Sunday, June 30, 2019

FOR THE BIRDS -- LIVING IN PLACE -- THRIVING


FOR THE BIRDS -- UPDATE

Simba, the surviving one of two Big Bear Bald Eaglets, has reached an age when he could make his maiden flight any day now.   After his first flight he is expected to return to the nest, as he will do following each of his practice flights for a week or two before finally departing to seek his fortunes and fish in the big wide world.  

When I tuned in late Saturday afternoon 6/29 Simba was quietly resting in the nest as a parent was perched nearby surveying the surrounding wooded area and scenic lake.  Suddenly Simba arose, repeatedly spread his massive wings, flapping them as he would need to do in flight,  hopping about, balancing, evolving into an airborne short flight-like bounce onto a heavy branch on the nest’s perimeter, then back to the nest’s center to scrounge about in the twigs seeking snacks and to prune his feathers.

Just before dusk Shadow, (Simba’s father) flew in presenting a fish that was enthusiastically received.  Simba was able to feed somewhat independently but continued to accept being fed occasionally as the two ate together.  Later Shadow departed, Jackie (mother) flew in, rearranging the nest’s small branches.   Simba soon appeared desirous of settling down for the night as darkness closed in.   He moved head first to go under Jackie’s wing as had been the positioning for sleep when he was younger though he has been sleeping alone for some time.  Jackie paused only briefly, then quickly moved away, grasped a small branch in her beak, moving it aside.  Then she hopped to the large branch outpost where the parental birds generally have taken turns standing watch and from which they launch their takeoffs and landings.   

Simba could only accept that he was on his own now as appears he continues being prepared for the separation process, so snuggled down in the nest all by himself.   He’s only a little over ten weeks old but already more mature in a bird’s life, I guess. 

Live Feed 24/7 Video Cam:  https://youtu.be/5b2dUgK6VV4

LIVING IN PLACE PERSPECTIVE  

Some of us have been dedicated to the concept of living in place – remaining in our own residences alone or with another as we age.    A commitment with the ability to carry out this type of arrangement can be easier said than done given aging’s challenges.   We all may encounter some of these issues sooner or later. 

Some of the unpredictable considerations revolve around finances when unexpected expenses occur necessitating house and property upkeep.   Health needs due to physical changes may cause us to reconsider our options including recognizing and accepting we have a need for help.    Hiring dependable, trustworthy, caring, competent assistance from occasional to regularly scheduled periodic aid, or even a full-time live-in caregiver can be no easy task,  often is a trial and error process.   

The support available in my community and nationally in this digital age has significantly improved compared to that of only a few decades ago.   The large number of Baby Boomers has likely prompted increased responsiveness to meeting the needs of older people.   Predictions include an expectation of high demand for independent living accommodations,  more medical personnel and those who can provide home assistance -- possibly with a shortage of such individuals. 

Health need changes with aging can be expected, though to what degree can be unpredictable.  How likely will a person(s) be able to remain in their single dwelling residence given all the variables?  

What kind of living choices may be prevalent in the future though may have limited availability for my present generation?

I recently read this HomeHealthCareNews interview with Gerontologist Dr. Bill Thomas who has directed his energies with innovative ideas about our older lives you may find of interest.  (Dr. Thomas authored a seminal still pertinent book some years ago "What Are Old People For".)

"The houses we’re creating [at Minka] are really meant to be plugged into sophisticated approaches to home care, so that we’re able to actually optimize the housing and care in a way that can help people stay out of the hospital, out of the nursing home, out of assisted living and live the life they want to live."


THRIVING IN PLACE

I wrote here months ago about starting a support/conversational/educational group at our local senior center to address needs, experiences, sources locally and otherwise to facilitate successful living in place with a group we call Thriving In Place.  We haven’t wanted to just live to age in place,  but to thrive in the process.  Initial explorations of some of the aging choices, in addition to living in place which some wanted to learn about have been explored.

As we’ve ratcheted down to focus on topics related to remaining in our residences the number of our active participants has dwindled.    Individuals simply did not, or were no longer able, to attend  (as a couple participants noted had occurred due to health issues) to engage in the specifics to learn and aid one another with information, seek answers to our questions.   We are taking a hiatus for the rest of the summer and disappointingly to me, may not resume this fall.   Living in place blogger’s comments and reports, as many write about here and on their blogs, will continue to be of interest to me. 

