Sue, You just brought back a flood of memories.......working in the nursing home when I met Pete......and ALL my Grandmas and Grandpas...........had a Grandma, 97, that was fit and NEEDED a fella.........wanted me to take her to Camp Walters............another that would strip buck naked...........and slip out the door to go to the store.............another that was 97 years old and had birthed 17 children............and raised 4 of her sisters. She was a full Cherokee Indian and grew up on the reservation. The storeis she could tell. I sat with her the night she died. What a sweet beautiful passing. Then there are all same people in the Nursing homes I visit with the dogs.............same stories, different times. Mo >I care for, or manage the care of, the "elderly" in our area - we have a > couple of residents who are over 100 years old.. and some that are as > young > as 49 but unable to care for themselves. All are afflicted with some > disease > process that they will eventually die from. As that time draws near, I > spend > a great deal of time with families - I do not pity them, for they do not > need my pity, but I show them compassion and help them find their way > through the maze of decisions, paperwork, emotions, doubts and guilt. > One question that always comes up is "Are we expected to just take away > all > hope?" > > I tell them that it has been my experience that as we move through life, > we > don't give up hope, we simply change what it is we hope for, and at this > point in the "circle of life" (to coin a phrase)what we hope for is peace, > comfort, love, respect and dignity as we move from this life to the next - > and that our goal as nurses is to ensure that their loved one achieves all > that. > > At this time, Robert and Donna deserve all that and more. > Sue Madlung - Shadowacre Reg'd German Shepherds ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2006. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - URL temporarily deleted due to AOL issues ============================================================================