hmmm…..
Did you know that it is no longer unusual to find young residents in nursing homes? About one in seven patients now living in skilled care facilities are under 65 years of age. Young adults who have debilitating diseases or injuries find themselves isolated and alone among critically ill senior citizens because there is no place else for them to go. This is tragic and sad. Young adults with injuries that may or may not have been of their making are confined to a life that is dismal and depressing at best.
The truth is, these young patients are pretty much powerless to control much of what goes on in their lives. It is easy to judge them. It is easy to say, take control of your life. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, stop smoking, stop eating junk food. Just do it. That is so easy to say when we are not the ones living day by day in a place filled with little hope.
But don’t get me wrong. In many cases, nursing homes are a blessing. They give the family members a reprieve when they are no longer able to care for a loved one at home. So the problem comes when we try to generalize. We try to make our world “one size fits all” when it is anything but that.
God recognizes our needs. God knows that we are all different but we have the same desires: to be loved, to be cared for, to be affirmed, to be needed. And maybe what we can offer is a little bit of heaven by recognizing that truth in every one we meet.
hmmm…..
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