Happy Birthday Grandma
My grandma turned 95 over the weekend. We had a nice little party for her; my brother was in town as were my cousins. It was good to see all of them, and to meet their kids for the first time (and some of them are nearing their teens!).
Grandma is doing OK. She broke her hip a few weeks ago, which is why she is now in a full-care home. She hates being there, partly because she doesn’t understand why she is there, partly because she hates losing her independence. (Proving her independence is how she broke her hip, by the way.)
And while her hip is healing really well (amazingly well for a 95 year old, I’d say), he memories are getting a bit confused. Like when asked who the President is, she said Kennedy — an improvement over Eisenhower last week. But she remembered me and my brother and my wife (though couldn’t think of her name).
This confusion of memory seems to be a concern of my mom’s, and apparently care facilities. But I had to ask, why? She’s 95 years old, does it really matter if she thinks Kennedy is President? Grandma’s happy (relatively) and comfortable, remembers her family. What does it matter if she can’t remember the exact year? Honestly, she isn’t going to be around much longer; I say let her live when she wants. Let’s just keep her happy.