Aging Gracefully - Not Me!

Nope, I don't think I'll age gracefully.  I am going to age kicking and screaming!  I don't want my body or mind to break down.  How am I supposed to understand my needs if my mind isn't working right? 

Who understands Medicare?  What's a Medicare supplement?  You know, I spent months studying insurance to get my license and it was all so convoluted, I couldn't make heads or tails of any of it.  (I ended up deciding insurance wasn't going to be my career field.)  Plus, I didn't want to think about getting old and death.  When it comes time for Medicare, I am definitely going to need help figuring out what I need.

I've spent time worrying about who would take care of my parents and my husband's parents but until recently, I never gave any thought that my own kids would have these same thoughts down the road.  I don't know.  Turning 40 in less than two months is getting to me.  It feels like I'm perched on top of a hill facing downward and it's a steep, fast decline without a helmet! My grandmother passed away a couple weeks ago - in a nursing home, in a state far away, with no family around her.  That is just awful.  She could've had caregivers around her if another family member had cooperated.  Nobody should die alone.  Technically, she had staff around her, holding her hand...it's not the same!

Being a caregiver has to be stressful.  There is a book called Minding Our Elders that I want to check out.  Maybe it'll give me some insight into caregiving.  With my mother into her late 60's now, and my in-laws in the 70's and 80's, I really need some more insight!