fact that these very people who have now found themselves in the stage of life that Shakespeare referred to as "second childishness" are the very people we as a community should strive to respect and care for - the knowledge and experience that's locked away in those creaking bodies is invaluable and has contributed to the world we, the younger generations, now inhabit.
For me, though, the way to show respect to our elders is to do something about the medieval laws in our country that determine how they should be regarded. Euthanasia, for example, is still considered a dirty and dangerous word that invites unscrupulous types to take advantage of their relatives' weakened state for their own benefit. However, I'm a strong advocate of giving people the choice as to how long they wish to go on living their lives - a lot of water has gone under the bridge since the 19th century and before when those who committed suicide were treated as sinners, even denied a daylight funeral and decent internment. So, please, take this as my record that if I ever get anywhere close to the level of physical and mental ill-health that has its grasp on the majority of the poor souls in these kinds of retirement homes, please do me the honour and favour of putting me out of my misery.
And now, having suffered a number of strokes over the past decade or so, my Granddad's existence is one of closed doors - he is unable to properly comprehend what is going on around him, struggles to vocalise more than a couple of words at a time, does not have any concept of the happenings beyond the walls of the home he lives in and is barely able to perform the most basic animal functions without assistance from the staff at his dwelling. A very sad twilight of a life that was once so active - this is the man who people would go to if they needed to know something or required assistance with something technical like a car engine or electrical circuit. And it just seems so cruel that many of us end our days in a condition similar to the one he is in.
Having said all that, he does seem happy, of course. The nurses and other staff at the home he resides in in Undercliffe, West Yorkshire, look after their patients well, waiting on them all day with food and drinks and doing their best to provide a variety of entertainments such as games and other leisure activities. But it doesn't change the fact that these very people who have now found themselves in the stage of life that Shakespeare referred to as "second childishness" are the very people we as a community should strive to respect and care for - the knowledge and experience that's locked away in those creaking bodies is invaluable and has contributed to the world we, the younger generations, now inhabit.
For me, though, the way to show respect to our elders is to do something about the medieval laws in our country that determine how they should be regarded. Euthanasia, for example, is still considered a dirty and dangerous word that invites unscrupulous types to take advantage of their relatives' weakened state for their own benefit. However, I'm a strong advocate of giving people the choice as to how long they wish to go on living their lives - a lot of water has gone under the bridge since the 19th century and before when those who committed suicide were treated as sinners, even denied a daylight funeral and decent internment. So, please, take this as my record that if I ever get anywhere close to the level of physical and mental ill-health that has its grasp on the majority of the poor souls in these kinds of retirement homes, please do me the honour and favour of putting me out of my misery.
