There used to be a renowned pediatrician, whose name has slipped my mind. His advice was to be kind to your children so that they would grow up willing to show you the way to the bathroom when you were in your dotage and needed their help. I remember thinking that was funny, a joke, but not any more. I used to embellish the advice by saying my children would visit the Old Folks' Home every Sunday, but this is even less funny now, and not even realistic. Aging has turned out to be a lonely and isolating path. Few people remember you from the days when you had the status and the power of youth and mid-age, which has left you and been transferred to the next generation. There is no saving grace about declining looks and abilities, and nothing is good about dealing with geriatric conditions, or even non-age related conditions when they appear in old age. Nobody wants to be a part of that. I used to hate the show with the Sinclair dinosaurs dumping grandparents off the cliff when they'd outlived their usefulness: it seemed absurd, but maybe too much a premonition of things to come. I've read that there is a dearth of doctors entering the geriatric field,even though the need has continued to expand. All that sagging flesh and deteriorating body parts--Yeecchh.
Mindful of all the above, I am closer to making a decision about my orthopedic future. While I have little that may be gained, I have even less to lose. My only wish is for sudden closure if things go wrong, but I'm not too eager to put that in the hands of others either. When you've been alive all your life, it's strange to think of not having life anymore. It is all you've ever known....TBC
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