A Place for Mom's Family

This weekend my neighbor Marie died.  She was 3 months shy of her 100th birthday.  We've lived next door to her for 9 years and her favorite saying was 'Isn't it nice to have nice neighbors!"  She caught pnemonia and wound up in the hospital. 

The remarkable thing is that her caregiver was her niece Caroline.  Her niece is 83 years old.  The pair of them have been a part of the neighborhood for years and years.  Unfortunately Caroline caught pnemonia as well and is now herself in the hospital.  She missed Marie's memorial service.

Marie was born in 1908.  Her mother died when she was 2.  Her father was away in WWI at the time.  She was passed from relative to relative until her father returned.  They moved to Seattle in the 30's from the midwest looking for a better life.  She outlived 3 husbands but had no children of her own. 

Sitting at her memorial service on Monday I heard about how difficult her life had been.  Yet in the 9 years I'd known her she had always been unflaggingly positive and upbeat. I've met only one other centarian and it's clear to me that long life is as much about attitude and it is genetics.

As my 3 year told me the other night; "I miss Marie."

 Get well soon Caroline.

Thanks for the story, John! I am sending my prayers Caroline's way!

My sympathies to Marie's family and especially Caroline.  Neighbors are family too, just not the one we are born into!

Thanks for sharing this touching story.

Susan

Update - Caroline has recovered from her illness and now is back at home.  She's still regaining her strength but is on her way back. We talked the other night and it was clear that losing Marie and getting hit with pneumonia at the same time was a lot to handle.  But Caroline too, like Marie, is a powerful optimist.  She's also fortunate that one of her daughters is a registered nurse who has moved in with her, up from southern Oregon, to help her through her convalescence.

Not everyone is so fortunate.  Both Marie and Caroline had (and have) family nearby who had the time and the background, to look after them every day.   It's up to the rest of us to make sure that people who are not so lucky can find resources to help them in their time of need.

My Neighbor Walt

My neighbor Walt sounds just like Marie, your dear passed neighbor.

I know the time is coming for Walt, and with all the fun conversations we have had with him over the last seven years, and I remember

my son at 1 year old, calling him "Walrus". Walter just laughed and laughed about being a walrus to Nick.

I know at eight years old, my son will say to me, MOM , I MISS WALRUS........I will too, Nick.

Belinda B

A Place For Mom

Eldercare Advisor.

Marie died of a particularly bad case of Pneumonia.  Evidently so do about 70,000 other seniors each year.  But evidently research is making some headway against anti-biotic resistant strains:

Researchers uncover reasons behind MRSA drug resistance

Streptococcus pneumoniae and MRSA, two drug resistant strains of bacteria, may soon meet their match at the hands of an old foe: penicillin.

New research has revealed how Streptococcus pneumoniae has become resistant to penicillin. By targeting a protein called MurM, which acts as an enzyme that reinforces the walls of bacterial cells against penicillin, researchers found ways to disrupt the bacterium's resistance to antibiotics.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is responsible for up to 70,000 deaths in the U.S. elderly population every year. The MRSA super bug (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) kills nearly 20,000 people a year in hospitals and nursing homes nationwide.

The research is part of a joint effort between the University of Warwick, The Rockefeller University in New York and the Université Laval, Ste-Foy in Quebec. More information about the research and the network of research facilities can be found at http://www.warwick.ac.uk/go/bacwan.

From McKnight's Daily News