I met Betty over a year ago when we admitted her to our Palliative Care program. She is so amazing as had such a “young” personality. She saw the good in everything and expressed those positive emotions so naturally. Betty has been widowed over 60 years. She has two children who are involved on a limited basis due to geographic distance. She has a hired caseworker who is more like a daughter to her as the two of them have a beautiful relationship.
I have always said that our age is the number of years we have been living on this Earth. How old or young we are, comes from within. Betty is a perfect example of a young soul.
ATTITUDE
I met her eighteen months ago
when we admitted her to Palliative Care.
Nurses are available to assist patients
who have ongoing, chronic health issues.
She started to slowly decline; becoming weaker;
needing more and more help with her daily activities.
She was also becoming mildly confused,
although was still so aware and alert.
Due to increasing needs she, along with her family,
chose to move her to a Board and Care home.
She was a registered nurse by trade
and knew that this was the best option.
I met up with her today to admit her to hospice.
She smiled and laughed so easily.
She saw the good in everything around
and expressed strong appreciation for our visit.
When I asked her, “What is your secret to a long life?”,
she amazed me with what she shared.
“I see the good in everything. I am a positive soul.
In the end, it is all about attitude.”
She will be turning 104 in a few months.
More years than most of us will ever see.
She has no fears or regrets about the end.
“I am okay. Any time is okay”
Expressing her inner beliefs so beautifully
with such a positive attitude.
