Scott Adams blog: I Hope My Father Dies Soon

[spinbaby]

55. It would almost be a blessiing to lose one's mind

My grandmother in-law spend the last three years of her 100-year life in a nursing home. Her mind was still sharp when she went in, but years in an institution left her confused. Most of the problem was that she was bored witless--she couldn't see or hear well enough to even watch TV. A hearing aid would have helped, but they reasoned that it was a waste of money because, you know, she was almost 100. She could have read with decent magnification but she was almost 100, so it seemed like a waste of money. She had to eat pureed food because an aide accidentally threw out her dentures and it didn't seem worthwhile to get her another set. Her quality of life absolutely sucked when it could have been improved in so many ways. Every day they got her up, dressed her, and sat her in a chair in front of the TV she couldn't see or hear. At the end of the day they put her to bed. And all her children kept buying her doodads she didn't want and couldn't use when she needed a damn hearing aid. I still get angry thinking about it.