Old age

"Nothing is inherently and invincibly young except spirit.  And spirit can enter a human being perhaps better in the quiet of old age . . . ." George Santayana

I am reading Jane Fonda's newest novel, Prime Time.  She gives lovely information and research on Act III of life, the decades after 60.  She suggests that we do better with any situation if we spend time preparing and planning for it.  Perhaps none us expected to be a caregiver for someone with dementia, but now that we are, we can plan how we want it to look.  It is imperative, I think, that we take time to plan it so that it does not destroy us in the process.  Dwane needs sooooo much time to do anything now, and I find that things go better when I plan plenty of time for us to do whatever it is we are going to do.  I prep him by telling him when and where we are going, I arrange for him to be ready in a time frame that gives us ample time because we are going to need that time, and I organize our home in ways that support his movement and independence.  It is important to plan so that we are the ones in charge; instead of letting the tasks at hand take charge of the situation and us.