Dr. Peter Saul of Australia Speaks on a Tough Topic: End of Life

I saw a video clip of Dr. Peter Saul talking about the choices we make, or fail to make, regarding our own end of life care.

He reminds us that with increasing longevity comes not more years of youth but more years of old age, and that frailty comes to us all.

Dr. Saul refers to two of the most imortant questions of our lives:  1)  If you can't speak for yourself, who do you want speaking for you? and, 2)  Have you talked to that person about what your wishes are should that time come?

My personal interpretation of his message is that all of us are responsible for making choices not only about our lives as we go along through them, but about the ends of our lives.  I'm not talking about suicide or euthenasia, but about the fact that each and all of us need to take just a little time (while we have it) to prepare ourselves and our loved ones for the ultimate inevitability of life - it ends sooner or later.  HOW it ends is up to us for the most part, barring violence or a natural disaster of some kind.

There are information packets available at any medical facility that explain the options and procedures involved, and access is as easy as stopping in and requesting the information.  The forms will make you think, and give you a format through which to make your wishes known in case you're ever in a position where you can't speak or write them in person.

More important than filling out forms is making sure those closest to you know in no uncertain terms exactly what it is that YOU want for YOURSELF when your time comes.  Tell them flat out and put it in writing so there's no chance for misunderstanding. 

The thing is that, except for the thinking about it and making your choices, the whole process need take only a few minutes.  Once you've gotten it straight in your mind, write it down and then tell those who need to know, giving them copies of your written words. 

If you leave it up to others to decide, without having given them any type of guidance, you aren't being fair.  So just do it and get it over with.  Then you and your family don't have to think about it again until the time comes sometime down the road - and when that time DOES come they will know what to do, which will relieve them of much stress in what will no doubt already be a stressful time.  It won't be THEIR call, but YOURS. 

For the record, my choice is simple.  No interference whatsoever, period end of discussion.  Nothing.  This goes beyond "No Code" and "DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)" for me.  It means render no aid and I mean that literally. 

I cannot afford and flatly REFUSE to accrue the bills associated with even one day of a hospital stay or an emergency room visit, let alone a nursing home or hospice care.  Finances aside, I figure my life is my own to do with as I please, to the very end.  I accept the responsiblity for my own choices - AND I accept the responsibility for seeing to my own health and well-being to the best of my ability.

I am most assuredly not averse to life!  I love mine and fully intend to live it to its utmost.  That means that I try to take the best possible care of myself that I can.  When I'm up on my roof, I'm not likely to fall off and break my neck because when I'm up there I'm CAREFUL.  I take precautions to protect myself.  I accept the fact that it's MY responsibility to prevent both accidents and illnesses.  If I fail, I die.  It's as simple as that.  It's nobody's responsibility but my own to keep me going.  

Keep in mind that where a person is on their 'life-line' makes a big difference in what their choices will be.  A young parent with a family to raise would probably NOT make the same choices that I've made, nor should they (in my opinion,they need every possible chance they can get to raise those families and live their lives fully).  I work in a nursing home and on more than one occasion I've had someone tell me that they wished the thousands of dollars being spent to keep them there every month could be going instead to a young family who needs it, or to put someone through college.  True.  More than one person has told me that.  I never want to be in a position where I would be saying the same sort of thing.  I love my job and I love my people more than I can say ... it's just ... thought-provoking at times.

My daughters are well aware of my choices and they know the words to say should they get a question from someone someday:  "Let her go."  Or, more likely, and I'm laughing aloud as I write this, they'll say:  "Let 'er RIP, Mom!!!" (so very PUNNY we are!)  along with:  "You GO girl!"  and:  "I love you, remember the rules!" or "On the road again!"  Because they know that, relatively speaking, it will after all be only a brief separation for us. 

Ha.  Little do they know; it will be no separation at all seeing as how once I have my wings ... I'll be there.

Plan A Still Toodling Right Along!



Dining room, attic hall, and bathroom floors have been stripped, sanded, and sealed; that's a nice step in the right direction, and they look one heck of a lot better than they probably have in the 100 years of their lives to date.  Having gotten that far, and being heartily sick and tired of re-finishing floors, I decided that the old kitchen and the new kitchen are getting linoleum. 

The new kitchen's walls are also primed (okay, I admit I still have a little detail work and one little corner to do, but for the most part they are done!) so now I can get on with figuring out exactly what I want to DO with them.

Shelving units are built and more planned.  Some are for artwork display; some are for books.

I've begun collecting more materials for the roofing and for ramping.  The roofing will be time-consuming, what with having to remove two layers of cedar shakes (all those NAILS!!), but I'll dodder along as best I can.  As soon as I have the scaffolding (next on my purchase list) and the weather is nice enough, I can get on with it!  I have plenty of everything I need to get a good beginning.

One thing I discovered today is that my little pickup is a great little work pony!  I hauled almost half a ton of materials and that little old truck performed like a trooper, which is a huge relief.  This time it was mainly concrete blocks and rolls of roofing stuff; next it will be more rolls and lots of shingles, which aren't exactly feather-weight.

Moving right along ... in order to do the dining room floor I had to of course empty the room.  Once the floor was double sealed I decided I really like the space in there when it isn't all filled up with a big dining room table, the accompanying chairs, couch, easy chair, and whatever the heck else I had taking up all the room.  Since it's just me and Duke here, I made an arbitrary decision to dispense with most of all that stuff.  I'll have my small antique table, a couple of chairs, the counter for electronics, and my recliner and that's it.  Out with the rest!

For a few days the couch sat in the middle of my studio work room, taking up all THAT space.  Then I heaved a heavy sigh and went ahead and dismantled the day bed in the morning room to make room for the couch in there for the time being.  The day bed, dismantled, I just added to the rapidly filling front porch.  Some of the clutter out there consists of dump-bound junk; some of it I want to keep (if I can ever get to it); a large portion will sit there until the people who want it are ready to have it (which will hopefully be in this decade).  Once that re-distribution happens this old house will have a look that I will sincerely appreciate.

One of my 'between-work' projects in the next couple of days is going to be constructing the framing to use in building Duke's stone doghouse.  It's a practice run for the bigger projects I have in mind.  I'll also have to go rock-hunting, which will probably be the most fun of the whole project.  Other than that, I just have to get some concrete mix and a five gallon pail.  Well yeah, then I have to DO the project! 

Oh, an explanation of the term 'between-work':  I'm a CNA at a local medical facility and work the 3-11 shift.  When I have a bunch of work days in a row, my daily schedule is getting up and moving around nine or ten, eating, bathing, spending a little time on line or fiddling with either planning or working on something or other; then, because I'm OLD (and because my job is physically and emotionally demanding), I'll usually try to get some rest from noon until two when it's time for me to get ready for work, leave for work at two-thirty so as to get there on time, work from three to eleven, get home shortly before midnight, wind down until one or two in the morning, and do it all over again.  So the 'between-work' time consists of maybe an hour in the late morning. 

Anyway ...

The gal I 'sold' my other house to told me that she's going to pay me a little more on it, so I'm hoping to be able to go shopping again on my next weekend off, for those roofing materials and hopefully the linoleum for the kitchens. 

In between now and then I'll have one day 'off' from work and according to the extended forecast it's supposed to rain that day so I reckon maybe I can use that day to do something creative for a change.