Mobility and mortality

As I celebrate another birthday this month, I find myself wondering what life will be like ~ and how mobile I will be ~ as age and wear and tear affect my spine and joints.

My primary concern is the prospect of being confined to a nursing home and, worse, a wheelchair. Although I will do everything I can to avoid that, nothing will stop the aging process.

This has been a source of anxiety for me, until . . .

Recently my family moved from North Carolina to Illinois and, in an effort to meet people, I joined a book discussion group with our new church. The book selection: Being Mortal. Written by a doctor, it illustrates how physicians are trained to treat, and then treat some more. They are not taught how to help us accept the reality of our own mortality and how to exit this life on our own terms.

I was a little scared to read this book, but I got through it and now I feel empowered by what I've learned. Despite what we have been conditioned to believe, we are in charge of our lives and our medical care. Through the experiences of patients Dr. Gawande has known, readers can consider different scenarios they may face on the journey toward their own mortality.

So now I know that all assisted living and nursing home facilities are not created equal. There are choices to be had and decisions to be made, and I can take steps to ensure my wishes are known and honored. This means asking myself some difficult questions and sharing those answers with my loved ones. It won't be easy, but it needs to be done ~ for me as well as for them.

So if you're looking for a good read, check out Dr. Gawande's Being Mortal. It's not an easy one to get through, but it's important to read it anyway. Trust me.