not what we expected

This posting was going to be another look at Charles Dicken's great line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," and a rehash of earlier ramblings on our present day being the best time to be aging & the worst time to be dying. 

Then I looked up Dickensian, which I wanted to use but wasn't 100% sure of its meaning.  Astonished to discover the word, Dickensian, even more than The Tale of Two Cities quote, describes our present-day experience of aging, at least in the USA.  Strange, but true - it has two opposite meanings, context essential to understanding its meaning:

characterized by jollity & conviviality: a Dickensian scene round the Christmas tree

squalid & poverty-stricken: working conditions were truly Dickensian

 
That sums up pretty well today's Janus-faced experience of aging in America. We are living longer, more vibrant lives, but always with Damocles sword - the knowledge that dying in America is more emotionally & financially depleting than ever - dangling over our heads.  

Aging in America is Dickensian in ways I never imagined.  It's characterized by more active young-old adults who are fitter, more mobile than any previous generation.  And by a culture that struggles with how to respond to the growing number of the dependent, unwell & the dying.  

Our cultural short-sightedness left us with an aging & dying dilemma we never saw coming.  Even now, it's tough for even experts to put concepts & words around the challenges we face.  We were promised longer lives characterized by jollity & conviviality;  no one mentioned that dying could leave even healthy bank accounts & families exhausted.  


It's not what we expected.  But it's what we've got to face down now, to discuss, consider & address.  

Am feeling a lot better about those prospects after hearing James Wells, the new Interim Director at Rydal Park, speak on Wednesday.  He seems to understand the need for discussion, for looking the difficult in the face in order to find ways to address challenges which will only multiply over the next years.  

I get the sense James Wells is committed to increasing the possibility of all Rydal Park residents having some semblance of full-throttle living, whatever their circumstances, that he wants these to be as much the best of times for them as possible.  

James Wells boosts my belief that we can change our nation's Dickensian culture around aging, that we must face down what makes this the worst of times for too many of our elderly & their families, then do all we can to make BEST more & more the new national norm.