Book review of "The theft of memory"

I find books to read at my local dollar store to build my personal library. I found Jonathan Kozal’s book, “The Theft of Memory.” I wanted to know what to expect in the future. My own father passed away several years ago and I was living in another state, so my mother and brother had to deal with the situation. My father had to spend his time in a nursing home from the time of the stroke until his death.

I want to learn to plan when it is time to take care of my mother or someday if my husband needs it before I do.

Jonathan’s parents lived to the age of 102 and he was 72 years old. His mother was able to live in an apartment and eventually he brought his father back home with her because he felt so bad every time his father said, “Can we go home now?” He recruited caregivers that he observed genuinely cared. They were able to share the observations they had seen behind the scenes in their previous jobs and give it the attention it deserved.

I can attest to this personally. I worked for a year in a direct care company as a supervisor and struggled to find competent employees. I would recommend to anyone financially able to hire a private caregiver that they can rely on at home rather than in a facility.

The biggest difference in Jonathan’s case is that his parents had the money saved to last until his death. Their lawyer said they only had three years of finances left, so the time was resolved. For the elderly poor, they are at the mercy of public assistance. It is essential to have family members around for regular check-ups.

Jonathan’s story was fascinating because his father was a doctor who had been a medical expert on two high-profile criminal cases and had a famous patient who moved across the street from his father’s office in order to receive care from for life. The doctor had traveled the world in search of research and had written many opinions.

Jonathan and his parents loved each other very much, so he was able to handle his father’s decline because he remembered the man he once was. He gave very good examples of what to expect and plan.

I want to treat my adult children well so that they will be kind to me in my golden years.