Saturday, September 01, 2007

 

Back on Line

I've been silenced, if that's the right word, for several days. My computer died. The diagnosis was that the hard drive was defective. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to find a good repair shop where a new drive was installed and much of the information on the old drive was retrieved and copied to the new one. The operating system has been upgraded, also. I now have WindowsXP instead of WindowsME. I'm told it's a better system. It's too soon for me to judge.

Lots of juicy things have happened while I was off line that other bloggers have undoubtedly been writing about. Think of it: Alberto Gonzales has resigned; Karl Rove has resigned; Senator Craig has resigned; Senator Warner has decided not to run for reelection. The first three resignations are to me an improvement in the body politic. Warner's leaving represents a real loss. He is one of the few Republicans that I can call a reasonable man even though I disagree with some of his positions.

A very dear and close friend is now having home hospice care. This friend has late stage Alzheimer's disease. One effect is the change in the voice quality. The individual now has difficulty speaking and seems to have to force the word out. Hospice care, provided by Medicare, is a substitute for the HMO that formerly provided medical care for this friend. Apparently the HMO doctors decided that they could no longer do anything beneficial for this friend. The end was coming and nothing in the arsenal of medical practice could do more than delay it. Life might be extended by installing a feeding tube and an IV drip; my friend had previously stated that nothing like that was to be done. So, relatives and close acquaintances of this friend are now simply waiting for the end. The end will be near when my friend will no longer take food or drink, but will instead peacefully starve to death. The hospice people have assured the relatives that the end will not be painful or even unpleasant for the patient. The survivors will grieve.

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Comments:
This is great info to know.
 
To Emily: I'm not sure that your comment "This is great info to know" referred to my computer problem or to the gradual demise of my dear relative. The relative was my wife, whom I was able to care for and have cared for at home. She did not have to spend the last six months of her life in a nursing home or other strange surrounding. Although I am still sad at losing her, I am happy that I was able to provide care for her at home.
 
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