Reading this terrific book my appreciation for what it says is matched by the emotions that it calls forth. I am beset by ambivalence about the end of life -- boredom, loneliness and helplessness among the elderly -- and terrified that my mother's fate, dementia, will be my own.
The author talks about lifecycle changes, young vs old, and peoples' different perspectives not based on their age but on how they look at their lives having lived them. As people age they may become dependent on others for their daily needs but they keep their desire for independence. Their caretaker children do not understand this; they consider safety the most important issue while to their parents a meaningful present counts more. We haven't got good places where elders can be both safe and feel alive. All in all, wonderful and depressing.
Very glad this author is named to President-Elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board.
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