This might get a little long, (OK OK IT IS!!) but - Here it goes.

As I stated, my grandfather was able to stay in the house longer after his VERY COMPLEX AND DAMAGING stroke because he had family to help care for him.

I was one of the family members who did. (at that time of medical procedures etc, he should not have lived long after the stroke. However, he got into an intense rehab program that helped recover some of what had been damaged/lost. A VERY novel program in the 80s that helped change attitudes towards what was possible in neuro care.)

During this time, I also was exposed to Assisted care facilities, independent senior communities (like one of our churches had), loaves and fishes and senior centers. All of them gave me insight on aging, complex conditions (due to exposure to chemical/environmental factors or genetics.)

The experience during my adolescent and teen years was beneficial for later experiences as a CNA/Home care aide/companion, as well as an advocate for those with complex or rare Neurological(and medical) conditions.

Later on in life there was more experience in caring for elders who had been affected by Chemical exposure, Agent orange and other things.
Also, lots of experience caring for elders with Neurological conditions.

Conditions like Parkinsons, Dementia, Alzheimer's, Cerebral atrophy (which acts like a mix of Alzheimer's and Dementia with some having Parkinson's issues and blindness. Many with this condition have fatal strokes.)

You could say my wanting to learn more about ways to treat the conditions and help give the people affected a good or better than good quality of life is a hobby. Maybe a passion.

So is learning about life was it was from my patients. I got enjoyment of learning first-hand from the "living history books".

While caring for them, I learned a lot about their lives, what was common, what was extraordinary, etc.
SO much I could talk about here... but we only have so many characters allotted.

In my grandfather's last years, my children accompanied me to visits with him, and they would spend time with what they came to call "our other mee-maws and papaws" while my mom and I would visit/care for grandpa.

My kids gleaned a lot of things that were not taught in school and gained broader insight by having the "Extra grandparents", and IMHO gained more compassion than some of their peers when it came to elders. Some of the staff at the ALC said that the elders who my kids "adopted" thrived more because of the interaction.

Thanks to some of these elders, my kids won awards at school for some of their reports and short stories.

My youngest's teacher wondered where some of the more "off the wall" inspiration came from. It came from an elder who had Dementia and couldn't hear well or see well. :)


OK -- enough on my "about me -slash- article" (Though, you know, I might just turn this into one!)
;)

I look forward to talking with you soon!