Did you know that sometimes, life can push you into a corner and make you start hoping for things you never thought you would. I'm 60 now, but I'm telling you that this story has nothing to do with the crazy nightlife and dreams of young people. It's about me, and my 90-year-old mother. Don't rush, let me take my time.
Three years ago, I began to hope that my seriously ill mother would "go soon." Sounds cold-blooded, right? But this is really not my cruelty, but an unspeakable helplessness. We have four children, and I am the youngest. Dad left early, leaving the four of us and Mom behind. My mother was physically strong at that time, and she lived alone in her hometown, so we occasionally went back to accompany her, and the family was happy.
However, after my mother turned 80, her body began to decline, and Alzheimer's disease slowly revealed, and she could not take care of herself. At first, we were able to cope with it, after all, my mother sometimes recognized us and chatted with us. But slowly, things got worse and worse. Especially after that fall, my mother couldn't move the lower half of her body, and the situation changed completely.
My siblings and I started taking turns taking care of my mom, but as time went on, the burden became heavier. Mom often has incontinence, we need to pay attention to her at all times, bathe, change clothes, feed and water, these are not the hardest. The most difficult thing is that seeing my mother, who was once so strong, become what she is now, the pain and powerlessness in my heart cannot be described in words.
I know that many people will say that this is a sign of filial piety and that it should be. However, when you really stand in this position, you will find that all this is far from being as simple as imagined. In particular, when you see your loved ones suffering mentally and physically every day, you begin to ask yourself, "What's the point of going on like this?" ”
My siblings and I have tried to find someone to help, but it is difficult for someone to be willing to take care of the elderly in this situation for a long time. We also thought about sending our mother to a nursing home, but we couldn't get through it. That's our mother, how can you leave her to someone else?
As time passed, our physical and mental strength was exhausted. I remember one time, when I was alone to take care of my mother, every night, I would secretly cry. It's not because I'm tired, but when I look at my mother, my heart is like a knife. I began to think that if there was no end to such days, then I would rather my mother leave quietly, at least, she would not have to suffer anymore.
You might say, I'm thinking this selfishly. However, it is not until you experience it yourself that you understand that this thinking is not motivated by selfishness, but by deep love for your loved ones. Hopefully, they won't suffer anymore, even if it means we're going to lose them.
Looking back now, I don't regret what I have done for mothers over the years, and I just hope that our society can provide more support and help to geriatric patients and the families who care for them. It's not just a family thing, it's a society as a whole. We need more attention and understanding, and we need more policies and resources to help those like me, so that we can get the support and help we deserve while caring for our loved ones.
So, I'm writing this article not only to share my story, but also to draw more attention to this issue. We need to change, our society needs to change, and our elderly need more love and care. This is a long-term battle, but I believe that as long as we work together, one day, we can make every old man have a happy and dignified old age.