Life as an elder is tragic.

[Skyr]

Just come to realise the current situation of the elder's standards.

I live in Norway. One would think there was no such problem here.

My grandma when she was alive, may she rest in peace experienced something many other elders do around the world.

To live in a single room at an elder care senter. She was to old and to sick to take care of herself it cost 1 628 euros a month. Thats 2 156 euros.
Her pension was 1 696 euros a month. Thats 2 246 dollars.

The room consisted of ONE cheap chair. And one white hospital bed. Perhaps 5-15 square meters. Oh I almost forgot it had a lamp over the bed.
Its already sad enough growing old. Spending the last 10 years of your life in like this is not even worth living for. I would rather die before I live like that.

Its quite sad your left to live with nothing but a chair and a bed and your entire pension is used to pay for a chair to sit in and 2 frozen meals a day.
I hope the situation changes in 40 years when its my turn to live like this.

[Reeve]

It's a very good reason to save for retirement and give your children a good example by helping to support your own parents when they get old. Nursing homes are places people go to wait to die, but you can live a very long time out of a nursing home before that becomes necessary, if ever.

[Skyr]

It's a very good reason to save for retirement and give your children a good example by helping to support your own parents when they get old. Nursing homes are places people go to wait to die, but you can live a very long time out of a nursing home before that becomes necessary, if ever.

Yes the children of my grandma supported her very well. But without children she would have have had a rather sad life.

I think its pretty normal to atleast spend a few years in a nursing home before you die.

[Reeve]

Yes the children of my grandma supported her very well. But without children she would have have had a rather sad life.

I think its pretty normal to atleast spend a few years in a nursing home before you die.

Maybe. It hasn't been that way in my family so far. Both my grandparents on my father's side died in their beds in their home, my gradmother at the age of 88 after a protracted battle with breast cancer. My mother's parents are both still alive in their late 80s living an active lifestyle from their home.

[Polarthief]

You should see my great grandmother...

She's still living in her lovely house (and by lovely, I mean fucking beautiful and worth more than the house I'm living in now that has 5 people in it), has my mother, an aide, and/or some of her friends literally wiping her ass for her (no joke), taking her shopping and whatnot, and she's an unappreciative bitch for it.

By no means do all elders live the same way.

[ThatCanadianGuy]

For that money? I'm sure you can find a better old age home...

[Jackmoves]

My grandad died on the loo in their house, heart attack, 88 years old. Half of us(ext family) was in the house when it happend, it was in the summer. He was in really great shape tbh, was out (physically)working every day etc. I hope the other three goes the same way. They are still in great shape, my grandmom(the widowed one) gets help once a week with cleaning, and well family helps out with a little bit of everything, me and the gf painted her house this summer for example.

[NoRest4Wicked]

Take her into your place, ask for part of the pension for rent/housing upkeep/food, surround her with a family (you) and make her last years happy? Easy.

I noticed you said too sick to take care of herself, but does that mean you couldn't have done it? If she was bed ridden from age/disease and required 24/7 medical staff I would say this is not so much the facilities fault.

[Rec]

Take her into your place, ask for part of the pension for rent/housing upkeep/food, surround her with a family (you) and make her last years happy? Easy.

I noticed you said too sick to take care of herself, but does that mean you couldn't have done it? If she was bed ridden from age/disease and required 24/7 medical staff I would say this is not so much the facilities fault.

Why do you need her pension?

[Knight Gil]

My grandmother lives at home, together with the rest of my family.

She's somewhat active, even though she doesn't go out much anymore. She can take care of herself, but if she couldn't, my family would be there for her. Especially my mother. My mother has a fucking strong moral backbone, and she wouldn't just leave her to rot in a nursing home, no matter what it takes.

It's good that nursing homes exist, because it's good that places where old people are taken care of exist. But some of them have unacceptable conditions. And while it's understandable that not every family could take care of their elders, it's sad to see that so many of them are being sent into nursing homes, or live alone with no one to take care of them and no visits from their family except once in a lifetime. It's a real shame that our society has such low respect for elders (Paradoxically, I find that the same goes to the youth, and such problems could be solved if there was more investment in the youth and its abilities. Pretty much everyone is screwed these days, except middle-aged people with established careers)

[goobernoob]

Why do you need her pension?

you might need it to replace hours lost at work if you are taking care of her to the point that you need to cut back hours or switch to full time care of her. even if you don't, being paid part of it is still a better deal for her then almost all of it to a facility that feels like somewhere folks go to die.

[drwelfare]

I try to do what I can for my grandmother and keep her at home and able to go outside some.
I also check in on the wife of my recently passed boss.

After what I have seen and since I wont have children to help me Im expecting to allow some condition to take me down early or worse if I need to.

[Skippy88]

My grandpa (101) and grandma (90) and they are in a nice new group home. Their room is like a small apartment with kitchen, family room, bathroom and bedroom. They have quite a few staff to help with cleaning, food, meds, practically anything. The home has a games room including a Wii, bowling, among other things. It's so nice we keep joking that we would like to move in. I guess the point is yes there are some places that are really run down but there are spots that are really nice.

[cFortyfive]

Yupp it is. I have taken care that my mother won't have to go through this as I can effort living and around the clock care. Don't know how it is in other countries but conditions of that whole system is subhuman in Germany unless you are able to spend like 5k+ a month.

[Puck]

Why didn't you let her live at your house or other family? Send her to a different center? I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything, but if you thought the conditions were horrible why didn't you move her?

[Lafarce]

For that money? I'm sure you can find a better old age home...

First of all, there aren't too many that like the idea of private facilities in Norway, second they would both (private and public) cost a lot.

[Puck]

First of all, there aren't too many that like the idea of private facilities in Norway, second they would both (private and public) cost a lot.

But it's a family member. I would have thought every penny spent on making their last days more comfortable is worth it.

[Gothicshark]

Getting old sucks, your skin starts to get dry and wrinkly, your hair falls out. You have trouble reading fine print. And kids are damned foolish and young ohh so young.

--

Ironically I thought this was about space elves who lost their home world when the dark god of pleasure and pain was born. Who are now drifting between the stars trying to keep dark gods from eating their souls.

[Deleted]

Her pension was 1 696 euros a month. Thats 2 246 dollars.

I don't know if I understood correctly. If you meant 1.6k euro, that's like 4 times the average salary in my country. ( Romania ) The average pension is about 130 euro, but in many cases it gets even lower. You would be amazed how many elder people in the countryside live in dirt homes and don't afford to pay for electricity, gas or tap water, even food.

So yeah. I won't have express an opinion about your post as the situation here and in Norway is very different. But I agree on one thing. After a life of hard work ( in most of the cases anyway ) no old person should be treated like that.

[Azutael]

Ah yes, wonderful Norway. Where the elderly have worse conditions than prisoners.
It keeps getting worse as well, it's constantly in the media about the elderly's conditions. Not getting proper food, bedtime early in the day, very few staff etc.

It's simply ridiculous how they are treated.