We are living longer.
But that doesn’t mean our later years are always golden.
Imagine spending the last 3 weeks of your life strapped into a geri-chair next to a nurses station in a sterile, bright and cold nursing home.
Imagine spending the last hours of your life alone, unable to speak, or eat, with a feeding tube keeping your body nourished.
Imagine visiting your loved one at a nursing home to find out he or she eloped from the facility, unattended, despite the fact he or she suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
This is sadly the fate of many in our current long term care system. And it is no surprise that people are looking for better options, better more personal care.
While there is not yet a clear alternative to traditional nursing homes in the US, in Europe Seniors are leaving their countries of origin for neighboring countries where senior and long term care has a more personal touch. According to a recent NPR story, German seniors are moving to Poland despite the language barrier and lack of neighboring family.
Something to think about.. and another reminder that if there is a better option, consumers will find it!