I am sorry to have
cut you adrift again. All well here, except for this terrible weakness. And today
has been slightly better than yesterday. Daniela and I might even venture out
tomorrow.
The End is
approaching, in the sense that I will be going into my care home on Saturday
morning (and Daniela to Romania on Monday). Things are slowly and vaguely
getting done. I am interested in discovering why the British don’t have retirement
communities all over the place, the way the Americans do. My mother lived in
one, my sister and her husband are in another now. Don’t believe Richard Osman,
who has recently written two rather good thrillers set in a British one. There
may be one or two Down Souff, but it’s nothing like America. I used to think it
was because we had the NHS, but I have abandoned that hypothesis. And Cramond
House probably isn’t the place to explore my new hypothesis since everyone there
will be so rich.
Knitting: Crochet66,
it’s all your fault. When I wrote to you last, I had ordered Kate Davies’ Mooch
pattern for Care Home knitting. Thanks to you, I have also ordered Lilias Day,
but with some Ooskit for the background colour as less prone to dirtiness than
the specified Schiehallion “crowdie”. Both kits have now arrived. I’ve even
wound some yarn. Now all I have to do is knit.
More soon, I hope.
My brother-in-law is in a Care Home in Belfast. It sounds similar to the one we are in here in Seattle.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter lived in Canada for many years, and so many older people had homes in very nice retirement villages. I think England seems to have 'assisted living' flats which are not the same. I do hope you enjoy your stay in Cramond.
ReplyDeleteWhoever "inspired" you to order the KDD yarn probably did you a favor. I imagine you will enjoy them both immensely.
ReplyDeleteOops! Sorry : )
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear from you. Regaining interest in knitting is a happy sign. Oddly I am also knitting again, just a hat but it's the first in years.
ReplyDeleteThe weakness you report worries me - I'm not a doctor but I wonder whether there's some test they could do that they haven't thought of because it's "unlikely", like, I don't know, parasites or something. (There was a chlamydia problem in Washington DC years ago, identified because a businessman came down with it from having a drink with ice cubes made with DC water.)
Here in the US I wonder if it is related to funding. There are a range of options, from subsidized senior apartments, to market-rate apartments, to assisted living and memory care. There are models, usually by a non profit, that start with a regular apartment then the resident can move along the continuum. They generally require quite a hefty initial investment, though.
ReplyDeleteI think you've hit the nail on the head here. A couple of years ago my parents (in Michigan, US) were considering such a scheme.Then they had me (a lawyer, haha) read through the paperwork, where I discovered that despite the "hefty initial investment" the facility had the option of kicking them out if/when their funds were depleted, even though this particular facility had a religious affiliation, as so many do. We convinced them they could buy a LOT of in-home care for the same cost, without the upfront "investment."
DeleteGood for you, Crochet66! Jean, I want you to enjoy every delicious fibre of your knitting projects.
ReplyDeleteAs you are so kind in sharing the photos, we can enjoy them too.
Helen (anon)
Just tried googling assisted living Scotland cuz...you never know. Only came up with Renaissance Homes. Was that the for-the-ultra-rich one? Maybe should have used the term "Care Home". It's amazing how many towns called Scotland are in the United States. Enjoy the pampering while you are there! Chloe
ReplyDeleteThe website Autumna is a directory of Care homes. In Scotland. You put n your needs and they spit out any matches. But maybe you have investigated this option already. Chloe
ReplyDeleteSo good to see you posting again! Thank you for the update. I had misunderstood your timeline and thought you were there this week!
ReplyDeleteInteresting about the difference in care home-type availability. Perhaps Waiting for God (I think that’s the title) put folks off the idea?
Laura