AARP Online Community: allpatchedup

allpatchedup

AARP Member

Offline

Background

Status: Divorced

Location:
Texas
United States

Hometown(s):
Covington, OK Enid, OK Stillwater, OK Tulsa, OK Then, I found my way to Texas at an early age. Doesn't matter where in this state I live, I'm home. :O)

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My Scores (9)

Game	Score
Mah Jongg Garden	355970
Eggz	45974
Mahjongg: Mom Jongg	11773
Yarnz	10426
Mahjongg Toy Chest	8555

About Me

This is really hard. I will try to just put down phrases that apply to me. Christian, not-yet-retired, divorced, mother of four (2 boys, 2 girls), work for Harris County in Texas, living with three of my children to have the company and to share financial issues, quilter who taught quilting for several years, have done community theatre work, love to meet new people and try new things....don't know what else to say!

Interests:

My church, camping, quilting, sewing, hanging with friends and family, cooking

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My Photos (14)

old crone with boy.jpg

Many Mini-pinwheels.jpg

Feathered Heart.jpg

Heart Strings.jpg

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My Journals (4)

Retirement is likely to be much different than I thought..

At my office, we are at the end of our fiscal year. My boss wants all purchase orders completely spent down to nothing, whether they need to be used or not. Things are crazy, and I have put in a lot of extra hours at the job, and am really getting tired. Retirement is looking better and better.

However, in this economy, what makes me think I can retire and still make it? It's the burning question many of us have right now. Consider how we were early on led to believe that working for most of our adult lives would provide us with a Social Security retirement that would provide for us when the time comes. Well, the time is just around the corner, and I am concerned.

My parents, both in their 80's, are rapidly approaching the time when they are going to need a more daily kind of care than the care of just checking in on them. My dad is becoming more and more unable to remember what was said to him 10 minutes ago, and constantly takes apart his ocmputer and puts it back together incorrectly. DOn't even get me started on this last episode of his "repairs" that ended up costly me around $300. He gets lost driving, too, and, although my mom complains about his memory all the time, she will not tell the neurologist the truth when he asks how Dad is doing. Dad should not be driving, but, because Mom has GBS, she is physically unable to drive, so she depends on him to get her from point A to Point B. So, she lies to the doctor. My brothers and I are about to take matters intoour own hands, although this is not an easy or simple matter to decide. There are serious ramifications to whatever decision we make concerning this.

Surely I am not the only person nearing retirement who is forced to concede that elderly parents who refuse to admit they are at the point of needing considerably more in the way of everyday assistance, are going to be a major part of daily life for the next few years. Retirement is going to mean staying home to take are of them. Property in Hill County, where I planned to retire and build a small place in the beautiful Texas hills and raise a garden and do some quilting, is, at this moment, nothing but a dream. Whether or not that dream will materialize is anyone's guess right now, but a few short years ago, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be able to accomplish this dream.

Now, however, it seems that things are not so simple. My folks will not leave their home and their cats, and they cannt take them with them to an asisted living facility or even a smaller, easier-to-care-for house nearer to myself and my children so that we can help them more. It is a conumdrum. What to do?

What have others of you done? And, what kind of emotional response have you receied from your parents when you have made decisions for them that they do not wish to make for themselves? I would really be initerested on hearing from otheres concerning this.

Added: February 11, 2009
Views: 95 | Comments: 0 | Bookmarks: 0

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