Dedicated to taking care of the elderly
“Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.”
The average life expectancy for a person living in Ireland today is 80 years of age, a testament to the better nutrition, more comfortable homes, and a slightly easier working life, than was ever experienced by our ancestors. However, when today’s 80 year olds were born in 1940, it couldn’t possibly be imagined that they would live so long!
Growing older means growing wiser, with almost a century’s worth of experience and life running through the veins. However, in the twilight years it is a fact that some extra help will be needed and welcomed to enjoy the remaining years, and that is where elderly care provision comes in.
The ideal scenario is living at home, independently with the dog, until the very last day. That is the ideal - and ideals are seldom practical. Reduced mobility and mental capacity means that help at home, or even moving into a nursing home, is the reality for most.
Care homes are now as much a part of our lives as the crib was; just another stage of life to go through. Today’s private facilities are places to enjoy exercise, hot meals, and a level of social interaction that isn’t always possible at home. Historically, ending up ‘ in a home’ was a negative, last resort. Today, it is the culmination of a long life.
Care of the elderly means ensuring care of the highest standard. Being elderly sometimes means being vulnerable, and so with the nursing homes we choose for our older family and friends, we must trust them with every fibre in our being. So too with the at-home help we choose for the older person in our lives. Media coverage in the past has highlighted some gross breaches of trust in the industry, and so with the care homes and helpers we hire, it is critical that we have structures in place to check every element of their actions and behaviour.
A care ‘home’ is just that - another ‘home’. Home is where you get a cup of tea, and your porridge in the morning. Home is where you can gossip about your neighbour, and argue about what’s on TV. A warm bed, and someone to check up on you when your health is failing. A right to a home with all of these things is our due at the end of a long working life, worrying and caring for others.
The residential care facilities available in The Avondhu area are reputable and varied, and by staying local, it means that children, grandchildren and friends can continue to stay in easy contact with any residents living there.