One of the bloggers I follow, Jean,  who lives in Michigan and blogs at TheMisadventures of Widowhood” has been living in place for a number of years, but in June made a decision to adjust her plan – sell her home and has made a commitment to move.   She is sharing her rationale for doing so, the experiences she is having – all of which is food for thought wherever we live.   Those interested in learning from her experiences may want to begin by reading her first post on the topic at the beginning of June, then subsequent ones – click on this link: “Visualizing My Next ChapterAgain”.

I wonder if others are encountering situations where they are re-examining their living environment  choice, may be considering making a change, or think it might have been better if they had chosen a different setting than their current one?



9 comments:

  1. I love your eagle update! Animal cams are so entertaining while teaching us about nature. Eagle seem to be wonderful parents.

    What a surprise to come here and find me featured in your blog. Thank you for that. I always thought I would age in place in this house...it's built for wheelchair accessibility and no disability could force me out. But once I made up my mind to commit to moving I've realized how truly isolated and lonely I've been. No amount of clubs, lectures and social outings with friends was filling that void. I'm sure for people with children who can look out for them it would be different, but that's not my situation. And as my niece said after hearing my plans to move to a continuum care complex, "you have always liked being in control of your future and that's what your doing now." It feels good!

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  2. So far I am trying to thrive in place but like Jean, I see a time when a continuing care place may be my best option. Finances will make the difference and my options may not be as plush Jean's. Lots to think about.

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  3. I will post more on our project/activist group support our seniors (SOS) after the press release.
    I feel I am thriving in place lately. I am content where I live but so many are not due to many challenges.
    Love the story of the eaglet. We all need mom no matter the age.

    XO
    WWW

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  4. I'm 72 and living with Jenny (who's 62) in a large detached house. At the moment I'm pretty fit and healthy and well able to look after the house and garden, but who knows whether that will still apply in a few years' time? At some point we may have to admit that we can no longer look after the house properly and will have to make hard decisions about moving.

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  5. It all depends on my husband. If he dies first, I will have to ask whether my house is too difficult to maintain. If I become incompetent, I guess my children will sell the house and move me to a care home.

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  6. Age 81, living with husband, 82: I've been having more and more of the house and grounds maintenance done by paid professionals because I no longer find that I do the jobs up to my own standards - and, in some cases, "they" have the equipment. I take on the responsibility because husband was raised in a household in which his father did NOTHING since he spent many hours keeping his pharmacy open. Husband's attitude is "So, what?" when I point out something that needs doing. He sees no need. Because of that, and because I can envision his outliving me by 15 years (based on family histories), I am trying to assure that the maintenance that I have done will not have to be redone within a 15-year time span. I can envision his sitting in this house, following my death, while the roof caves in (he did that with the house he was in during the 13 years that we were apart.) BTW: I'm not complaining about husband. He's a good, honorable, loyal person - just not a "nuts & bolts" type of guy.

    When we built this house, I designed wide doors (including bathrooms) into it and have bannisters at all stairs, interior and exterior. None of the floor coverings is slick.

    Neither husband nor I am social, but I get out more than does he. My concern is that our elder daughter (60 years old, who lives within 20 miles of us) will feel the need to "take care of" her father once I am gone. Her husband is in worse health than her father, so that wouldn't be a good thing at all!

    I have lots of incentive to watch after my own health - lol!
    Cop Car

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  7. I watched an osprey nest for quite a while. When the egg hatched, the parents were not as interested as they should have been and too often left the chick even from the earliest days. Finally they pushed the little one out of the nest which is on a platform 30 feet in the air. Everyone assumed the chick would have died but miraculously it survived. Bird rescuers were able find another osprey nest with a chick of similar age and they placed it there. The parents fed and cared for it immediately and everyone relaxed.

    We have made a deposit on a full-service community but we have also made a lot of changes to our home. As a result we have not moved as soon as we had expected but the option is still there. We still remain at the top of the list even though we have declined houses, telling them we are not quite ready.

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  8. Before my late wife got ill, we had planned to move to a farmhouse about 80 Kms away from where we live but, had to give up the idea considering the need to be near medical facilities. After her death, I thought of moving there to live alone but was dissuaded from doing so by my son who thought that I too will eventually need to be near medical facilities and in retrospect, I think not moving was a wise decision as, I am now increasingly finding it difficult to move about. Living alone is no longer an option.

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  9. I'm not a senior, but after I developed CRPS in my foot, all I could think about was getting rid of many years' worth of accumulated stuff bogging me down & moving into a much smaller, more manageable home. And one preferably with no stairs!

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